An Introduction to Group Work Practice

by Toseland, Ronald W.; Rivas, Robert F.

• ISBN13: 9780205307630
• ISBN10: 0205307639
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-06-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

This text provides the most comprehensive information available about group dynamics and working with people in a variety of treatment and task-oriented groups. The student receives a thorough grounding in how to work with either treatment (ongoing) or task (special focus) groups, in settings that vary from treatment to organizational and community settings. Chapters on the history of groups, group dynamics, group leadership, and diversity help the reader build a solid knowledge base about groups. Later chapters follow a problem-solving model, taking the student through the phases of group work (planning, beginning, assessing, working, evaluating, and ending), and provide the student with useful practice skills for working with groups in each phase of his or her development. This edition includes the most up-to-date research on groups and new developments in the field of group work. The bibliography and references have also been updated. New case studies in Chapters 6-14 illustrate the six stages of the social group work process to help students apply the theory to actual social work practice.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
part I The Knowledge Base of Group Work Practice	1	(152)
Introduction	3	(45)
Organization of the Text	3	(1)
The Focus of Group Work Practice	4	(2)
Values and Ethics in Group Work Practice	6	(6)
Practice Values	6	(3)
Practice Ethics	9	(3)
Definition of Group Work	12	(2)
Classifying Groups	14	(4)
Formed and Natural Groups	14	(1)
Purpose and Group Work	14	(1)
Treatment and Task Groups	15	(3)
Group versus Individual Efforts	18	(3)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Treatment Groups	18	(2)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Task Groups	20	(1)
A Typology of Treatment and Task Groups	21	(1)
Treatment Groups	22	(7)
Support Groups	22	(3)
Educational Groups	25	(1)
Growth Groups	26	(1)
Therapy Groups	26	(1)
Socialization Groups	27	(2)
Task Groups	29	(19)
Groups to Meet Client Needs	30	(7)
Groups to Meet Organizational Needs	37	(4)
Groups to Meet Community Needs	41	(7)
Historical Developments	48	(21)
Knowledge from Group Work Practice: Treatment Groups	48	(8)
Differences between Casework and Group Work	49	(1)
Intervention Targets	50	(1)
The Weakening of Group Work	51	(1)
Current Practice Trends	52	(3)
Divergent and Unified Practice Models	55	(1)
Knowledge from Group Work Practice: Task Groups	56	(1)
Knowledge from Social Science Research	56	(3)
Influential Theories	59	(10)
Systems Theory	59	(3)
Psychodynamic Theory	62	(1)
Learning Theory	63	(2)
Field Theory	65	(1)
Social Exchange Theory	66	(3)
Understanding Group Dynamics	69	(27)
The Development of Helpful Group Dynamics	69	(1)
Group Dynamics	70	(18)
Communication and Interaction Patterns	70	(9)
Group Cohesion	79	(3)
Social Control Dynamics	82	(4)
Group Culture	86	(2)
Stages of Group Development	88	(8)
Leadership	96	(38)
Leadership and Power	97	(5)
Theories of Group Leadership	99	(1)
Factors Influencing Group Leadership	100	(1)
Effectiveness of Leaders	101	(1)
An Interactional Model of Leadership	102	(7)
Purposes of the Group	103	(1)
Type of Problem	104	(1)
The Environment	105	(1)
The Group as a Whole	106	(1)
The Group Members	107	(1)
The Group Leader	108	(1)
Group Leadership Skills	109	(20)
Facilitating Group Processes	110	(4)
Data Gathering and Assessment	114	(2)
Action Skills	116	(7)
Learning Group Leadership Skills	123	(2)
Leadership Style	125	(4)
Coleadership	129	(5)
Leadership and Diversity	134	(19)
Approaches to Multicultural Group Work	134	(19)
Developing Cultural Sensitivity	135	(3)
Assessing Cultural Influences on Group Behavior	138	(5)
Intervening with Sensitivity to Diversity	143	(10)
part II The Planning Stage	153	(34)
Planning the Group	155	(32)
Planning Focus	156	(1)
Elements of Treatment Group Planning	156	(1)
Elements of Task Group Planning	156	(1)
Planning Model for Group Work	157	(30)
Establishing the Group's Purpose	157	(2)
Assessing Potential Sponsorship and Membership	159	(5)
Recruiting Members	164	(3)
Composing the Group	167	(6)
Orienting Members	173	(2)
Contracting	175	(3)
Preparing the Environment	178	(5)
Preparing a Written Group Proposal	183	(4)
part III The Beginning Stage	187	(66)
The Group Begins	189	(29)
Objectives in the Beginning Stage	190	(28)
Introducing New Members	191	(4)
Defining the Purpose of the Group	195	(2)
Confidentiality	197	(1)
Helping Members Feel a Part of the Group	198	(1)
Guiding the Development of the Group	199	(5)
Task and Socioemotional Focus	204	(1)
Goal Setting in Group Work	205	(3)
Contracting	208	(1)
Facilitating Members' Motivation	209	(5)
Anticipating Obstacles	214	(4)
