3-5 minute read

Learning through group work is an essential part of the approach here at FfC. It can also be one of the most challenging. When so many people have experiences of being harmed, ‘othered’, or viewed and treated as ‘different’, it is natural to want to withdraw from people. It can feel safer. 

The difficulty here is that withdrawing also keeps us separate, isolated, and alone - reinforcing the negative core beliefs that we may have been carrying throughout our lives. 

This is one of the reasons that making the decision to start our courses, and then see it through to the end, is such a huge achievement. To turn up for the induction, and sit in a circle, with new people, and nothing between you and others in the room, is a courageous act. One that takes us out of our comfort zone. 

The benefits of this though, are significant. 

Structure and Safety

Our groups are closed, with a maximum of 12 people for very specific reasons. Starting and finishing one of our 6 or 8-week courses, with the same people, helps to create a safe and supportive learning environment, where trust and intimacy can gradually be developed. 

During this process, we are constantly in communication and connection with others. This allows people to learn and experience what gets in the way of a group working together in a productive and supportive way- and what encourages it! Themes we explore more explicitly on our group work day.

You will know that group work isn’t always smooth sailing - but when it clicks, it can shine a light on us, the role we often take within a group, and outside in the world. It’s this awareness and experience, which can bring about powerful learning and change. 

This was certainly my own experience. Working through John Heron’s (1999) and Bruce Tuckman’s (1965) models of group development has helped me to grow, heal, and sometimes even laugh at the chaos of being human. 

"Starting and finishing one of our 6 or 8-week courses, with the same people, helps to create a safe and supportive learning environment, where trust and intimacy can gradually be developed. ”

Tuckman describes a group's development as moving through four stages; Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing (and later Adjourning). In the early days of a group, the “forming” stage can feel like the first day at school. You're wondering who everyone is, what the vibe is, and whether it's safe to open up. Especially in recovery or trauma-informed spaces, safety is everything.

You might still be carrying old stories or shame, wondering if this is yet another place you’ll be misunderstood or judged. We bring our core beliefs (even if we haven't learnt what they are yet) . This stage Heron calls wintertime, the stage of defensiveness, trust is low, anxiety is high. The ground may be frozen and the weather stormy and overcast.

Then comes storming - and honestly, this is where things get real. This is the messy bit. People push boundaries, challenge each other (sometimes unintentionally). It's not easy, but it's necessary. This place, edging on conflict, can be a very uncomfortable place to be; we can get triggered by past events, or it can tap into trauma responses. But the move past this, with those boundaries,  healthy communication, and our participation agreement, can be very beneficial; this is where the roots start to grow. It’s where we begin challenging old stereotypes – not just about others, but the ones we carry about ourselves: "I’m too broken," "I’m not good in groups," "People like me don’t belong here." Heron calls this springtime, trust is building, new life starts to break through the surface trust.

“Recovery isn’t just about addiction or trauma; it’s about recovering parts of ourselves we’ve had to hide or shut down to survive. Group work, done right, helps us recover voice, choice, joy, playfulness – and that superpower: self-belief.”

Through the norming phase, we start figuring out how to be with each other. Trust builds. People begin showing up more authentically, and that’s when the magic starts. In the performing stage, we’re working together with more flow. It doesn’t mean everything’s perfect – just that we have got the tools and trust to handle the imperfect moments.

For example, when someone gently challenges my self-defeating narrative - “You always say you’re not creative, but look at that artwork you just made!” - that’s a catalytic moment. It shakes up my old belief system - in a good way. And when a facilitator or peer calls out an unhelpful pattern in the group with kindness, that’s confronting - but it can open the door for real change. Heron sees summertime as the stage of authenticity from which we can move to Autumn where we reap the rewards of our hardwork.

Group Work and Recovery

What makes these interactions feel safe and healing is the lens of recovery, where we value connection over correction, and growth over perfection. Recovery isn’t just about addiction or trauma; it’s about recovering parts of ourselves we’ve had to hide or shut down to survive. Group work, done right, helps us recover voice, choice, joy, playfulness – and that superpower: self-belief.

A big part of this is about reframing trauma. Not as something to be ashamed of, but as something that shaped us, not defined us. When someone in the group shares a hard experience and others nod, not in pity, but in recognition - that’s reframing in action. We begin to see strength in survival. And when someone says, “I’ve been there too,” without needing to fix it or outdo it - that’s gold. That’s healing.