Group Leadership

OT Dude Academy’s Free NBCOT® Exam Prep Course Groups in Mental Health Group Leadership

Group Leadership Roles

  • Maintaining group cohesiveness.
  • Setting the attitude of the group.
  • Encouraging client responses and expression of concerns in the environment.1 
  • Ensuring the safety of the group and its members.
  • Maintaining a balance of affiliation and control, warmth and caring, openness and risk-taking, attributing meaning to the experience.2 
  • Keeping the group on track and on task.3 
  • Promoting therapeutic alliance and collaboration between members, the group as a whole, and the therapist.4 

Leadership Style Guidelines

Directive LeadershipFacilitative LeadershipAdvisory Leadership
Cognition levelLowMedium-highHigh
InsightMinimalFair-goodVery good
Group maturityImmatureMedium-highMature
Verbal skillsPoorAverageHigh
MotivationLowMediumHigh
StructureTherapist selects activityTherapist and membersMembers
GoalsAccomplish taskLearn skills from experienceUnderstand process
InstructionTherapist demonstrates and teachesTherapist and members teach processMembers seek advice as needed
Group maintenanceTherapistMembers share in leadershipMembers self-lead
FeedbackGiven mostly by the therapistMembers are encouraged to give to each otherNatural environmental consequences
Cole, M. (2012). Group dynamics in occupational therapy (4th ed.). Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated.
  1. Fidler G, Fidler J (1963) Occupational therapy: a communication
    process in psychiatry. New York: Macmillan[↩]
  2. Leszcz, M, Malat, J. (2012). The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Group Psychotherapy[↩]
  3. Chen, E. C., Kakkad, D., & Balzano, J. (2008). Multicultural competence and evidence-based practice in group therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64(11), 1261–1278.[↩]
  4. Arnow, B. A., & Steidtmann, D. (2014). Harnessing the potential of the therapeutic alliance. World Psychiatry, 13(3), 238–240.[↩]
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