Section A5_
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dmmclaug@bu.edu
264 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA 02215
COURSE DESCRIPTION
617.353.9593
This foundation course teaches the clinical skills needed at various stages of the helping
Office Hours by appointment process (i.e., engagement, assessment, goal-setting and treatment planning, intervention and termination), whether the client is an individual, group, or family. Clinical methods are highlighted —what the social worker purposefully does as s/he works with individual clients and larger systems (e.g., groups, families, communities) and how the social worker reacts and interacts in the helping relationship. The helping relationship is seen as requiring collaboration between clinician and client and the strategic use of clinical skills (e.g., strengthening rapport, assessing needs and strengths, reaching for feelings, identifying goals and expectations, setting limits) throughout the process. The helping relationship is also based on sound social work values and ethics, positive regard for the full range of human diversity, and dedication to social and economic justice.
While the course emphasizes ways that clinicians can help clients accomplish goals, it also emphasizes the value of the helping relationship as a vehicle for client growth. Because a major hallmark of effectiv e social work practice is the ability to reflect on one’s interactions with individual clients and larger client systems, this course highlights the need for students to develop the capacity for professional self-reflection (i.e., the ability to observe an d critique one’s actions in relation to clients, supervisors, and colleagues and the integration of personal and professional “selves”). Core concepts of individual, family, and group intervention, case management, short-term work, and crisis intervention are introduced. Individual methods focus on developing and maintaining the helping relationship. Family methods focus on joining with the family as an entire system when multiple members are available, or when only an individual is available, intervening with the individual while considering influences and implications for the
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family system. Group work methods concentrate on group types, group formation, and group development.
URBAN CONTEXT OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
BUSSW’S urban mission provides the context for clinical practice taught in this course. Urban environments represent a rich cultural mosaic of people and social institutions, but also generate complex social problems that have existed since the emergence of cities. Since its inception, the social work profession has focused on providing clinical services to urban dwellers. Starting with the Industrial Revolution, the needs of urban populations have influenced the mission, values, and direction of social work and remain central to our practice today. Work for social change is mandated by the social work code of ethics, and clinical social workers are committed to working with client strengths to address the bio-psycho-social problems endemic to urban communities.
By and large, urban problems are related to population density, geographical size, and economic impoverishment. There are problems in the city and problems of the city. Generally, problems in the city are difficulties experienced by the society as a whole —drug addiction,
HIV/AIDS, easy access to weapons, mental illness, poverty, racism, sexism, ageism, and other forms of discrimination. Problems of the city are difficulties unique to urban communities — deteriorating physical structures, limited or costly housing, pollution, increased risk of communicable diseases, and improper disposal of waste and various pollutants. Commonly, urban ecologies share particular properties described below that must be considered in rendering clinical services to clients living in urban settings.
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Cities have population density in a small geographic space. The pace in cities may be faster and interactions more impersonal than in suburban or rural areas.
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Cities are rich in diversity and multiculturalism.
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Cities are absorption centers for immigrants and refugees with diverse ethnic backgrounds and languages.
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Cities often have enclaves and neighborhoods based on class, race, ethnicity, religion, and/or sexual orientation. They may have clearly segregated residential areas.
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Cities have complex social, political, and physical infrastructures that provide services to residents.
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Cities have numerous educational, medical, cultural, religious, social, and recreational resources and institutions.
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Cities are hubs of employment in the corporate and industrial complex, as well as representative of changing employment trends.
Thus, this urban focus provides a context for social work education and practice at BUSSW.
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Competency 2.1.1 Professional Identity
Competency 2.1.2 Ethical Practice
Competency 2.1.3 Critical Thinking
Competency 2.1.4 Diversity in Practice
Competency 2.1.5 Human Rights and Justice
Competency 2.1.6 Research Based Practice
Competency 2.1.7 Human Behavior
Competency 2.1.8 Policy Practice
Competency 2.1.9 Practice Contexts
Competency 2.1.10 Engage, Assess, Intervene, Evaluate
Specific assignments in this course will assess your attainment of this competency.
Information about the specific competencies and related practice behaviors addressed in this course and your other MSW courses can be found at
SSWLINK.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the development of the mission, core values, and ethics of professional social work.
2. Demonstrate the clinical skills essential in the helping process.
3. Develop skills in completing an assessment interview and writing up a bio-psychosocial assessment.
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4. Apply in practice the basic concepts and principles of clinical practice with individuals, families and groups.
