Participations in small in-class groups which purpose was to accomplish a task assigned to us by our Professor, were the most powerful learning experiences for me. In developing common focus, as stated in Gitterman and Germain (2008), members need to establish group rules and also remember to “build on one another’s contributions, identify and focus on salient collective themes, invite expression of differences” (p. 174), as well as welcome opinions which are contradictory or different from the majority.
However, I have to admit that eliminating the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse in-class groups turned out to be one of the most challenging aspects of my learning experience. I learned and understood how
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In addition, textbook readings not only expanded my knowledge of social work with groups but also provided knowledge context for our experiences with in-class or external groups. For example, I familiarized myself with the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, Inc. (AASWG) which is an international professional organization that establishes ethical guidelines for group counselors. The standards are described in six sections which underline the changes in the worker’s tasks relevant to changing and evolving of the group. (Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, Inc., 2012).
Another strength of this course was the emphasis on integration of knowledge from different sources – from mainstream and social media, for example, following The Alamo Area Branch of NASW - Texas Chapter (2015) Facebook page, also facilitated my learning by placing local, state, and national news in the context of social work related ethical, political and policy issues. While doing research for our “Comparison of Communication” assignment, I gained deeper understanding of social media dynamics because the content and structure of the page are controlled by its administrators. For instance, I learned how the flow of communication on Facebook reflected the views and opinions of its administrators, since materials that are shared must have significant public impact and high
This essay will be discussing two different situations where skills by social workers are needed when working with groups. I will define the term ‘group’ and will be reflecting on my own experiences of working within groups and what I have observed in regards to individuals, behaviours and group dynamics. My examples are drawn from two particular situations where I have been involved, which include a multi-professional meeting and residential home for children with disabilities. I will be drawing on knowledge from K216 materials and other sources.
At one point in a person life, they will participated in a group whether it is part of a specific committee, therapy, or social group. In recent years, there has been a rise in counseling within a group forum veering from the tradition individual counseling. Therapists, physiologist, and counselors believe that form of counseling is beneficial to both counselor and client. This allows the counselor to help several clients at once rather than one at a time decreasing their strenuous workload and demanding work hours. This form of counseling integrate individual that share similar issues, struggles, and experiences into one forum. This not only allows the clients to learn from the therapist but from their fellow group members. The group experience
Jacobs, E. E., Masson, R. L., Harvill, R. L., & Schimmel, C. J. (2012). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
I learned two significant things about group counseling in this course. The first thing that I learned is the importance of setting up a treatment plan. The intention is to follow the client from their entrance into the program until the client is discharged. In this process the clients’ problems are identified through various assessments and as each problem is addressed, it is checked off of the list. Once all of the problems are checked off of the list, the client is considered as having completed the plan. This plan is especially important because it evokes thoughtful conversation between the client and the counselor and is the best method to gain information from the client regarding the help they want to receive. The second most significant thing that I learned about group counseling is how to design a group from start to finish. From pre group design, planning the goals of the group and determining the members to setting up the environment and structuring the sessions, each step adds its own important components to designing group counseling.
The process of running a group therapy session is a unique time to tests a person’s skills abilities when it comes to facilitating that group. This paper will mainly look at ways when it comes to my learning's of this class that I took ways; I will also show examples and skills to run a good group therapy session. This whole paper is a reflection of the many things that I took was on being an active group counselor facilitator.
Group work is important in social work as it promotes understanding of the social contexts of people’s lives and identifies strengths of the oppressed to pursue social change (Dominelli 2008).
Going to college to receive a higher education could be one of the biggest obstacles of your life. If it is not the biggest obstacle than it’s certainly the most important. Frank Bruni’s opening question is more appealing to the transition from HighSchool to College. In HighSchool we were all taught to think a certain way when completing any task that dealt with learning. We were taught to remember and understand any work that was taught to students. Even when teachers gave test, they were only testing your ability to remember the material given. High school teachers’ number one objective was for students to remember what is said to pass the exam. However, in college these thinking skills are not acceptable. So approaching Frank Bruni’s opening question “‘What’s the most transformative educational experience you’ve had?’” I had to approach this question with higher thinking or else it would be a High School placement essay. I responded by of course using a little remembering and understanding because I have to understand the words in the question and remember the meaning of them. However, I mostly used theoretical ideas, some logic, understood the value of the question, and finally I combined all of my approaches to see how it would positively increase my diversity in college knowledge.
