The Peer Partnership: Group Dynamics and Facilitation

Group support can be a valuable and effective intervention for people living with complex or difficult circumstances. The ability to share your knowledge and experiences with others while also learning from the knowledge and experience of others can lead to new ways of thinking and approaching situations, as well as supporting a reduction in feelings of isolation. Groups can be organic and unpredictable, with each instance bringing new personalities and new complications. By learning how groups form, engage, and resist, and by understanding how to create an environment that emphasises the needs of the group as well as those of the individuals within it, support groups can maintain focus, cohesion, and effectiveness. This workshop is designed to support staff and organisations in voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) to understand group dynamics within a support setting and to manage and coordinate groups or supervise volunteers to do so.