5. Apply in practice the basic concepts and principles of family assessment and intervention.
6. Describe the steps involved in evidence-based practice.
7. Utilize a strengths perspective in clinical work with individuals, groups, and families.
8. Value the clinical relationship as a key tool in helping clients address problems.
9. Develop and practice skills of self-reflection to become an effective social worker.
10. Understand the importance of evaluating outcomes of the helping process.
11. Recognize the pervasive societal influence of oppression and economic injustice.
12. Identify ethical dilemmas in social work practice.
13. Describe the characteristics of an urban environment and implications for social work practice.
14. Identify and describe the various roles assumed by direct social work practitioners.
15. Understand the relationship among research, theory, and social work practice.
16. Explain the importance of evaluating outcomes of the helping process.
Roles and Responsibilities in Learning
Faculty and students share responsibility for this course.
Faculty are responsible for establishing the competencies to be achieved; setting the course objectives; choosing the framework, assignments and readings; and creating the overall learning contract. Faculty present core content and guide students in the selection, presentation and study of major issues; they promote class discussion and provide opportunities for small and large group learning. Faculty may share their own experiences and emphasize particular areas of specialization; they may bring in experts from the field to lecture on particular topics. Faculty are responsible for evaluation, feedback and grading of students .
Students are responsible for their participation in the course and for achieving the competencies set forth in the syllabus. Students participate through classroom discussion and by working together in small groups.
Students are responsible for reading and articulating learning from required readings , for grappling with clinical dilemmas in class, and for reflection on their personal/professional values and ethics.
Additional expectations include the following:
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Punctuality: When students come to class on time, they demonstrate positive participation.
Attendance: Attending all assigned class sessions is a visible marker of a student's investment and good participation. Conversely, repeat absences , even for other professional events or trips home, signals disengagement and lack of interest. Conversely, repeat absences, even for other professional events or trips home, signals disengagement.
Moreover, absences hurt your command of the subject matter and detract
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 from others' learning. Naturally, there are times when people are sick or have family emergencies; in these cases, please let the instructors know, arrange to cover assignments, and get notes from class members.
Class preparation: Class participation is often contingent upon having done the preparation. Reading the assigned material and completing the assigned exercises demonstrates planning ahead and an investment in the work of the course. It i s also essential for informed classroom discussion.
Participating i n classroom discussion: The classroom is a laboratory for the building of future professional skills and competencies. Being able to speak responsibly, clearly and appropriately in a group context is both an academic and professional requirement. Therefore, the classroom is a per fect environment for students to hone their “speaking aloud” skills.
Students are expected to move outside their comfort zone and take risks on behalf of strengthening this important competency.
TEXTS & READINGS
Required Texts
Hepworth, D., Rooney, R., Rooney, G., & Strom-Gottfried, K. (2013). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (9 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Murphy, B. C., & Dillon, C. (2011). Interviewing in action in a multicultural world (4 th ed.). Belmont,
CA: Brooks/Cole.
Required Readings
Electronic Readings at Mugar Library
APPENDIX: (at the end of the course syllabus)
 Eco-map
 Case study: Peter
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List of Practice Skills
 List of group work specific skills & Yalom's therapeutic factors
 Group types
 Guidelines for group composition
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Guidelines for co-leadership
 Group design chart
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Each course has a Blackboard Learn (learn.bu.edu) site. Instructors post the course syllabus, announcements, handouts, and any other pertinent information on the course blackboard site. In addition instructors often compile a collection of articles to supplement readings from textbooks. These readings are available electronically at the Boston University Mugar Library or the course Blackboard
Learn site. To access the supplemental readings, students must be registered for the course, have their log in name and Kerberos password.
The new library catalog offers a variety of ways to find but here is the easiest way to find what you need: Go to the main Boston University Library webpage: http://www.bu.edu/library/ . In the center of the page is the Search box. At the right of the box is a white spy-glass on a blue field. Double clicking on the spyglass will take you to the Advanced Search box. Just above that box are two tabs: Library Resources and Course Reserves . After clicking on Course
Reserves , type your course number into the box and hit Return. This will take you to the list of all materials on Reserve for this course number.
To refine your search, click on the “ Sorted by” tab near the top right of the page.
Choose either author or title, whichever is easiest for you. Scroll through the list until you come to the needed resource, then click on the item’s blue View It tab.
This should offer you, in blue, a link to View Full Text.
Clicking on this link takes you to the Kerberos log in page; log in, and the resource file will open for your viewing.
