Reflection Of Mutual Aid Group

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

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.

Unit Title: 521 Facilitate and development of effective group practice in health and social care or children and young people’s setting

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).

Next time I think I would like to push a little harder with the collaboration and have more of a deadline set with the other group members as to when things have to be finished by . It felt like the most collaboration we had was via email instead of on the group wiki, which was a little disappointing. A lot of the time I felt like I was talking to myself on the wiki and discussion board.

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.

There is a delicate balance that needs to be achieved to create the right conditions for members to work harmoniously together. Individuals whose problems deviate from the norm should not be included in the group. Individuals who have mental disabilities which hinder their ability to comprehend the purpose of the meeting would not attend. Cultural perspectives need to be considered as well. For example, many middle eastern women would not feel comfortable participating in an intimate group setting where they disclose personal information in the presence of men. A journaling activity could be implemented in in the middle phase, once trust is established in order to help members identify their behavioral patterns that are both positive and negative, based off cognitive behavioral theory. The group members will share their reflections and support one another, reinforcing the behavioral change, and also identify negative and dysfunctional behavior patterns. Mutual aid takes place as the members of the group are able to identify with the reflections of others and as a group objectively assess the findings and work to modify behavior in the

This work will focus on the meaning, the five stages of Tuckman’s theory, the approaches and the uses of group work. Group work refers to a method of social work practice which is concerned with the recognition and use of processes which occur when three or more people work together towards a common purpose (Trevithick, 2005).

A mutual aid group is a group of people with similar challenges, helping one another to overcome the obstacles they each face and become a system of support for one another. This mutual aid group is composed of five female members of a Social Work 420 course at St. Augustine College in Chicago. The topic of the group is self identity. This group analysis and reflection paper provide a review of the mutual aid process as it relates to a mutual aid group and examines and reflect on a group session led by the author.

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.

Throughout the group counseling video with Dr. Carroll it is clear that her intention is to foster positive and meaningful interactions with all of the group members (Association for Specialists in Group Work, n.d.). It is evident that Dr. Carroll is an expert in leading group sessions, as such there is a lot to be observed and learned from her as well as the participating group members (Association for Specialists in Group Work, n.d.). During this second video the group appears more comfortable with one another as they begin opening up about their fears and expectations (Association for Specialists in Group Work, n.d.). Dr. Carroll uses the new found comfort as a time to create unity and define individual goals of the group

The group formed is a psychoeducation/support group. Psychoeducational groups are intended to increase participant knowledge and behavior change through an emphasis on educational strategies akin to those used in a classroom. The purposes of psychoeducational groups focus on education, skill acquisition, and/or self-knowledge (Garvin, 2012). The group consists of several social work (SW) practitioners who gathered together for a common ground, to education and support experts dealing with clients who are sex offenders. This is our second session. The group meets every Saturday morning from 1:00 pm to 2:00 PM. The location of this group is at a local community center where it is convenient for everyone. The rules

Mutual Aid groups or self-help groups are voluntary gatherings of persons who share needs or problems that are not being addressed by existing organizations, institutions, or other types of groups. Cohen and Graybeal (2007) when on further to state that mutual aid can help people gain a sense of personal, interpersonal, and environmental control over their lives. One of the goals of mutual aid groups is to encourage the collective resourcefulness and creativity of the group and minimize the need for professional intervention. This requires the group worker to share their stories, talk about their challenges and how they overcome.

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.