In this post, we’re discussing structured groups and the use of structured exercises—including the benefits of these, when they might be best used, and at the end, we’ll discuss the risks of using more structured group approaches.
Structured Group
First, a structured group is a term used to refer to a group that is focused on a specific topic. This could be a group that is focused on assertiveness training or on stress management as examples.
Unstructured Group / Less Structured Group
In contrast to structured groups, we talk about unstructured groups. However, some do not agree with this terminology. They believe that it can make it sound as if the group has no structure or cannot have a structure, which is not accurate. Therefore, some prefer the term less structured group.
Structural Group
Don’t confuse this with a structural group (which can also be called a structured group). A structural group is “a therapeutic group made up of individuals selected for those characteristics that would make them most likely to be successful in achieving the goals sought in the therapy. People of different types, temperaments, personalities, and educational levels are combined in a group, based on the concept that their interaction will maximize each other’s benefits in the therapeutic process.” However, I mention this as this is not what we’re talking about in this post.
Structured Exercises
This brings us structured group exercises or activities. Structured exercises can include a range of activities, such as art, dance, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery as examples. The activities can last minutes or the entire time the group meets. The more exercises that a group has, the more likely the group is considered a structured group. Therefore, less structured groups are going to have less structured exercises.
With some of those distinctions, let’s talk about the benefits of structured groups and exercises, and the best practices with them.
Most groups are likely going to be meeting for a shared purpose or have some theme that is shared by group members. One way to help determine how structured a group is is by how directive the group leaders are. More directive techniques are going to be more likely to use more structured exercises and have an overall more structured group.
There are a variety of reasons that structured exercises can be used in a group. The use of more structured activities in a group can help the members of the group to engage with other members more and to help them become more engaged in the group overall.
Structured exercises can also be an efficient way to help accomplish something in a group setting. For example, there are less structured ways to help group members engage and feel comfortable in the group setting. However, based on the length of the session and the overall length of the group, a structured activity can be a more efficient way to help group members increase their comfort in the group setting.
Usually, structured exercises are going to be best in the earlier stages of a group. This doesn’t mean they can’t be used in later stages. However, experts tend to believe the benefits of a structured exercise are the most in the earlier stages and that the benefits lessen as the group progresses.
Importantly, structured exercises should include time for the activity itself and time for the group to process the activity. In other words, the group should not complete the activity and then more on. Instead, giving time to talk through their reactions to the activity, or some other way that group members can think and engage with how the activity affected them is important.
When it comes to the downsides of structured groups and structured exercises, there are a few to be aware of.
Overall, structured groups are not as effective as less structured groups. Interestingly though, the group leaders in structured groups tend to be rated more positively and seen as more competent by group members; however, group members do not usually experience as much changes as those in less structured groups. Group leaders in less structured groups are usually not rated as highly either.
It is not entirely clear why more structured groups and exercises are not as effective as there are likely multiple reasons for this. One of the things that might be leading to this is that it’s believed structured groups and exercises can result in group members not truly making the internal changes they need to make. To say this another way, the structured exercises can distract from the issue that brought the person to the group and bypass the difficult internal shifts they’re needing to make.
All that said, we should be careful not to view structured groups or exercises as bad. It is important to recognize that basically all group leaders are going to utilize some level of structured exercises.
Perhaps a better way to look at the use of structured groups and exercises is that too much structure is not always a positive thing; but on the other hand, too little is not generally positive either. Therefore, we want to strive for balance in how much or how little structure there is in a group.
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