Please note that articles for the following courses are listed under the SSW
Department Chair rather than your course instructor:
HB720 – Spencer; HB735 – Moore; WP700 & WP701 - Hudson; SR743 &
SR744 – Gonyea; MP759 – Delgado; SP741- Ruth; CP759, CP770, CP771 &
CP772
– Amodeo.
Because this system is new, and changes are being made to it weekly, you may come across a handful of online resources which instead of having a View It link, will have one that says Get It.
In this case, click on the More Information option, which is next to the Get It link. In the box that opens is a smaller box entitled Links , and within that box is the actual Link to Resource line. Clicking that will take you to the requested resource.
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Try a different search parameter: if you’ve searched by title, instead use the author. Try using the “Library Resources” tab rather than the “Reserves” tab. Be sur e you’re searching the reading’s title, rather than that of the original source.
That is, search for the title of the chapter or article, not the title of the original book or journal. The same is true for authors – be sure to use the name of the author of the specific reading you need, rather than that of the editor or author of the monograph or journal from which the reading came.
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Please read the following chapter and articles before coming to the first class:
Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 1, The Challenges of Social Work, pp. 3-24
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 4, Operationalizing the Cardinal Social Work Values, pp. 57-
85
Abramovitz, M. (1998). Social work and social reform: An arena of struggle.Social Work, 43(6),
512-526.
(MUGAR)
Lawless, J. J. (2008). Transforming a racist legacy. In M. McGoldrick & K. V. Hardy (Eds.), Revisioning family therapy: Race, culture, and gender in clinical practice (pp. 191-196).
New York, NY: Guildford Press. (MUGAR)
Recommended Reading :
Berndt, L. (2008). Legacies of white privilege. In M. McGoldrick & K. V. Hardy (Eds.), Revisioning family therapy: Race, culture, and gender in clinical practice (pp. 184-190).
New York, NY: Guildford Press. (MUGAR)
Sue, D. W. (2006). The conceptual dimensions of multicultural social work practice. In
Multicultural social work practice (pp. 3-21). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
(MUGAR)
Session 1: September 18, 2013
Introduction to Social Work History, Practice, Values and Ethics in the Sociocultural
Context of the Urban Environment
Objectives:
Upon completing this session, students will be able to: a. Describe the mission of social work and the purpose of social work practice and services. b. Articulate the core social work values and ethics, and how they guide professional social work practice. c. Be familiar with and apply the four core social work ethical principles (i.e., selfdetermination, informed consent, professional boundaries, confidentiality) and two professional mandates (i.e., duty to warn, mandated reporting). d. Describe the characteristics of an urban environment and consider implications for clinical social work practice. e. Demonstrate beginning self awareness and critical thinking skills.
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Session 2: September 25, 2013
Introduction to Social Work Theory, Research, and Practice
Objectives:
Upon completing this session, students will be able to: a. Articulate the principles and elements of direct social work practice. b. Describe the various roles assumed by direct social work practitioners. c. Describe the steps in the evidence-based practice process. d. Describe the relationship between evidence-based practice, assessment, intervention, and evaluation in social work practice e. Articulate how class and race characterize and shape the human experience and are critical to the formation of identity.
Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 2, Direct Practice: Domain, Philosophy, and Roles, pp. 25-34
Cournoyer, B. R. (2011). Critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and career-long learning. In The social work skills workbook (6th ed., pp. 52-75). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. (MUGAR)
Murphy & Dillon (2011), Chapter 2, Responsible Practice: Cultural Awareness and
Professional Ethics, pp. 29-60
Recommended Reading:
O’Hare, T. (2009). Overview: Defining and linking assessment, intervention, and evaluation. In
Essential skills of social work practice: Assessment, intervention, and evaluation (pp. 3-
37). New York, NY: Lyceum. (MUGAR)
Session 3: October 2, 2013
The Professional Helping Relationship, Engagement, and Beginning Work with
Individuals
Objectives:
Upon completing this session, students will be able to: a. Identify and demonstrate ways to increase self and client awareness
(“tuning in”).
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b. Identify key elements of a professional helping relationship including:
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Client-centered focus
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Goal-directed relating and work
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Collaboration (noting that participants have different power, resources, and skills)
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Intentional and ethical use of self
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Cultural knowledge and sensitivity
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Trust, privacy, and confidentiality
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Respect for the unique worth of each individual
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Nonjudgmental acceptance and responsiveness c. Describe the key skills in the beginning stage of work with individuals.
