BOOKS

Literature covering Facilitation Skills, Groups, Teams and Supervision

We have listed below a brief title and description of core texts related to Facilitation Skills, Groups and Teams, and Supervision.

Denis Postle, The Mind Gymnasium

A rich collection of 29 free e-books that introduce humanistic psychology, facilitation, personal development, learning, relationships, conflict, power and offer self-assessment and exercises to undertake alone and with groups.

Paul Barber (2013): Gestalt Therapy Reappraised – What My Gestalt Training Never Taught Me

A rich and personal view, originally conceived as an introduction to Gestalt, enhanced by workshop notes, current reflections and a lecture and a “nearly forgotten” interview with Fritz Perls.

Paul Barber (2012): Facilitating Change in Groups and Teams: A Gestalt Approach to Mindfulness

A specialist approach that opens the doorway to holism and equips the facilitator to work with, and increase awareness of five sets of influences: physical and sensory; social and cultural; emotional and biographical; projective and imagined; transpersonal and intuitive.

Paul Barber (2006): Becoming a Practitioner-Researcher: A Gestalt Approach to Holistic Inquiry

A practical book that uses case study, questions, and reflections, to guide you into inquiry right from the start. A true practitioner handbook for anyone working with change, leading groups, and keen to deepen their learning in an holistic way.

Ingrid Bens (3rd ed. 2012): Facilitating with Ease! Core Skills for Facilitators, Team Leaders and Members, Consultants and Trainers

A highly practical book, it provides a simple and effective structure for facilitating meetings, ensuring equality of contribution and task focus. Primarily aimed at those who lead meetings, it contains practical worksheets, structures, tips, and DVD resources.

W R Bion (1998): Experiences in Groups: And other papers

Seminal work by Bion, this small volume of papers is a must-read for anyone working with groups and teams. It draws together psychoanalysis and group dynamics, and is foundational for understanding group dynamics.

Peter Cockman, Bill Evans, Peter Reynolds (2nd ed. 1998): Consulting for Real People: A Client-Centred Approach for Change Agents and Leaders

A book for leaders and change agents who seek to empower their clients and support them to achieve the change they desire. Contains practical exploration of change management, from differing organisational perspectives, and illuminates a range of consultant styles.

Cindy Corey, Marianne Corey, Gerald Corey (9th ed. 2013): Groups: Processes and Practices

Designed as a text book for those in the helping professions, this is a practical and thoughtful book for group facilitators, counsellors, and educators. Its contents are thorough and include chapters that are specific to certain types of group, it also considers ethics and multicultural awareness.

Gerard Egan (2009): The Skilled Helper

A foundational text for the helping professions, this book offers a very helpful three-stage model for helping others. Although the context is primarily counselling, the concepts are readily transferable to group work. The model is action-oriented, seeking to help people move on in their journey.

Peter Hawkins, Robin Shohet (4th ed. 2012): Supervision in the Helping Professions

A highly regarded and seminal text on supervision, it offers a number of maps and models for supervision. It is a practitioner guide, offering a rationale for best practice, considers development into the role supervisor, and how supervision may be embedded into an organisation’s culture.

John Heron (1996): Co-operative Inquiry

Group facilitators have a specific role yet they are also members of the group. Co-operative inquiry is a way of doing research with people where the roles of researcher and subject are integrated. Not just for the researcher, this provides depth for facilitators of developmental groups.

John Heron (1999): The Complete Facilitator’s Handbook

John Heron has been a key thinker and practitioner in the field of facilitation. This book is analytical in approach and highly structured, it offers strong theoretical content, and is aimed at the practitioner. Its core aim is the development of facilitator style through exploration of power and authenticity.

Gaie Houston (3rd ed. 1990): The Red Book of Groups

This is a down-to-earth book that describes the sort of things that happen in groups and the theory behind it. From a gestalt perspective, the book includes a range of accessible tips and exercises that practitioners can employ and experiment with.

Stephen Fineman (2nd ed. 2000): Emotion in Organisations

Examining why emotion cannot be simply separated from thinking, judgment, decision-making and other so-called rational organisational processes. The book uses case studies that challenge us to build a passionate theory of organisations that honours emotional health and integrity.

Maggie Kindred, Michael Kindred (2nd ed. 2010): Once upon a group…

All about how people tend to relate in groups, and the behaviour that is adopted. A fun and easy-to-read book, with cartoons, and straight-to-the-point facts. A nice little book that introduces the reader to defence mechanisms, transference, etc., but in a light-hearted and accessible manner.

M. Scott Peck (1990): The Different Drum

An inspirational book that champions the need for human relations, and for the lowering of walls that separate us. Providing insight into how communities develop through tolerance and love, this book connects the reader with values and with a visionary rationale for group work.

Roland Purser, Steven Cabana (1999): The Self-Managing Organization: How Leading Companies Are Transforming the Work of Teams for Real Impact

Concerned with organisational change this book reveals how innovative companies make economic gain, and put dignity and meaning back into the workplace, through the design of self managing teams. It provides a blueprint for designing and developing a self-managing organisation.

Robin Shohet (Ed.) (2011): Supervision as Transformation: A Passion for Learning

A collection of chapters across a range of contexts that hold in common the powerful and transformative nature of supervision. It positions supervision as a key component of life-long learning, personal change, and effectiveness.

Robin Shohet (Ed.) (2007): Passionate Supervision

A collection of chapters that are unified by asking how we maintain and develop passionate engagement in supervision. This book connects the reader with the joy of learning and provides examples of good practice which will help you enhance your own supervisory relationships.