|  | Mental Health | Anxiety Disorders

Ideas for Assertiveness Groups

Many people who lack self-confidence and find it difficult to vocalize their own needs turn to assertiveness groups for help. Members can work together to improve their self-image and learn strategies to deal with their lack of assertion. Role playing, fun games and activities can help boost confidence. A successful group also enables members to tackle situations assertively without resorting to passive aggression or aggression.

  1. Games/Exercises

    • Specific games and exercises enable group members to practice their skills of persuasion in an assertive way. One exercise involves asking a volunteer to sit in a chair with a large box of cookies or chocolates. The other group members then try to persuade the volunteer to share without resorting to aggressive or passive/aggressive language and behavior. Another idea involves having the group form a single file. The second person in the line tries to persuade the leader to leave the queue and go to the back.

    Role Playing

    • Role playing is an effective method of honing assertiveness skills in the supportive atmosphere of a group. Members choose the situations they find difficult to face and act them out in pairs or small groups. Typical situations might involve a stressed boss asking an employee to take on a great deal of extra work. The employee tries to explain assertively why this is not possible at the moment. Another situation involves confronting a friend who is constantly visiting your home while you are trying to work.

    Guest Speakers

    • Guest speakers can inspire and help a group that needs assertiveness training. Look for speakers who had to battle with anxiety and shyness yet rose to the top of their field. Have the group members write a list of questions to ask the speaker, focusing on the techniques and strategies the speaker has used throughout his life to overcome a lack of assertion. Ask the speaker to describe tricky situations in his life and detail how he overcame them with assertion.

    Action Plans

    • Have the group members write down their individual goals and priorities regarding assertion. One member might want to persuade her husband that she wants to take a college course. Another might want to tell a friend he cannot keep looking after her child. The group discusses the different situations and helps the member decide on an action plan. The members keep a log or journal of their tasks and report progress back to the group.

Anxiety Disorders - Related Articles