Helping Groups Heal: Leading Groups in the Process of Transformation

by Jan Paul Hook, Joshua N. Hook, Don E. Davis

Life with others is messy. The bonds we form are often the source that drives us to helping professionals like therapists and pastors in the first place. And yet, it is from these relation­ships that our greatest moments of healing spring. Recogniz­ing the value of relationships, pastors and therapists have been leading small therapeutic groups for years. Yet few lead­ers have a specific, easy-to-follow, and researched framework to structure their groups.
Helping Groups Heal presents “The Healing Cycle,” a grace-based model that facilitates healing and growth in groups. It has been tested with a variety of settings, and can be adapted to nearly any small group, from sex addiction therapy to marriage therapy to Bible studies.
The basic components of “The Healing Cycle” are grace, safety, vulnerability, truth, ownership, and confession. Helping Groups Heal guides the reader through these elements, offering case studies and practical advice from the voices of researchers and practitioners. Each chapter shows how “The Healing Cycle” moves its members to share their truth, own it, and make positive change in their lives. Each step of the process allows participants to move past surface issues and find depth in their understanding of their pain.
Whether you have been leading small groups for years or are about to lead your first session, Helping Groups Heal is an accessible, easy-to-follow guide through “The Healing Cycle” that will give each group member what’s needed to grow, relate, and heal. 
 

Genres: Christian

296 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2017

Reviews

[Benjamin Lawrence Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply the best book on leading small groups I’ve ever read.

[Abby Vail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I have many thoughts:
1. This book is a fantastic guide on how to navigate leading a group well. It gives clear and attainable advice which I loved.
2. I felt that the there are some chapters that droned on a bit (and I do recognize that this is most likely due to some of those chapters I didn’t connect as much with)
3. I loved how many examples and continuations of specific situations the author used to explain each point.

Overall, I think this book is great. I think it could have been a bit more condensed.

[Bethany Ritter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a lot of the information in this book super helpful, especially the idea of a healing cycle and all of the details of moving from grace to repentance and then experiencing a deeper grace. At times, the way Hook recommended and exemplified leading a small group felt a little formal and forced for the type of group that I am preparing to lead, but I can see how that level of formality and structure would be necessary for some types of small groups. I wish that he had engaged with the section of Christianity and healing more throughout the book. He touches on it a little but in a brief section of each chapter, but I felt like outside of those sections the book was centered more on the psychology and practicality of healing. Although I feel like there is more to be said about Christian faith and healing, the book was no doubt helpful and I learned a lot about how to lead members of my small group into and through healing well.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The “Bible” on leading therapeutic groups in a local church. A must for every group leader to learn and practice how the work of healing can be done in small group. It’s a great companion to any type of group you are leading in church, be it men’s group, marriage group, addiction group. It’s best to be doing your own “work” of healing before trying to formally implement the principles. Many counselors are required to spend one year in group counseling and one year in individual counseling before they do post-doc internship under supervisor. It would be wise to examine your own brokenness, triggers, feelings, family of origin experiences in a safe, confidential, nurturing setting before attempting to bring that grace and truth to others. At the end of each chapter, there are practical individual and group exercises for you to get a taste of how the process works.

[Patrick Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights into leading groups of all kinds. Whether small group Bible studies or counseling/therapy groups or book discussion groups, the other understands group dynamics and process. Her insights and practical examples of leading a group will make the reader a better equipped group leader.

I especially appreciated the consistent group that was used as an example from the beginning to the end, I felt like I was an extra observing member throughout this read as, together, Edward, James, Alice, & others grew in safety, expressed resistance, took tentative steps toward vulnerability, hurt each other and resolved conflict, experienced growth, and ended their group experience!

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book in one of my counseling courses and wish someone would have made me read it before leading my first small group. I have led and been a part of small groups for most of my life and rarely enjoyed them very much, or found them very transformative.

Most small groups are oriented around the shared accumulation of new information. This book helps show that the power of the group is in the relationship. Obviously, learning and reading together isn't bad, but it will likely only be transformative if placed on top of healthy, vulnerable relationships.

[T.J. Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, practical book on small groups.