Assessment	218	(35)
Definition of Assessment	218	(2)
Relationship to Individual Assessment	219	(1)
The Assessment Process	220	(3)
How Much Information?	221	(1)
Diagnostic Labels	222	(1)
Assessment Focus	223	(1)
Assessing the Functioning of Group Members	223	(9)
Methods for Assessing Group Members	224	(8)
Assessing the Functioning of the Group as a Whole	232	(10)
Methods for Assessing the Group as a Whole	236	(6)
Assessing the Group's Environment	242	(5)
Assessing the Sponsoring Organization	243	(2)
Assessing the Interorganizational Environment	245	(1)
Assessing the Community Environment	246	(1)
Linking Assessment to Intervention	247	(6)
part IV The Middle Stage	253	(146)
Treatment Groups: Foundation Methods	255	(30)
Middle-Stage Skills	255	(30)
Preparing for Group Meetings	256	(4)
Structuring the Group's Work	260	(4)
Involving and Empowering Group Members	264	(1)
Helping Members Achieve Their Goals	265	(13)
Working with Reluctant and Resistant Group Members	278	(3)
Monitoring and Evaluating the Group's Progress	281	(4)
Treatment Groups: Specialized Methods	285	(37)
Intervening with Group Members	285	(23)
Intrapersonal Interventions	286	(8)
Interpersonal Interventions	294	(8)
Environmental Interventions	302	(6)
Intervening in the Group as a Whole	308	(6)
Changing Communication and Interaction Patterns	308	(2)
Changing the Group's Attraction for Its Members	310	(2)
Using Social Controls Effectively	312	(1)
Changing Group Culture	313	(1)
Changing the Group Environment	314	(8)
Increasing Agency Support for Group Work Services	315	(1)
Links with Interagency Networks	316	(1)
Increasing Community Awareness	317	(5)
Task Groups: Foundation Methods	322	(38)
The Ubiquitous Task Group	322	(1)
Leading Task Groups	323	(19)
Preparing for Group Meetings	324	(3)
Sharing Information	327	(3)
Enhancing Involvement and Commitment	330	(1)
Developing Information	331	(2)
Dealing with Conflict	333	(3)
Making Effective Decisions	336	(3)
Understanding Task Groups' Political Ramifications	339	(2)
Monitoring and Evaluating	341	(1)
Problem Solving	342	(1)
A Model for Effective Problem Solving	342	(18)
Identifying a Problem	344	(6)
Developing Goals	350	(1)
Collecting Data	351	(2)
Developing Plans	353	(1)
Selecting the Best Plan	354	(1)
Implementing the Plan	355	(5)
Task Groups: Specialized Methods	360	(39)
Small Organizational Groups	360	(22)
Brainstorming	360	(4)
Variations on Brainstorming	364	(2)
Focus Groups	366	(4)
Nominal Group Technique	370	(4)
Multiattribute Utility Analysis	374	(5)
Quality Circles and Quality Improvement Teams	379	(3)
Large Organizational Groups	382	(7)
Parliamentary Procedure	382	(5)
Phillips' 66	387	(2)
Methods for Working with Community Groups	389	(10)
Mobilization Strategies	389	(2)
Capacity-Building Strategies	391	(1)
Social Action Strategies	392	(7)
part V The Ending Stage	399	(98)
Evaluation	401	(29)
The Practitioner's Dilemma	401	(1)
Why Evaluate? The Group Worker's View	402	(2)
Reasons for Conducting Evaluations	402	(1)
Organizational Encouragement and Support	403	(1)
Time Considerations	403	(1)
Selecting an Evaluation Method	403	(1)
Evaluation Methods	404	(1)
Evaluations for Planning the Group	405	(1)
Obtaining Program Information	405	(1)
Needs Assessment	406	(1)
Evaluations for Monitoring a Group	406	(6)
Monitoring Methods	406	(6)
Evaluations for Developing a Group	412	(5)
Single-System Methods	414	(2)
Case Study Methods	416	(1)
Evaluations for Determining Effectiveness and Efficiency	417	(5)
Evaluation Measures	422	(8)
Choosing Measures	422	(1)
Types of Measures	423	(7)
Ending the Group's Work	430	(23)
Factors That Influence Group Endings	430	(1)
The Process of Ending	431	(1)
Planned and Unplanned Termination	432	(3)
Member Termination	432	(2)
Worker Termination	434	(1)
Ending Group Meetings	435	(1)
Ending the Group as a Whole	436	(17)
Maintaining and Generalizing Change Efforts	437	(6)
Reducing Group Attraction	443	(2)
Feelings about Ending	445	(1)
Planning for the Future	446	(2)
Making Referrals	448	(5)
Case Examples	453	(44)
A Caregiver Support Group	453	(14)
The Support Component	453	(1)
The Educational Component	454	(1)
The Coping-Skills Component	454	(2)
The Problem-Solving Component	456	(11)
A Community Coalition	467	(18)
The Planning Stage	468	(1)
The Beginning Stage	469	(7)
The Middle Stage	476	(4)
The Ending Stage	480	(5)
appendix A
1. Guidelines for Ethics	485	(4)
2. Ethical Guidelines for Group Counselors	489	(2)
3. Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, Inc.	491	(6)
appendix B Films and Videotapes	497	(2)
appendix C Group Announcements	499	(2)
appendix D Outline for a Group Proposal	501	(1)
appendix E An Example of a Treatment Group Proposal	502	(2)
appendix F An Example of a Task Group Proposal	504	(2)
appendix G Suggested Readings on Program Activities	506	(3)
Bibliography	509	(25)
Name Index	534	(9)
Subject Index	543