Working with Groups

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Getting Started

In the 1.3 self-assessment activity, you had the opportunity to reflect on your previous experiences as a group member. In this activity, you will reflect on your hopes and fears about group leadership. You will receive some feedback about how you can grow or adapt to the responsibility of group leadership in your future practice as a social worker. Consulting and receiving constructive feedback from others is an integral aspect of the social work profession. Therefore, that feedback process has been integrated into every workshop in this course. You are encouraged to offer and receive feedback with your classmates as openly as possible, considering areas in which you and others have strengths as well as opportunities for growth.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

• Develop self-reflection and self-regulation to effectively manage the intersection of personal and professional values. (PO 1)

Resources

• Textbook: Social Work Skills with Groups: Comprehensive Practice and Self-Care
• File: How to Engage in Substantive Discussion Post.pdf

Background Information

As described in Social Work Skills with Groups: Comprehensive Practice and Self-Care, Zastrow (2019), espouses that personal development on various levels can be fostered through group work. Although this course will provide an overview of various group types, further education and training is needed for social work students who want to pursue responsibilities of group leadership. This activity will provide a basis for you to explore your feelings and attitudes about group leadership, evaluate your needs for professional growth, and create a plan to move forward intentionally. In this activity, you will examine the dynamics of group leadership and the ethical considerations required for this role.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. In your textbook, Social Work Skills with Groups: Comprehensive Practice and Self-Care, read Chapter 3, “Group Dynamics: Leadership.” Focus on the discussion of ethical considerations and best practices in the group setting, such as confidentiality.
3. Reflect on your responses to the 1.2 Assignment.
4. Make an initial post by the fourth day of the workshop, responding to the following prompts.
   1. How do you feel about group leadership? Are you a natural leader? What strengths do you bring to the ability to lead and facilitate groups? What personal limitations might you have to overcome to lead a group effectively?
   2. How might you improve your abilities to lead groups? What skills, values, or content areas might you need to grow to be an effective social work practitioner with groups in the future?
   3. What concerns do you have, more generally, about group practice? How do you feel about the application of social work ethics to the group practice setting?
5. By the end of the workshop, read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Your responses to your classmates should both encourage and respectfully challenge your classmates’ experiences, assumptions, and attitudes toward group practice. You should also offer any suggestions or resources related to the areas in which your classmates want to enhance their ability to lead groups.
6. Your posts and responses should also:
   1. Provide clear answers with evidence of critical thinking
   2. Add depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas
   3. Answer classmates’ questions and provide insight into the discussion