• Participants tend to have a higher commitment to:
  
  • Be present
    
  • Complete the Homework.
    
• Smaller number of people provides more opportunity for the dynamics which have been found to encourage change:
  
  • Opportunity to ask questions, discuss, disagree and get a response to the expressed disagreement from several people.
    
  • Opportunity to test new ideas and perspectives.
    
  • Opportunity to witness change in others.
    
  • Opportunity to express emotion and receive comfort.
    
• Thus, people begin to experience greater intimacy as a part of the group experience—“Fellowship”

Getting Started:

• Identify 3 or 4 other couples for your first group:
  
  • You feel appropriately comfortable with them.
    
  • They have some openness and qualifications to possibly be leaders in the future. (See: Effective Small Group Leaders.)
    
• Work your way through the Intimate Encounters workbook.
  
  • Additional resources to help you facilitate the group: The Intimate Encounters Teaching Curriculum and the Intimate Encounters Audio or Video Teaching Tapes.

Additional training for you and other small group leaders can be received through IL conferences and retreats. Call the Intimate Life (IL) Office at 1-800-881-8008, ext. 209; for Austin local calls: 795-0498