1st Edition

Growth and Development Through Group Work

    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    Examine group work's roots and fundamental beliefs to get a glimpse of the future

    For more than 80 years, social group work has survived difficult times—a testament to the persistence of its practitioners as well as the strength of its methods. Growth and Development Through Group Work chronicles the evolution of this groundbreaking practice through a collection of peer-reviewed papers presented at the 23rd Annual International Symposium on Social Work with Groups. The book examines practice, policy, and education issues in specific settings and populations from both theoretical and historical perspectives.

    Presented in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, the papers that comprise Growth and Development Through Group Work reflect a heightened awareness of the importance of social action group work—now, and in the future. The book represents the best of social work’s tradition of social reform and concern for oppressed people, never straying far from the concept of the group, with its multiple helping relationships, as the primary source of change. A comprehensive overview of the field in international, intercultural, and cross-gender contexts, Growth and Development Through Group Work is equally effective for coursework or independent reading.

    Topics addressed in Growth and Development Through Group Work include:

    • contributions of the late Ruby B. Pernell to the development of social group work
    • research in support of group work education and practice
    • group work in Germany-its development from American roots and its current advances
    • social justice as a major objective of group work practice
    • teaching group work
    • mutual aid in support groups for particularly sensitive health problems
    • psychoeducational group work
    • contributions from Hull House as guides for the future of social group work
    Growth and Development Through Group Work is an invaluable resource for clinicians, neighborhood and community activists, educators and students, researchers, therapists, administrators, and anyone working in policy and/or program development.

    • About the Editors
    • Contributors
    • Preface
    • Acknowledgments
    • Introduction (Claudia J. Carson, Anna S. Fritz, Elizabeth Lewis, John H. Ramey, and David T. Sugiuchi)
    • Historical Perspectives
    • Contemporary Applied Group Work
    • Evolving Group Work Educational Approaches
    • Group Workers Facing New and Unpredictable Situations
    • Informing the Future
    • PART I: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
    • Chapter 1. The Legacy of Ruby Pernell and Social Group Work (Janice L. Andrews)
    • Introduction
    • Pernell’s Vitae
    • Pernell’s Career
    • Some Themes
    • In Closing
    • Chapter 2. Contributions of Research to Group Work (Helen Northen)
    • Early Developments
    • Group Development
    • The Planning Process
    • Group Purpose
    • Social Relationships
    • Content of Groups
    • Group Cohesion
    • Clusters of Interventions
    • Termination
    • Evaluation of Results
    • Conclusions
    • Chapter 3. Group Work at Hull House: Lessons from the Past, Signposts for the Future (Diane C. Haslett)
    • Introduction
    • Background
    • Women’s Clubs and the Medical Centers: Groups for Cause and Function
    • National Organizations: Confronting the Opposition
    • Social Reform: Sex Education and Premarital Counseling
    • Implications for Social Work Practice with Groups
    • Chapter 4. Social Group Work in Germany: An American Import and Its Historical Development (Jürgen Kalcher)
    • Introduction
    • Reeducating the German People
    • A Different Approach: Educational Processes Targeting German Youth
    • One for All: Gisela Konopka
    • The Hansische Jugendbund—A Democratic Group Work Agency
    • By Way of Summary
    • PART II: CONTEMPORARY APPLIED GROUP WORK
    • Chapter 5. Conflict As an Expression of Difference: A Desirable Group Dynamic in Anti-Oppression Social Work Practice (Nancy Sullivan)
    • Introduction
    • Principles for Desirable Conflict
    • Examples and Discussion of Group Conflict Arising from Difference
    • Chapter 6. Putting Social Justice on the Agenda: Addressing Habitual and Social Barriers (Paule McNicoll)
    • Introduction
    • Barriers
    • Opportunities
    • Conclusion
    • PART III: EVOLVING GROUP WORK EDUCATIONAL APPROACHES
    • Chapter 7. Using Groups to Teach the Connection Between Private Troubles and Public Issues (Toby Berman-Rossi and Timothy B. Kelly)
    • Introduction
    • Issues and Challenges for Teaching and Learning
    • Content
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 8. Restorative Education: Group-Centered Dialogue Between Students and Faculty at a Graduate School of Social Work (Stacy Husebo, Sarah Ann Schuh, Mary Beth Gustafson, and Doug Beumer)
    • Literature Review
    • History of the Radical Social Work Student Group
    • Student-Faculty Forum
    • Program Evaluation
    • Discussion and Implications
    • Chapter 9. Group Simulation Projects: Teaching Group Work Skills in a Distance-Learning Environment (Lonnie R. Helton and Edith Anderson)
    • Introduction
    • Methods of Teaching Group Work via Distance Learning
    • Creating an Experiential Learning Environment Based on Group Work Principles
    • Summary and Discussion of Implications for Group Work Practice
    • Chapter 10. A Group Seminar to Enhance Field Instructors’ Supervisory Skills (Kathleen Holtz Deal)
    • The Group Seminar
    • Evaluation
    • Recommendations
    • PART IV: GROUP WORKERS FACING NEW AND UNPREDICTABLE SITUATIONS
    • Chapter 11. Yo no hablo Español: Facilitating a Group in Another Language (Patricia M. Merle)
    • Background
    • Issues
    • The Workshop Model<

    Biography

    Claudia Carson, Elizabeth Lewis, Anna Fritz