Required Reading:
Murphy & Dillon (2011), Chapter 4, Attending and Listening, pp. 97-123
Murphy & Dillon (2011), Chapter 5, Support and Empathy, pp. 127-154
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 3, Overview of the Helping Process, pp. 35-55
Session 4: October 9, 2013
The Professional Helping Relationship, Engagement & Beginning Work with
Individuals, Families and Groups
Objectives:
Upon completing this session, students will be able to: a. Demonstrate key skills used in the beginning state of work with individuals, families and groups b. Identify challenges to engagement with individuals, families, and groups. c. Recognize ways that culture and class may influence beginning interactions between the individual, family, or group and the worker, access to resources, sense of identity and expectations of self and others. d. Differentiate the worker’s tasks in the beginning work with individual, groups and families.
Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 6, Verbal Following, Exploring, and Focusing Skills, pp.135-164
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Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 7, Eliminating Counterproductive Communication
Patterns, pp. 165-183
Gutierrez, L. (1990). Working with women of color: An empowerment perspective.
Social
Work, 35, 149-153. (MUGAR)
And CHOOSE two of the following:
Furuto, S.B.C.L. (2004). Theoretical perspectives for culturally competent practice with immigrant children and families. In Fong, R. (Ed.), Culturally competent practice with immigrant and refugee children and families (pp. 19-38). New York, NY: The
Guilford Press. (MUGAR)
Nelson, R., Mitrani, V., & Szapocnik, J. (2000). Applying a family-ecosystemic model to reunite a family separated due to child abuse: A case study. Contemporary
Family Therapy, 22, 125-146. (MUGAR)
Pope, K. S., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2008). A practical approach to boundaries in psychotherapy:
Making decisions, bypassing blunders, and mending fences. Journal of Clinical
Psychology: In Session, 64 , 638-652. (MUGAR)
SandersThompson,V.L., Bazile,A. & Akbar, M. (2004). African American’s perceptions of psychotherapy and psychotherapists. Professional psychology: Research and practice, 35, 19-26. (MUGAR)
Saino, M. (2003). A new language for groups: Multilingual and multi-ethnic group work.
Social Work with Groups, 26, 69-80. (MUGAR)
Shulman, L. (2013). The preliminary phase in group practice: The group as a mutual aid system. In The skills of helping individuals, families, groups and communities (7 th ed.) , (pp. 342-385). (MUGAR).
Session 5: October 23, 2013
Assessment and Formulation with Individuals
Objectives:
Upon completing this session, students will be able to: a. Describe assessment as both a process and a product. b. Attend to the context of the assessment and a variety of relevant sources of
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information (exploring a situation from multiple perspectives). c. Identify methods and tools of assessment, including situations of suicide risk and crisis assessment. d. Apply relevant theory and research findings in assessment. e. Develop a biopsychosocial formulation that highlights central issues, offers a tentative understanding of them, applies critical thinking, and establishes the ground work for understanding clients’ presenting problems. f. Demonstrate assessment skills.
***If your agency uses a particular biopsychosocial outline or form, please bring a blank copy to class.
Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 8, Assessment: Exploring and Understanding Problems and
Strengths, pp. 185-213
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 9, Assessment: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and
Environmental Factors, pp.215-249
Hepworth et al. (2013), Crisis Intervention, pp. 399-408
Murphy & Dillon (2011). Chapter 13, Work with People in Crisis, pp. 367-407
Dean, R. & Poorvu, N. (2008). Assessment and formulation: A contemporary social work perspective. Families in Society, 89, 596-604. (MUGAR)
Recommended Reading:
Brems, C. (2000). The challenge of threats of suicide: The duty to protect. In Dealing with challenges in psychotherapy and counseling (pp. 162-193). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
(MUGAR)
Gambrill, E. (2007). Special section: promoting and sustaining evidence-based practice.
Journal of Social Work Education, 3 , 447-462. (MUGAR)
Session 6: October 30, 2013
Goal Setting, Contracting and Interventions with Individuals
Objectives: Individuals
Upon completing this session, students will be able to: a. Identify purposes of goal setting and contracting.
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b. Identify the tasks of the worker and client in goal setting and contracting. c. Identify the collaborative nature of goal setting and mutual accountability. d. Explain the collaborative nature of goal setting and mutual accountability. e. Demonstrate the differences and challenges in contracting with involuntary clients. f. Demonstrate skills used in the initial phase of work with individuals.
Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 12, Developing Goals and Formulating a Contract, pp 327-375
[skip section on crisis intervention]
Malgady, R.G. & Costantino, G. (2003). Narrative therapy for Hispanic children and adolescents. In A. E. Kazdim & J.R. Weisz (Eds.), Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and adolescents (pp.425-435) .
New York, NY: Guilford Press. (MUGAR)
Murphy & Dillon, (2011) Chapter 9, Gaining New Perspectives: Helping Clients Feel and see
Things Differently, pp. 245-282.
Recommended Reading :
Courneyor, B. (2008) Clarifying issues for work and establishing goals. In The social work skills workbook (6 th ed., pp. 345-346, 348-351) (MUGAR)
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 13, Planning and Implementing Change-Oriented Strategies, pp. 379-398, 408-434
Shulman, L. (2013). Chapter 4, Beginning and contracting skills. In The skills of helping individuals, families, groups, and communities (7 th ed., pp. 97-144). Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole. (Blackboard)
Session 7: November 6, 2013
Group Types and Group Formation
Objectives: Groups
Upon completing these sessions, students will be able to: a. Describe types of groups and their helpful elements such as mutual aid. b. Discuss the multiple factors in decision to provide group services in diverse settings. c. Identify differences between group purpose and activities/content. d. Describe the steps in group formation. e. Identify key principles of group composition f. Demonstrate skills used in group formation
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Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 11, Forming and Assessing Social Work Groups, pp. 295-326
Kurland, R. & Salmon, R. (1998). Purpose: A misunderstood and misused keystone of group work practice. Social Work with Groups, 21, 5-17. (MUGAR)
Brown, A., & Mistry, T. (1994). Group work with “mixed membership”: Issues of race and gender. Social Work with Groups, 17 , 5-21. (MUGAR)
Steinberg, D. (2004). The mutual-aid approach in social work with groups. In Mutual-aid approach to working with groups: Helping people help each other (2 nd ed., pp.
13-33). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press. (MUGAR)
(Begin material from Part 1 of Session 8 below if time permits).
Session 8: November 20, 2013
Goal Setting and Contracting with Groups (Part 1 of Session 8)
Objectives : Groups
Upon completing these sessions, students will be able to: a. Demonstrate contracting with groups, including defining purpose and group structure and establishing ground rules and culture of safety. b. Gain a working knowledge of the stages of group development from contrasting models. c. Articulate the two client concept (the individual and the group as a whole) and begin to apply that understanding to group practice. d. Articulate co-leadership guidelines and dynamics.
Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013). Chapter 16, Intervening in Social Work Groups, pp. 507-533
Shulman, L. (2013). Chapter 11, First group sessions and contracting. In The skills of helping individuals, families, groups, and communities (7 th ed., pp. 388-419). Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole. (MUGAR)
Wright, W. (2000). The use of purpose in on-going activity groups: Framework for maximizing the therapeutic impact. Social Work with Groups, 22, 31-54. (MUGAR)
Recommended Reading:
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Garland, J., Jones, H., & Kolodny, R. (1978). A model for stages of development in social work groups. In S.Bernstein (Ed.), Explorations in group work: Essays in theory and practice
(pp. 1771). Bloomfield, CT: Practitioner’s Press. (MUGAR)
Assessment and Formulation with Families (Part 2 of Session 8)
Objectives: Family
Upon completing these sessions, students will be able to: a. Shift thinking from an individual to the family system as a whole. b. Recognize the range of family structures, roles and rules, patterns of interactions, stressors, and strengths in the family assessment. c. Develop a family formulation.
Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 10, Assessing Family Functioning in Diverse Family and Cultural
Contexts, pp. 251-294
Taibbi, R. (2007).The power of one: Individual work in a family context. In Doing family therapy: Craft and creativity in clinical practice (pp. 237-250). New York, NY: Guilford
Press. (MUGAR)
Recommended Reading:
Nichols, W. C., & Pace-Nichols, M. A. (2000). Family development and family therapy. In W. C.
Nichols, M. A. Pace-Nichols, D. S. Becvar, & A. Y. Napier (Eds.), Handbook of family development and intervention (pp. 3-22). New York: John Wiley & Sons. MUGAR
Session 9: December 4, 2013
Goal Setting, Contracting and Interventions with Families
Objectives: Family
Upon completing these sessions, students will be able to: a. Describe methods of engaging families in initial worker contacts b. Recognize ecological and cultural perspectives in family work c. Demonstrate basic intervention skills in early family and couple sessions.
