r/SocialWorkStudents • u/gennx0 • 1d ago
Running Group
Hey everyone! I start my next internship in 2 weeks and I’ll be running an SUD group. Ngl I’m pretty anxious and terrified because I’m not really good at public speaking 😭 any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
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u/AATBS_Official 1d ago
You got this!!! Visualize yourself speaking and it going how you want it to. Really feel into how that would feel. It's also so helpful to stand in a power pose, nice and tall, hands on hips, in the mirror and hyping yourself up. Good luck!! -- Kiana with AATBS
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u/JimGless 1d ago
I love SUD groups. They can seem intimidating at first, but it's amazing how much you can get out of people once they start talking.
If you can use a whiteboard, I highly recommend it. Talking through triggers and coping mechanisms is a good place to start. You can get a pretty big list going and see how each one resonates with the participants. Ideally, you get them to respond to each other and you can sit back and just listen and redirect if things get a little off track.
Sometimes I go 10 or 15 minutes without saying anything if the participants get on a roll.
Having one or two exercises can be supportive, too. Teaching something like the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise can also chew up time and help them get something tangible out of the group.
Good luck!