Course Syllabus: HMS 107 Small Group Interaction Techniques (3 Credits) Rev. 12/12
Course Description
This course contains a variety of didactic, introspective, reflective, and interactive approaches to the complex issues involving the use of groups for substance abuse treatment, personal development, and for other supportive psychological and social interventions. Students will be required to contact and visit a community service agency or non-profit organization which offers an environment of group support for clients or program participants.
Instructor Information
Mary Ray, PhD
Human Services Program Coordinator/Instructor
Great Basin College
Elko Campus
1500 College Parkway
Elko, NV89801
Office 116
Health Sciences and Human Services Support Staff: Dianna Byers: (775) 753-2301
Mary Ray Office Phone: 775-753-2005
Fax: (775) 753-2151
Office Hours
Course messages may be left at any time. Contact the instructor by phone or office email. Generally, phone calls are returned by the end of the next business day.
Required Text and Materials
- VHS video and Workbook: Evolution of a Group by Corey, Gerald and Marianne Schneider Corey
(Brooks/Cole/ITP:Thompson) ISBN-13: 978-0-534-36324-6
- Highly suggested textbook: 101 Interventions in Group Therapy by Scott Simon Fehr (Routledge) ISBN:978-0-415-88217-0
Regular, reliableinternet connection and access to a current word processing program such as MS Word.
Review of official publication materials/websites from widely-recognized self-help organizations from the following list:
- “Alcoholics Anonymous” (
“Rational Recovery” (
“Overeaters Anonymous” (
“Al-Anon” (
Course Goals
This course is designed to acquaint the student with evidence-based principles and ethical practice in identifying effective methods of small group formation and management.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Identify strength-based communication, assessment, and intervention skills common to small group facilitation and management
- Identify evidence-based, ethical concepts and behaviors related to human/social services standards of practice when leading small groups
Expected Learner Outcomes and Methods of Measurement
I. Identify strength-based communication, assessment, and intervention skills common to small group facilitation and management
Measurements: Journals, class participation/discussions, essay, intervention plans, exam
II.Identify evidence-based, ethical concepts and behaviors related to human/social services standards of practice when leading small groups
Measurements: Journals, class participation/discussions, essay, intervention plans, exam
Methods of Instruction
Learning methods include the following activities:
- Reading assignments
- Group observation
- Class discussions
- Written assignments
- Class presentations
- Final examination
Grading Policy
The following percentage grade point scale will be used:
A ≥93 A- 92-90 B+ 89-87 B 86-83 B- 82-80 C+ 79-77 C 76-73 C-72-70 D+69-67 D 66-63 D- 62-60 F>60
Late Work Policies
Students are expected to participate and to complete all assignments on time.
It is a student’s responsibility to initiate the process of making up missed coursework/assignments, and/or obtaining missed instructional content. Incomplete grades may be requested/granted per GBC policy. Incomplete grades must be requested by the student prior to final exam week, and must be made up during the following semester per GBC policy. Late points are permanent and will continue to accrue until the student and instructor agree that an incomplete will be issued.
Students should check grade books regularly for monitoring current scores/academic progress and for viewing instructor comments.
In order for late work to be considered for a grade, students must notify the instructor of late assignments or late discussion posts. Late submissions made without instructor notification may be missed, and may not be graded. No submission or discussion will be graded after the posted final deadline for late/make-up work. No student work will be accepted for a grade after the final exam has been submitted.
To be fair to students who turn work in on time, unexcused late work will receive an immediate 10% deduction, and additional deductions will be made in increasing amounts thereafter. Generally, technical problems and/or difficulty with obtaining the textbook will not be considered as excused; allow ample time to complete assignments in order to meet deadlines.
Important Note:A student who logs into the course, and then fails to participate, ceases to participate, and/or does not officially withdraw from the class will receive a grade at the end of the course which reflects the total of actual points earned, even if that number is a zero. Students wanting a grade of “W” must withdraw from the course prior to the deadline published in the current GBC catalog.
It is recommended that all assignments be completed, no matter how late, due to the educational value of coursework. Late assignments or posts are accepted until the posted deadline for all late/make-up work or until the final exam has been submitted. Extra credit may be offered at the instructor’s discretion, but ALL assignments must have been completed and submitted on time prior to requesting extra credit assignments.
