NASW-NY Continuing Education • Group Therapy
Live webinar • 1 CEU credit Friday, October 2, 2026 • 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
REGISTER Workshop Description
This 1-hour continuing education training reframes how clinicians conceptualize and intervene with difficult participants in group therapy. Instead of viewing disruptive or disengaged behaviors as fixed personality problems, this approach applies a developmental engagement framework derived from George Vaillant's hierarchy of defense mechanisms. Participants will learn how to recognize behaviors as indicators of a participant's current stage of group engagement — from passive disengagement to active but nonreflective participation — and apply stage-matched interventions that promote group safety, cohesion, and therapeutic growth.
Through discussion, case vignettes, and reflection, the course helps clinicians move beyond behavioral labeling toward developmental understanding. Participants will gain practical strategies for regulating group dynamics, promoting reflective function, and utilizing the group itself as the core therapeutic intervention.
Learning Objectives
Following this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify and describe four developmental stages of participant engagement in group therapy using Vaillant's defense mechanism framework.
- Analyze difficult group behaviors as adaptive responses tied to developmental stage rather than as resistance or pathology.
- Apply stage-appropriate facilitator interventions to enhance group safety, cohesion, and reflective capacity.
- Utilize meta-process language to reframe disruptive behaviors into shared developmental goals for the group.
- Integrate a goal-directed developmental approach into supervision and peer consultation settings.
Continuing Education
1 CEU credit
This workshop is approved for licensed social workers.
Fees
For Credit
- $15.00NASW-NY Member
- $25.00Other Chapter Members (e.g., NASW-NJ, etc.)
- $30.00Non-Member
No Credit
- $0.00NASW-NY Student and Transitional Member (Non-CE Eligible)
Presenter
Matt Skojec, LCSW-R
Matt is a Lecturer & Field Liaison in the Department of Social Work at Binghamton University. His primary teaching responsibilities are in practice courses, especially those focused on working with groups, families, communities, and organizations. He has also developed an elective class on intervention with people who use substances, and he provides consult services in two local hospitals assessing patients with substance use concerns and connecting them to appropriate community resources.
Prior to Binghamton, Matt worked in direct care and administration for 15 years, primarily in rural behavioral health. After starting his social work career in a county-run mental health clinic, he transitioned to the affiliated substance use treatment clinic. As a clinic director, he worked to increase the availability of co-occurring disorders services and steer the clinic toward harm reduction, while continuing to maintain a small individual caseload and group facilitation practice.
He also serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP), which provides HIV and infectious disease reduction services and is a major regional provider of harm reduction services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE credits does this course offer?
This course offers 1 CEU credit and runs for 1 hour, from 12:00–1:00 PM ET on Friday, October 2, 2026.
Who is this course appropriate for?
Clinicians at the Advanced (Expert) or Mid-Career (Intermediate) level who facilitate group therapy.
What will I learn?
You'll learn to identify four developmental stages of group engagement using Vaillant's hierarchy of defense mechanisms, and apply stage-matched facilitator interventions to improve group safety and cohesion.
How much does this course cost?
For CE credit: $15.00 for NASW-NY members, $25.00 for members of other NASW chapters (e.g., NASW-NJ), and $30.00 for non-members. NASW-NY Student and Transitional Members may attend for $0.00 without CE credit.