PARS: A processing model for beginning group leaders

Abstract

Group leaders often make extensive use of exercises and activities as part of the group counseling process. Experienced group leaders understand the critical importance of processing experiences with group members to help them reflect on, understand, and apply what has been learned to their lives outside the group. However, the basic skills required to process these experiences have been neglected both in the literature and in training for group leaders. This article presents the PARS model (focusing on Processing: Activity, Relationships, Self), a model for processing group activities that can be helpful in training beginning group leaders and that can provide a “road map” for group processing that can benefit even experienced group leaders.