Attendance Policy
Per this GBC catalog statement: “You must participate in classes regularly if you intend to obtain the full benefits of instruction.” It is important to keep up with written and discussion assignments. If students have difficulty participating due to technical problems (which cannot be resolved by calling the Help Desk at 775-753-2167), or in an emergency, notify the instructor to make arrangements for making up missed class work/assignments to avoid grade deductions. Students are required to read all discussion posts. This is monitored by the instructor.
Plagiarism Policy
VERY IMPORTANT: 90% of the content of journal and discussion post assignments to be written in the student’s own words. Information from the textbook and/or websites may be summarized, but this must be accurately cited. In journal assignments and discussion posts, page numbers indicating the location of information must be supplied in parentheses immediately following the sentence or sentences in which the information was used. Phrases or sentences copied word-for-word from websites or the textbook, or any other published materials must be written in quotation marks and cited. Originality checks will be used, and plagiarism (non-cited word-for-word copying of phrases or sentences) will not be tolerated. If non-cited/copied material is found, the student will be given one opportunity to re-write the work within a time limit, and not for more than a 70% score. A second incident will disqualify the work, or result in a zero score…and also may result in reporting for disciplinary action by GBC/HSHS Department. Use the "Turn it In" feature for written assignments.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Great Basin College is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to qualified students with disabilities in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A qualified student must furnish current verification of disability. The Director of Services for Students with Disabilities (Julie Byrnes) will assist qualified students with disabilities in securing the appropriate and reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids and services. For more information or further assistance, please call (775) 753-2271.
Additional Course Policies
1. Due to the sensitive nature of some subject matter in this course, students are expected to present thoughtful reviews of the material, and to offer appropriate, scholarly commentary. Discussions are for the purpose of sharing topics from the course, and are not to be used for personal communications.
2. Students are to maintain the confidentiality of others, including classmates, and/or guest presenters, as applicable. During this course, students are expected to demonstrate respectful, ethical behaviors, as outlined in the GBC Catalog, when participating in GBC activities with peers, instructors and/or speakers in any class meeting, interactive video session, and/or online discussion. Emails and threads should contain the name of the sender and addressee, be written with correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, usage and style. Please use the spell check feature, and avoid slang or contractions. Points may be deducted for work which fails to comply with this policy.
3. This is an interactive class in which your input is needed to enhance learning—for yourself and for the others in the class. Timely and regular participation in threaded discussions is required.
4. Assignments should be typed in 12-point font, double spaced, using Times New Roman font, and be logically organized, and should contain references to reliable sources. Essays must contain a cover and reference page, an abstract, citations and references which reflect research that is documented per the American Psychological Association (2001) Publication manual of the American Psychological Association(5th. ed.). Washington, DC: APA. You may access APA at the following site: Academic Success Center personnel and/or the GBC librarians can help you with APA style/format questions. The instructor will not provide detailed feedback about style/composition, or opportunities for rewriting solely for the purpose of implementing/correcting format/style to increase a grade. Points are deducted for work which fails to comply with these requirements.
5. If you are having technical difficulties, first call the GBC technology help desk number (775-753-2167) for technical assistance as soon as possible. If you are unable to resolve the problem, then notify the instructor. Unresolved technical problems are not generally considered valid in terms of excused late work.
6. To avoid late penalties, the instructor must be contacted priorto a due date when seeking to arrange alternative arrangements for submitting late assignments, obtaining an excused extension, making-up work, and/or for requesting an incomplete for the course. Late points are permanent, and stop accruing only afterthe student and instructor agree that the student will receive an incomplete or an incomplete for the course.
7.Students may not use the e-mail addresses of other students, faculty, or staff for purposes unrelated to this class. Violations may lead to disciplinary action.
8. There is a risk of losing data or an assignment if responses are typed in instead of uploading your work in a file that you have saved. You may upload multiple files in one assignment--until you click “submit.” Once you have submitted an assignment, you will no longer be able to add pages or files to that assignment, so do not submit assignments until you have completely finished them. Obtain permission from the instructor beforeemailing an assignment or any part of an assignment.
IMPORTANT reminder: College level writing is required, in all written assignments, discussion posts and email messages. Points will be deducted for errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and for failure to use APA style/formatting or for lack of documentation, where required. Ideas from the textbooks must be indicated by the use of page numbers (except in the essay, where full APA documentation is required).
Course Outline/Schedule/Assignments
Week 1(Each week ends Sundays at 11:59 PM and begins Monday mornings at 12:01 AM. Exact due dates are in the course. )
Topics: Welcome to Class! Introductions.Overview of the course and course requirements.
