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Active Social Participation of Marginalized Groups. Chair: Fran Gomory , MSW Co-chair: Sara Groff, MSW, Doctoral student College of Social Work – Florida State University . How I Teach Group Therapy to Social Work Students. Teaching by doing Mini-groups within the classroom
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Active Social Participation of Marginalized Groups Chair: Fran Gomory, MSW Co-chair: Sara Groff, MSW, Doctoral student College of Social Work – Florida State University
How I Teach Group Therapy to Social Work Students • Teaching by doing • Mini-groups within the classroom • Followed by discussion
Why are Groups useful? • Social alienation • What do people do when they feel this way?
Process • What was it like? • Awkwardness • Why is having something in common with another person helpful?
What makes a group “work”? • Cohesion • Universality • Trust and safety • Non-judgmental acceptance • Active listening • Validation • Therapeutic factors
Therapeutic Factors • How can activities help establish some of the things that make a group “work”?
Processes of Group Development • Most therapeutic groups make their way through broad stages. Each stage has different needs: • Beginning Stage: • Leader tasks • Member tasks • Goals of stage
Middle/Working Stages Experimental Engagement • Member tasks • Leader tasks
Middle/Working Stages Cohesive Engagement • What helps groups reach this stage? • Member tasks • Leader tasks
Ending/Closing Stage Disengagement • Questions for members • Often a difficult/tricky sage • Leader tasks
What are the problems of this population? • What are the unique challenges of this population? • Why does this population have these problems? • What are some possible solutions? • How can we address this in groups?
Creative Problem Solving • What works and what does not work in this population (or populations similar to this one) • Group goals: • Re-engage in society, increase appreciation of personal strengths, build up coping capabilities, instill hope for the future. • Group topics are the pathway to achieving group goals. • Topics are chosen by leaders in order to align with the developmental stages of the group
Other Considerations for Group Other factors of the way the group is set-up and designed will impact the way the group functions as a whole. • Open vs. Closed group • Voluntary vs. Involuntary group • Here-and-now focus
Resources • Yalom, I. D. & Leszcz, M. (2005). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (5th ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books. • Kottler, J. A. (1993). Advanced group leadership. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. • Barlow, C. A., Blythe, J. A., & Edmonds, M. (1998). A handbook of interactive exercises for groups. New York, NY: Pearson.
Resources cont. • Zastrow, C. (2008). Social work with groups. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. • Furman, R., Rowan, D., & Bender, K.(2009). An experiential approach to group work. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books. • Haslett, D. C. (2004). Group work activities in generalist practice. Stamford, CT: Cengage. • Erich, S., & Kanenberg, H. (2008). Skills for group practice: Responding to diversity. New York, NY: Pearson.