Describe what is meant by group norms and explain how you would help shape these norms based on your role in the group.
SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE WITH GROUPS
Group work offers many benefits that cannot be achieved through individual therapy alone. The most obvious benefit is group member validation. The knowledge that you are not alone and are not the only person who has experienced that particular issue can foster a strong sense of hope.
However, groups also present challenges from different personalities and behaviors that disrupt group dynamics and function. As a social worker, you will need to take different roles to manage the challenges in order to create a safer space for clients to engage in their work.
In this Discussion, you describe a group you may be interested in facilitating and potential challenges you may experience. With colleagues, you discuss how to apply specific intervention skills to address the challenges.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
BY DAY 3
Post a response to the following:
Compare task groups versus educational, support, or skills groups.
Describe a type of treatment group you would facilitate as a social worker.
Explain what professional role you may take when facilitating this group.
Describe what is meant by group norms and explain how you would help shape these norms based on your role in the group.
Explain what is meant by group roles. Identify at least one group role, and explain why a group member may take that role.
Describe a group member role that might be most challenging to you as a group leader, and explain why.
Support your post with examples from the course text and any other resources used to respond to this Discussion. Demonstrate that you have completed the required readings, understand the material, and are able to apply the concepts. Include a full reference of resources at the bottom of the post.
BY DAY 6
Respond to at least two colleagues who identified a different group role than you:
Identify a group intervention skill discussed in the text and provide a specific example of how your colleague could use this skill to address the challenging behavior.
REFERENCES Required Readings
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Empowerment series: Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning.
Chapter 3, “Practice Skills for Working With Groups” (pp. 102–137)
International Association for Social Work with Groups. (2015). Standards for social work practice with groups Links to an external site.(2nd ed.). IASWG. http://www.iaswg.org/assets/docs/Resources/2015_IASWG_STANDARDS_FOR_SOCIAL_WORK_PRACTICE_WITH_GROUPS.pdf
REQUIRED MEDIAWalden University. (2018, 2021). Group therapy [Video]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com
