SUGGESTED GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING A PROCESS GROUP
IN A GESTALT CONTEXT.
.
Victor Daniels
.
Updated for updated for Taormina AAGT-EAGT conference, Sept 2016.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE.  There is no universally accepted correct way to run a process group. These
guidelines, revised and refined a number of times, are what works for me. They can actually be used
for a group within a variety of settings and theoretical perspectives–they’re not restricted to Gestalt groups,
but are clearly influenced by a Gestalt Therapy perspective and my own history with it. They are not intended
for “hot seat” or “empty chair” work in a group context except for feedback sessions at the end of the chair
work. They are intended for groups in which the leader or facilitator takes a back seat to the interactions
of the participant and intervenes with process comments only when it seems clearly likely to be helpful. In
an ongoing group, the need for such facilitation is likely to decrease over time as group members
themselves internalize the principles below. My caveat about the empty chair comment is that sometimes
as the group interacts with the focus on one person, my intuition tells me that a brief “empty chair” dialogue
may be very useful. (I recall, for example, a woman who was talking with the group about her ambivalence
about how to treat her knee problem. My intuition told me to suggest that she let her mind and her knee
carry out a dialogue. She did, for about five minutes and it was very helpful. I then fell silent and the
group went back to an interactive mode.) And when I do an session with one person in which we
use an empty chair dialogue mode, I like to conclude with a group feedback session that is structured
so that each group member is permitted just one statement (so if they have more than one comment
they need to get it all in at once), but that otherwise follows the guidelines below, In that context item
#8 below is especially important, and I enforce it tightly,

1. SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, AND NOT FOR OTHERS. Ask members to “own” their thoughts and
feelings. Avoid “the group feels. . . .” or “people here feel. . . .” When someone makes such a
statement, an appropriate intervention is to say, “Well, let’s take a moment to go around and hear a
sentence or two about what each person actually does feel or think right now.” (Almost always there
are diverse reactions, many quite different from what the person attributed to the group members.)

2. USE A PERSONAL FRAME OF REFERENCE. (With thanks to Carl Rogers.) When you notice that
you are labeling, pause for a moment and rephrase your comments as your own likes and dislikes. If
someone else is labeling, ask them to do likewise, When someone makes a judgmental comment,
insist that they own it: “I feel angry at. . . ” rather than “You are. . . ” Or I like — or dislike” rather than “this
is good — or bad.” The idea is not that someone should never be judgmental (since we almost all
sometimes are), but when we are judgmental, to become aware of it and then respond in an
alternative way. Be especially attentive to comments that include some form of one-upmanship. (A
frequently useful starting point there is to ask the one-upped person, “How do you feel in response to
that remark”) if they don’t spontaneously volunteer that information.

3. FOCUS ON PRESENT FEELINGS. When a person tells a story about the past or future, ask their
present feelings about it.

4. “WHAT” AND “HOW” INSTEAD OF “WHY.” Avoid “why did you. . . ?” or “why do you. . . ?”
questions. These are usually either attacks or statements in disguise. Usually they lead to either
defensiveness, counterattack, or intellectualization. Useful interventions are: Either, (1) if it is a
statement in disguise, “I’d like to hear your statement that underlies that question;” or (2) point out that
“what” and “how” questions avoid the problems above and are more likely to deepen awareness.

5. BE SPECIFIC. Ask ask someone who is describing a generalized response to another person to
identify the specific statement or behavior they are responding to. Whenever possible, refer to specific
real events rather than speaking in abstractions or generalizations. This is valid both in regard to
actions a person dislikes and those that they like. NOTE: An attitude is a generalized response. “I like
your attitude” is no substitute for “I like what you said in supporting Monica a minute ago.”

6. TUNE INTO WHEN ONE FEELING MAY BE HIDING BENEATH ANOTHER (OR EVEN LOOK FOR
CLUSTERS OF FEELING–THE CONCEPT OF “EMOTIONAL STACKS” CAN BE USEFUL HERE).
When a person appears stuck in a repetitive response on a single emotional level, you might ask, “Do
you have a sense of any other feeling beneath that one?”

7. “FEEL WITH” RATHER THAN “REASONING ABOUT.” Instead of trying to analyze what’s going
on with someone, try identifying with their situation and reactions by “feeling with” them

8. STEER CLEAR OF ANALYSIS AND INTELLECTUALIZATION. Discourage analysis and
intellectualization. Instead, ask people to respond in terms of their personal feelings and body
reactions, and by sharing their own related experiences.

9. IDENTIFY GUESSES AS SUCH AND CHECK THEM OUT. Treat your thoughts about what’s going
on with people as guesses or hypotheses. Be tentative, avoid commitment to your guesses, and treat
snap judgments as hypotheses to be investigated further. Such as, “I’m guessing that you want. . . Is
that so?” This helps to avoid getting stuck in your own projections when they are mistaken.

11. BE SURE TO CREATE SPACE FOR QUIETER MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE. If some group
members have been silent, or if a few big-time talkers are taking all the air time, the facilitator (or
anyone in the group) can explicitly invite their participation. One approach is to say, “I’d like to
suggest that we take the next twenty minutes to hear from those who have not spoken yet,” or “I’d like
those of us who have been doing most of the talking to be silent for the next few minutes to hear
others who may wish to speak. Alternatively, you might directly address those who have not spoken:
“”Erin, I wonder whether you have some response to what’s been going on?” or even address several
people at once. “Jane, Ted, Mary (looking at each as you say their names) – do any of you have a
comment at this point?” Use your intuition and best judgment regarding which invitation fits. If there is
a decision to be made, a simple go-around in which each person makes a brief statement may be
most efficient.

12. SILENCE CAN BE GOLDEN. Silences are sometimes useful. Don’t feel like all the time needs to be filled
with talking. Don’t facilitate intrusively. Leave empty space where appropriate.

Copyright August 2016 by Victor Daniels. Permission is hereby granted for electronic distribution,
so long as a link or printed copy of a link to this web page is provided.