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Required Reading:
Hepworth et al. (2013), Chapter 15, Enhancing Family Relationships, pp. 455-489
Session 10: December 11, 2013 (Last class session)
Transitions, Endings and Evaluation with Individuals, Families, and Groups
Objectives:
Upon completing this session, students will be able to: a. Describe how evaluation builds on the biopsychosocial assessment, and goal setting and treatment planning. b. Demonstrate ways to evaluate practice effectiveness of work with individuals, families and groups. c. Describe common termination reactions and how to address them in a timely and appropriate way. d. Demonstrate skills used in ending and transition.
Readings :
Cournoyer, B.R. (2011). Chapter 11, Ending. pp. 393-396. (MUGAR)
Hepworth et al. (2013). Chapter 19, The Final Phase: Evaluation and Termination. pp.
591-607.
Murphy & Dillon (2011). Chapter 14, Endings and Transitions, pp. 410-437.
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ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment #1 provides the opportunity to reflect on your identity as a professional social worker and the behaviors appropriate to that role (competencies include: practice personal reflection, attend to professional roles and boundaries, and articulate challenges experienced).
Assignment #2 offers the chance to apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments and utilize conceptual frameworks to guide assessment, intervention and evaluation (competencies include: distinguish and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research based knowledge; communicate an understanding of differences in shaping life experiences).
Assignment #3 provides an opportunity to use research to inform your practice and engage, assess, intervene and evaluate a group (competencies include: develop a mutually agreed upon focus of work and desired outcomes, assess client strengths and limitations, and select appropriate intervention strategies.
ALL ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD BE COMPLETED USING APA (6 th edition) FORMATTING.
At the graduate level, quotes from a dictionary, DSM definitions, non-scholarly/nonprofessional web site material, and instructor remarks in class are not sufficient as citations from the professional literature. References to theory and research should inform and support, your assessment, and challenge practice and practice analysis throughout this assignment. Paper writing should follow the headings provided herein.
Federal health regulations of 2003 mandate the protection of client confidentiality by changing the name of the client, significant others, agency, conditions, other descriptors, and geographic locations that could lead to client identification. Generalize to aid disguise: e.g. "I'm placed at a local Elder
Services site, where my client, whom I shall call Luisa, had been seen off and on over the past few years by several interns before being assigned to me."
ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE: Session 4
REFLECTION ON INITIAL WORKER-CLIENT/CONSTITUENT INTERACTION
The first assignment is weighted at 20% of the course grade and should be NO MORE THAN 5
PAGES . The assignment will involve a description and self-reflection on a beginning client contact. This assignment will be due no later than October 9, 2013. Assignments should be completed in MS Word using APA style (6 th edition).
1. Please respond to the following questions as they relate to an initial contact with a client, consumer, or constituent: (1 page)
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What did you see as your purpose in this interaction with the client?
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What did the client see as the purpose?
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How did you and the client talk about your similar or different goals?
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How did you negotiate the next step in your work together?
2. Using course readings (i.e., required and recommended) discuss: (1-2 pages)
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What role(s) did you assume as a professional social worker and its/their relation to the purpose of this client interaction?
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How was worker authenticity and empathy applied and/or demonstrated in this contact?
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What social work skills did you use to foster a working relationship with this client/consumer/constituent? Identify which of these skills were most helpful to the client/consumer/constituent. Why?
3. What challenges did you experience in this interaction related to your own personal biases, assumptions and values, cultural differences, and ethical issues? Provide a few ideas of how you might address these in the future. (up to
1 page)
4. What questions and/or concerns do you have about your work with this client/consumer/constituent? (up to 1 page)
ASSIGNMENT #2
BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT
DUE: Session 8
Due date: November 20, 2013
This assignment should be about 8 pages long , double-spaced, in 12-pt. font, with an alphabetized References page at the end. This Assignment is weighted at 40% of your grade.
Please incorporate a minimum of 6 citations from 4 reference sources in the course
bibliography. (No more than 2 chapters from each textbook can be used as references.) Citations should support each of the three sections of your paper if possible. Use APA style throughout. One of your references should be specifically focused on your specific population or agency setting. If you cannot find references related to your population or setting in the course bibliography, these references may come from other professional literature sources.
This paper gives you an opportunity to apply concepts and skills learned in the first part of this course to the assessment process in the work you are doing with
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an individual in a group or family context.
The assignment is divided into three sections:
Section 1 asks for a brief discussion of the client’s referral for service and a biopsychosocial assessment of the client (see outline for assessment in course syllabus);
Section 2 asks for a working formulation;
Section 3 asks for the use of an evidenced-based process to identify an effective intervention or approach with the client about whom you are writing.
