One distinct disadvantage of an open group is that what?

• A. new members are not accepted after the first meeting.
• B. the leader does not control the screening process.
• C. a member who begins after the first meeting has missed information or experiences.
• D. the group is generally too behavioristic for depth therapy to occur.

Answer: (C)

Open groups with rolling admission let members join at any time. The main drawback of this setup is that someone who starts after the first session has missed the initial information and experiences that establish the group’s context, norms, and early shared understandings. That missing background can make it harder for the late arriver to follow discussions, trust the process, and feel fully integrated, often requiring extra time from the facilitator to bring them up to speed while the group is moving forward. The other points describe related features, like screening or group style, but they don’t capture the core difficulty of reconciling late joiners with early group development.