Group Observation Paper

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.

In this paper, I discuss my experience with observing a group counseling session with the purpose of evaluating it in terms of how it is set up, how it is run, interventions used, culturally sensitivity, and the contribution toward my professional development as a social worker. The group setting plays a critical role in social work outside of the individual session and can be largely beneficial for clients in the forms of therapy, counseling, self-help, and support. By attempting to better understand group interventions, I will learn how to apply this strategy in aiding clients for whom this method is appropriate by increasing their social supports.

In this group there were no disruptive members. I filled the role of an observer, I offered feedback at the end of the session. The counselor filled the role of standard setter. There was an encourager, a harmonizer, an expediter, and a follower.

The researchers goal was to know if the effects of small-group reading interventions implemented positive behavior in support model, on elementary students that show any emotional and behavior disorders or that do not show any emotional and behavior disorders. The following are the research questions they addressed: (a) the differences in reading instruction in a general classroom for students at risk and to compare schools that combine behavior/reading risk. (b) differential effects with small-group instruction. (c) how do any of the observable differences translate to the outcome of students’ growth in reading.

I decided for my social observation the mall would be a good place to start. I came there on a Friday evening when there should be plenty of people to watch. I also sat in the Barnes and Noble café after that to observe. I expected to see a lot of people shopping and conversing. A few things did stand out to me within the few hours I was there. Some things I didn’t expect to see. We are expected to behave a certain way in public determined by our culture as to what is acceptable. Some people stay well within the lines while some might stray outside the norms but never too far typically. Usually the ones to travel to the extremes are adolescents and teenagers. This is what I observed.

Next, the barriers that exist in group communication are premature evaluation of ideas, poor physical surroundings, too many people, poor timing, and stinking thinking. The different ideas made from the group need an evaluation at a certain time; this is done only after all the ideas have been made from the group. Poor physical surroundings can be a problem for group disruption in communication. In some cases the room could be too hot, too cold, too noisy, not adequate enough seating and lack of technological needs for the group to function. If the group is too large then the communication can be lost and equal participation will not occur (Beebe &Masterson, 2006). Poor timing also can be a hindrance to the group by not

I had the pleasure interviewing Ms. Sabrina Anderson. Ms. Anderson is a Probation Counselor II at Foundations Residential Facility in Fairfax, Virginia. Foundations Residential Facility counsels young women between ages of 12-18 who are mandated by Fairfax Juvenile Court System due to various offences. Most of the women were victims of sexual and drug abuse. There are six residents at the facility whose probation period ranges from eight to twelve months long. The maximum number of ladies that are allowed is twelve: each counselor has two clients. The residents are required to stay at the facility for a week and then may go home on the weekends if they well behaved. In the beginning, Ms. Anderson and her client will come up with a plan/agenda

The type of group we will be working with is a transitional therapy group for teenage girls that are in the foster care system. This will be a mixed group utilizing both a psychoeducational and counseling group type. The counseling focus of this group will consist of helping these girls through the transition process of being placed with a foster family.

My participant observation research project is on sex offenders. A few topics I would be interested in is different type of offenders, such as pedophilic and non-pedophilic. I know sex offending is horrible all together but I really hate when I hear about children and teens being hurt. My questions would be what causes their urge to offend children? How do they know the victim? How to help the offender?

in this picture i took a group selfie at work. my manager drew, the man in the orange, is looking at the camera. he is wearing an orange shirt, has his glasses on. has a look on his face as if to say “storm what are you doing?” one of my best friends jasmine is also in this picture. she goes to school with me. she has a smile on her face because i had just cracked a joke. i seem to always make the crew members laugh. she is weariing her mcdonald's visor / hat. has on the mcdonalds uniform and is looking at me all smiles. Erika, the woman in the picture with purple gauges is about 8 months pregnant. she is having a baby boy and she is rubbing her tummy, her son was kicking, her belly was moving in the way his foot was. she seemed to be in alot

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.

Groups talk about goals in different ways, using different words. Some groups have major and minor goals or meta- and micro-goals; others divide goals into mission, purpose or goal, and objectives, while other groups talk about aims and expectations. A group is strengthened to the extent it has clear goals and all members know what their roles are in helping to achieve them (Dimock and Kass, 2008, p.62-63). My placement is currently in the Mental Health field and as mental health workers we have groups that are organized to promote to mental health of all and to support the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness.

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.

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).