If you've ever been in a consultation group that fell apart, or fell flat, I want to offer you a different way to understand what happened.
It probably wasn't the people.
It was probably the absence of facilitation.
Here's what I mean. Most peer groups start with good intentions and no structure. And without someone actively holding the room, predictable things happen:
The most confident voice takes up most of the air.
The quiet clinician (often the one with the most thoughtful read on the case) never unmutes.
Consultation drifts into venting. Venting is human and has its place, but it isn't consultation, and everyone leaves without what they came for.
Someone gives unsolicited advice with an edge to it, nobody addresses it, and the safety in the room quietly dies. People stop bringing their real questions. Then they stop coming.
Sound familiar to anyone?
Now here's what facilitation actually looks like, because most of it is invisible when it's done well. A facilitator tracks who hasn't spoken and makes room for them. Notices when a case presentation is circling and gently lands it. Redirects feedback that's drifting toward judgment. Watches the clock so the person who shared third gets as much time as the person who shared first. And holds the group agreements so firmly that vulnerability starts to feel… safe.
One of my members keeps her mic muted most of the session. When I see her unmute, I know to invite her in. That tiny thing is facilitation. Nobody else in the room even notices it happening.
So if a group burned you before, please hear this: you didn't fail at groups. You were likely in an unfacilitated room. Those are two very different things.
