An Introduction to Group Work Practice (with MyHelpingLab)

The perfect book for preparing to work with either treatment (ongoing) or task (special focus) groups, this newly revised edition offers the most up-to-date research and technology available in the social work field.   An Introduction to Group Work Practice, Fifth Edition, continues to stress the importance of developing skills in group-work and provides the most comprehensive information available on the market today. The text provides a thorough grounding in areas 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 and apply them to real-life social work practice. The addition of new case studies, practice examples, and guiding principles add to the ease and readability of this popular book.

Table of Contents:
I. THE KNOWLEDGE BASE OF GROUP WORK PRACTICE.  1. Introduction. Organization of the Text. The Focus of Group Work Practice. Values and Ethics in Group Work Practice. Definition of Group Work. Classifying Groups. Group versus Individual Efforts. A Typology of Treatment and Task Groups. Treatment Groups. Task Groups.  2. Historical Development. Knowledge from Group Work Practice: Treatment Groups. Knowledge from Group Work Practice: Task Groups. Knowledge from Social Science Research. Influential Theories.  3. Understanding Group Dynamics. The Development of Helpful Group Dynamics. Group Dynamics. Stages of Group Development.  4. Leadership. Leadership and Power. An Interactional Model of Leadership. Group Leadership Skills. Coleadership.  5. Leadership and Diversity. Approaches to Multicultural Group Work.   II. THE PLANNING STAGE.  6. Planning the Group. Planning Focus. Planning Model for Group Work.   III. THE BEGINNING STAGE.  7. The Group Begins. Objectives in the Beginning Stage.  8. Assessment. Definition of Assessment. The Assessment Process. Assessing the Functioning of Group Members. Assessing the Functioning of the Group as a Whole. Assessing the Group's Environment. Linking Assessment to Intervention.   IV. THE MIDDLE STAGE.  9. Treatment Groups: Foundation Methods. Middle-Stage Skills.  10. Treatment Groups: Specialized Methods. Intervening with Group Members. Intervening in the Group as a Whole. Changing the Group Environment.  11. Task Groups: Foundation Methods. The Ubiquitous Task Group. Leading Task Groups. A Model for Effective Problem Solving.  12. Task Groups: Specialized Methods. Small Organizational Groups. Large Organizational Groups. Methods for Working with Community Groups.   V. THE ENDING STAGE.  13. Evaluation. The Practitioner's Dilemma. Why Evaluate? The Group Worker's View. Evaluation Methods. Evaluations for Planning the Group. Evaluations for Monitoring a Group. Evaluations for Developing a Group. Evaluations for Determining Effectiveness and Efficiency. Evaluation Measures.  14. Ending the Group's Work. Factors That Influence Group Endings. The Process of Ending. Planned and Unplanned Termination. Ending Group Meetings. Ending the Group as a Whole.  15. Case Examples. A Caregiver Support Group. A Community Coalition.  Appendix A. 1. Guidelines for Ethics. 2. Ethical Guidelines for Group Counselors. 3. Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, Inc.  Appendix B. Films and Videotapes.  Appendix C. Group Announcements.  Appendix D. Outline for a Group Proposal.  Appendix E. An Example of a Treatment Group Proposal.  Appendix F. An Example of a Task Group Proposal.  Appendix G. Suggested Readings on Program Activities.  Bibliography.  Name Index.  Subject Index.