Group therapy for me was a very new concept. My understanding towards group therapy was that every one share their concern issues and goup members discuss about that issue and get different perspectives about how to deal with that issue by building cohession and trust among the members. According to zander (1968) a group is a collection of individuals who have relation to one another that make them interdependent to some significant degree. , Group therapy is a type of psychotherapy that involves one or more therapists working with several people at the same time.Generally, the counselling group has a speific focus, which may be educational, vocational, social or
Community-based support group observation and reaction paper is the first assignment that has to be completed for my class Social Work with Groups. In this assignment, I will discuss how I located the support group of my choice, what I was able to observe in the group session, and feelings or reactions I had during the process. This assignment will give a look into my first experience attending a real-life support group session from the other side of the coin. On this occasion, I was able to experience it from the point of view of a group member and not a facilitator which is definitely a shift in roles. Being able to go through this experience gives me the opportunity to experience a session firsthand and be able to observe and identify
Through this relationship, negative and positive thoughts and emotions as well as their causes were gradually shared and our distinctive perspectives begin to enhance. These subconscious interactions between the interns and I are the nature of practicum learning, especially, in an integrated healthcare setting where students are confronted with profound client situations that evoke strong personal reactions and feelings. To accurately acquire an understanding of our distinct experiences of the unit, the interns and I vocalized interest in bi-weekly peer group supervisions. This unusual concept truly provides a deeper supportive peer environment and offers a variety of perspectives. In a supplemental reading, titled, Combining Individual and Group Supervision in Educating for the Social Work Profession, authors Carolyn A. Walter and Thomas M. Young excellently summed it up well: “exposure to other people’s viewpoints, their skills, their values, their knowledge . . . that’s a piece you don’t just get in individual [supervision] or class (Walter & Young, 1999, p. 83).” As students, we learn, daily, from educators and mentors, however; in an interdisciplinary field, peer supervision provides transferable skills building for individuals in reflective practice and promotes a learning culture in teams, which are fundamental skills for social workers in any healthcare
In this paper I will identify the need for the group that was chosen. Part of the discussion will concentrate on the three key values used in the group approach with this population. The other will address models and theories of group practice, and the approach used by this group. The paper will also look at the key challenges or obstacles in group interventions with this population. Using the worksheet planning guide for social work group’s eight headings will be discussed. Briefly the readings from the course syllabus will be used in the development plan and incorporated in the paper will be the plans for an initial group session. Based on the skills inventory three critical skills will be addressed. Lastly a critique of a proposed group will be conducted.
As social workers, we want to learn about how to develop a mutual aid group together. Our group chose to do this in a mutual aid group focused on managing stress, as well as recording group process and development. This group analysis and reflection paper will be based on the description of the participants as well as identifying, describing, and explaining the analyzing of the group processes and key concepts. Included will also be a facilitator’s reflection from my behalf of the third session of the mutual aid group.
Group work has been a cornerstone of the social work profession and requires a variety of facilitator skills and awareness of group processes. The SSLDTM Group Program for People with Difficulties in Social Situations (Socialwork1914, 2017) provides an excellent example of a psycho-educational group co-facilitated by two female social workers, Jane and Karen. After viewing the 6th session of this 8-week program, I began to understand how the concepts of group formation/development, interpersonal dynamics, and leadership styles contribute to successful group work outcomes.
Since I was a young girl, learning was something necessary to do in order to mature into my own self. It's something us as humans do to evolve from our younger selves. From learning to talk, walk ,and read we learn many things throughout our lifetime to be the person we are today. Learning is the key to life. Learning makes us progress. Riding a bicycle was a learning experience that I might never forget it.
Groupwork can be defined as a method of social work that is utilised in order to help individuals to enhance their social functioning through purposeful group experiences and to help cope with their personal group or community problems (Konopka, 1972). The role of groupwork places emphasis on sharing thoughts, ideas, problems and activities, allowing social action groups for instance, to “empower members to engage in collective action and planned change efforts to modify particular aspects of their social or physical environment” (Toseland & Rivas, 2014, p. 38; Pyles, 2009; Staples, 2004). Therefore, reflecting on the processes of groupwork is an essential mechanism for all professionals in order to develop better communication skills, conflict resolution and enhance future performance. This essay will reflect upon the task group processes that were conducted this semester, while evaluating my own role within the group and what was learnt working within a small group.