SECTION 1: BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT
This section of the paper can follow the topic outline reviewed in class, or may follow an outline that is more relevant to the particular client, family, or agency setting you are describing. Regardless of the format used, the assessment should include the following:
OUTLINE FOR A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT
Description of agency (2 paragraphs): What type of agency you are working in
(i.e. community mental health center, school, daycare, community organization…)? What is the treatment modality (individual, group or family) in which the client is seen?
1. Areas of client’s life/situation to cover : a. Description of client: (2 paragraphs): A description of the client/family including name (disguised), age, gender, ethnic and racial background, economic background, sexual orientation, etc. b. Presenting Problem (1 page): What are the client’s concerns and problems or those of the people who referred him or her? Why is the client seeking help at this time? What brings the client to the agency at this time? What are the "facts" of the problem(s)? (This information might be gathered from sources like background sheets, direct observation or collateral information). What is the individual's/family's interpretation of the problem(s)? What is the client’s response to his/her feelings? What is the client’s response to family members or others’ interpretation of the problem? Are there any other precipitants to the problem(s)? Are there any potentially serious health or safety concerns? Are there any legal mandates? c. Source of referral (1 paragraph): This should include reason for referral and client's understanding of and part in the referral. Was client mandated
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to see you? Or was the client’s participation voluntary? d. Description of client (1 paragraph): Appearance, dress, posture, eye contact, facial expressions, mannerisms, modes of communication, verbal as well as nonverbal, and range of emotions expressed. e. Work and school data and history: (1-2 paragraphs). Employment and unemployment history, current occupation, professional skills, reasons for ability or inability to maintain employment, current level of education, and current or future plans to further education. f. Economic and living situation (2 paragraphs): Includes home, neighborhood, natural support networks, economic resources, opportunities, stresses and entitlements. g. Family information (2-3 paragraphs): Includes information about family structure (disguised names, ages, relationships, etc.) as well as family dynamics, cultural and ethnic background, roles and activities, strengths, family goals and communication styles. Address both strengths and stresses related to the family environment. h. Selective physical, emotional, and social history , depending on nature of problem (3 pages):

Client and family alcohol and drug history/use/abuse and the consequences on the client's health, social, work/ school, familial and emotional functioning. Experience with, attitudes towards, and outcomes of treatment programs, self-help groups,
12-step, etc. Extent of sobriety, experiences with relapses, and family response to substance use and/or treatment (i.e., supportive, not supportive, enabler, participating in treatment).

History and current experience with child, sexual, spouse/partner, elder abuse or other abuse, neglect or victimization, or trauma or other crisis.

History and current experience with mental illness and/or psychiatric treatment, including level of functioning and support systems.

History and current experience with physical illness, and/or hospitalization or other treatment.

Religious and/or spiritual affiliations, experiences, activities, etc.
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
Legal/court history (e.g., incarceration history, child custody, divorce, etc. as well as resulting outcomes, strengths, and limitations of these experiences)

Alternative healing history or experiences.

Social, cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, age, and socio-economic factors as they affect and are related to the current problem(s), client's strengths, and resources (e.g., depressive symptoms related to retirement and growing older) i. Nature of interactions with relevant individuals and groups in the agency or community that are related to and affecting current social functioning. For example, how does the individual act in a group setting if this is where you see him or her? (2 paragraphs). j. Strengths and limitations of the individual, family and community in relation to working on resolution of the problem(s).
*Note: If your setting uses a particular biopsychosocial outline or form, please include a blank copy at the end of your paper. Feel free to include any additional assessment tools you have used (these are best included as an Appendix to your paper —per APA) such as genograms, life charts, ecomaps, questionnaires or self-rating scales used by your agency.
SECTION 2: INITIAL FORMULATION (2 paragraphs)
Write a formulation which represents your hypotheses about possible factors
(psychological, interpersonal, social, cultural, environmental, biological, developmental, economic, political) that may have caused or influenced the client’s current situation. These may be fairly obvious or quite subtle and may be outside the client’s awareness. The formulation includes your hypotheses about how the client/family has come to this point in his/her/their life, and it notes some of the themes or threads that you and the client have identified. It incorporates both the strengths and problems presented by the client and the situation, and it forms the basis for the next steps, that is, determining goals for the work you and the client will be doing together and the contract about how the work will be done to reach those goals. Be sure to consider in your assessment the client’s membership in at-risk or vulnerable groups (e.g., gender, class, age, sexual orientation, race, culture, religion, ability), experience of oppression or social/economic injustice, and ways these factors influence the client’s strengths and needs.
