Notes on Groups

From: Direct Social Work Practice, 6th ed., Hepworth, Rooney & Larsen, Brooks/Cole,
2002

Treatment Groups Task Groups

Purpose: increase satisfaction of Purpose: accomplish a task, produce a

memberʼs socioemotional needs product, or carry out a mandate

Open communication, members Communications focused on the

encouraged to actively interact discussion of a particular task

Roles evolve as a result of interaction Roles are assigned in task groups

Procedures may be flexible or formal, Usually have formal agenda or rules

depending on the group

Self-disclosure is expected to be high Self-disclosure is low

Proceedings are kept within the group Proceedings may be private or open to
the public

Success is based on membersʼ success Success is based on membersʼ

in meeting treatment goals accomplishing a task or mandate, or
producing a product

Subtypes of Treatment Groups:

1. Support Groups
• help members cope with life stresses by revitalizing coping skills to more
effectively adapt to future life events
• e.g. schoolchildren meeting for parentsʼ divorce, persons with cancer
2. Educational Groups
• help members learn about themselves and society
• e.g. adolescent sexuality group
3. Growth Groups
• self-improvement, promoting socioemotional health rather than remediating
socioemotional illness
• e.g. married couples group
4. Therapy Groups
• change behavior, cope with personal problems, or rehabilitate after a social or
health trauma
 • e.g. drug addiction
5. Socialization Groups
• Facilitate transitions through developmental stages, from one role or environment
to another, through improved interpersonal relationships or social skills
• e.g. program activities, structured exercises, role plays, social club for
institutionalized persons

I. Formation of Treatment Groups

A. Establishing Group Purpose

• Overall purpose of a planned group should be established by the social worker in
consultation with agency administrators and potential clients prior to forming
the group.
• Goals should reflect the perspectives of the agency, client(s), and social worker.
• Important for social workerʼs goals and membersʼ goals to be in accord for
optimal operation of group

B. Establishing Specific Individual and Group Goals

• individual goals: hopes and objectives of members as they enter the group
• group goals: emergent product of the interaction of all participants together, the
organizer and the members, as they express their ideas and feelings about the
reasons for the existence of the group and its anticipated outcomes

C. Conducting a Preliminary Interview

• Obectives are:
• orient potential members to proposed goals and purposes of the group
• elicit clientʼs view or prior group experiences
• elicit, explore and clarify clientʼs problems
• explore the clientʼs hopes, aspirations and expectations
• identify specific goals that the client wishes to accomplish
• mutually develop a profile of the clientʼs attributes
• identify and explore potential obstacles
• ensure that screening for the group is a two-way process

D. Group Composition
• homogeneity versus heterogeneity
• homogeneity: levels of education, cultural background, degree of expertise
relative to group task, communication ability
• heterogeneity: coping skills, life experiences, levels of expertise
 • Do not include “a member who is very different from the others”

E. Open Versus Closed Groups

• Open group 3 models: drop-in/droup-out model, replacement model, re-formed
model
• Open group advantages:
➡ fresh perspectives
➡ immediate support for those in need
• Open group disadvantages:
➡ instability prevents development of trust and confidence to share and explore
problems
➡ disrupt work
• Closed group advantages:
➡ higher group morale
➡ predictability of role behaviors
➡ increased sense of cooperation among members
• Closed group disadvantages:
➡ group process is affected by high attrition if too many members drop out

F. Group Size
• 5 to 12
• small enough to accomplish purpose, large enough to permit members to have a
satisfying experience

G. Frequency and Duration of Meetings

• For time-limited: 20 sessions

H. Formulating Group Guidelines

• Group Structure - consensus for guidelines, discussing non-negotiable agency
rules, consensus for negotiable items, soliciting membersʼ vision of group
• Group Format - group structure, group and individual goals, tasks per session,
weekly format and agenda, time allocation, process for evaluation, etc.
• Group Decision Making - consensus for decision making, valuing each memberʼs
vote
• Additional Group Issues:
➡ help-giving/help-seeking roles, visitors, new members, individual contact with
the social worker, cleanup
➡ use of recorder, use of profanity, attendance, eating, drinking and smoking,
programming
 II. Assessing Group Processes

Groupwork Engagement Measure or GEM - measures attendance, satisfaction,

perceived group helpfulness, group cohesion, and interaction

Magen and Glajchen: COHESION, HOPE and ALTRUISM - ranked by cancer support
groups as important factors in group satisfaction

A. Systems Framework

B. Assessing Patterned Behaviors of Individuals

C. Assessing Cognitive Patterns of Individuals

D. Identifying Patterned Group Behavior

E. Identifying Group Alliances

F. Identifying Power and Decision-Making Styles

G. Group Norms, Values and Cohesion

Task Groups
Planning for Task Groups
Beginning the Task Group