Assignments (Please complete by the end of Week 1:
___Obtain the required study guide, video, and course materials
___Print out a copy of the syllabus and read the entire syllabus. Use it as a checklist to complete assignments.
___Mark your calendar with the due dates for all of the assignments
___Read the introduction to the textbook
___You may choose to watch the entire video at this time, but note that watching specific sections of the video have been assigned throughout the course; view each of the assigned sections of the video in order to complete coursework
___Note instructor’s posts in the course announcements.Check for new announcements every time that you enter the course
___Students are highly encouraged to keep a private journal of personal insights. Personal counseling is not required for this course, but if you are experiencing significant emotional distress about any issues that may arise, please contactthe Julie Byrnes (775-753-2271) for assistance with obtaining counseling referrals
___Introduce yourself to the class in the “Introduction” discussion area.You may share with the class information such as why you are choosing to take this course at this time, and about your learning/education/career goals. Include information about the role of support or therapy groups in society, and perhaps in your life experiences. Discuss challenges that people can have with the change process and with changing habitually self-defeating behaviors. What are some ways groups of people have supported you? This week’s discussion will not be graded, but what you learn from sharing ideas and information with one another can be very useful, not only for completing the course discussions, but also for learning and applying the course material. Confidentiality guidelines are an integral part of this course, but you are never required to reveal anything personal about yourself or others about which you are uncomfortable discussing.
___There are no graded assignments due this week. However, complete the pretest on pages 6-10 in the Study Guide, and write out a brief comment about each of the 25 questions/your responses to the pretest in the “Pretest” section of the course. Submitting a completed pretest by the due date/time will result in 5 bonus points.
___A reminder that access to the Study Guide and the “Evolution of a Group” video is essential for completing assignments for this course. A DVD version is not available, so please arrange for viewing the VHS video.
Assignment for next week: Read: Study Guide, pages 1-15. Review video sections: Initial Stages #1, #2, and #3
Week 2
Topic: Creating a group and defining the group process.
Learning Goals: Identifying the process of group formation, recognizing the early stages of group dynamics, and defining group roles and responsibilities
Activity for this week:
__Participate in Class Discussion #1 by identifying and analyzing information about one issues related to the initial stages of a group from the readings in the study guide, pages 1-15, and video assignments: Initial stages, 1,2 and 3. Try not to duplicate what other students have posted. Post a response to at least one of your classmates’ comments—for a total of two separate posts. See the syllabus for details about discussion post requirements.
__Complete Journal Assignment #1 by writing responses to the four questions on page 15 in the study guide.Your answers should be based on a combination of information from this week’s readings, your own experiences, and the “Member Functions” and “Leader Functions” sections on pages 13, 14, and 15. Also, do additional readings or research needed in the supplemental text or other evidence-based psychology material order to fully meet your learning needs and to complete assignments in a meaningful way. Remember that 90% of assignments must be in the students own words, and in order to give propre credit to the work of published authors, include citations immediately following the material summarized, and to use quotation marks for copied material. Video sections may be quoted or summarized. Page numbers may be used as citations for the study guide and the supplemental text. Contact the instructor with concerns or questions about this, or any assignment.
Assignment for next week: Read Study Guide, pp 16-28. Review video sections: Initial Stages #4, #5, and #6
Week 3
Topic: Group Leadership Functions
Learning Goals: Explore the functions of group leaders and group dynamics in the initial stages
Activity for this week:
__Participate in Class Discussion #2 as per Week 2 instructions and assignments.
__Complete Journal Assignment #2 as follows: Read the “Group Leadership Checklist” pp. 10-12. Part 1: Write a 2-3 line definition using your own words to describe the meaning of each of the 16 group leader skills listed in bold on pages 10, 11, and 12. Part 2: Write or describe accurate, evidence-based responses for each of the five questions on page 26. Do not copy or quote from the study guide for this assignment. Describe each answer in your own words, but remember to indicate the rationale for your answers, and to give the source(s) for summarized information after each and every response!
Assignment for next week: Read study guide, pp. 16-19. Review video sections: Initial Stages #7 and #8
Week 4
Topics: Initial Phase of Group Interaction
Learning Goals: Establishing client-centered goals and orienting group members to the group
Activity for this week:
__Participate in Class Discussion #3 by choosing one client from the list of clients on pp. 18-19 in the study guide and identifying five client-centered goals for this client. Document the source of your information/rationale for each goal. Sources must be evidence-based,and not just student opinion.