SECTION 3: Evidence-based Practice (EBP) and Decision-making:
Beginning Skills for Clinical Practice (1-2 pages)
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In this section of the paper, you will consult the research literature related to the client about whom you have written in the psychosocial assessment. You will develop a question that you would like to research regarding an effective approach to working with this client. Your question should be specific and focused and should take into account the cultural characteristics of the client system as well as the agency setting. You will be looking for articles or abstracts that describe clinical research that attempts to answer a question about effective interventions with clients.
You will then search the relevant research databases to find 3 articles or abstracts which provide answers to your question. If they don’t directly provide answers, you may find articles which at least give some direction about helpful interventions related to the particular client, problem or setting. In some cases, you may not find anything related to relevant research on clinical interventions with your particular client/problem. In that case, please describe your search process: databases you used; search terms you used; research that was partially related but could be potentially helpful; barriers encountered in the search process. For this assignment, do not spend more than an hour searching for articles (unless you get so interested and involved that you can’t stop searching!!)
If you find articles or abstracts that are useful in some way , write a couple of paragraphs addressing the following:

how does the information provided in the articles/abstracts help you think about working with this particular client?

Is the information about effective interventions consistent with interventions used in your agency?

How might you use this information to discuss goals and make a contract with your client?
If your search does not yield articles/abstracts that are helpful , write a couple of paragraphs describing how you will decide how to approach working with this client.

What sources of guidance/information will you use (course readings, discussion with your supervisor and other staff at the agency, your own past professional experience)?

How are decisions at your agency made about intervention approaches to clients? What evidence do practitioners use to decide how they will work with clients?
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ASSIGNMENT #3
GROUP WORK PRESENTATION
DUE: Session 10
All groups will present their proposal during the final class.
This assignment is weighted at 20% of your overall grade.
This presentation gives you an opportunity to integrate theory and skills learned in the course to plan a group or to reflect on a group you are currently conducting at your agency. You will address tasks and issues of group development during the beginning, working, and ending phases of groups such as: population strengths and needs, group type, formation and composition, group purpose and contracting, group format and activities, group dynamics (safety, power and control, conflict, etc.), and evaluation of the group experience.
Your presentation is expected to be of a professional quality and would as closely as possible approximate what you would actually present in an agency setting to a group of stakeholders consisting of administration, board members, staff and potential group members.
You will need to Cite from a minimum of 6 scholarly references, 1-2 of which should address evidence-based group work models with your target population or specific problem area. Attend to issues of race gender, ethnicity, age, religion, and class, as they are relevant to all aspects of work with groups. A reference list should be submitted at the time of your presentation. Class time will be provided for you to meet as a group, but it is expected that you will need to plan this assignment as a group outside of class.
Presentation preparation overview
1. You will be assigned to groups consisting of three or four members based on common areas of interest which you identify. First, your group should choose an agency setting in which one of you is interning on which to focus your assignment. If none of you are currently placed in an agency that matches your area of interest, you can use a previous work setting, create a fictional agency, or research one online. During class, I will be available to consult with you as you initiate the process.
2. Discuss each of the domains below and use the outline to organize your presentation. Make sure to address all the areas within each item.
Disguise details to preserve confidentiality.
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1. Agency Context : Describe the agency, department, and general population served. You may use the description of the agency from one of your placements, previous employment, one that is fictional, or one that you researched.
2. Need : What population have you and/or your agency identified for this group?
What client needs and problems will the group address? What client strengths will the group utilize?
3. Structure : What type of group will this be? And why? And by whom was this group type chosen? (See Garland’s group types in the appendix.) What is the length of each meeting? Will it be open-ended or closed? Number of group members? Will it be led by a single facilitator or co-led? Justify your decisions.
Was research evidence a factor in the choice of group type? Please elaborate using appropriate citations from the research literature.
4. Recruitment : What steps would you take in getting the group started? Include how you would approach the agency system and staff, and deal with any ensuing resistance/reluctance.
5. Composition : What composition factors would you consider? (If you are already working with a group, discuss the rationale for the selection of members, and the effects of this composition.)
6. Purpose : How would you clarify the purpose of the group and negotiate a working agreement with the members?
7. Content : What will the group actually do in the meetings? Include such issues as meeting format, themes, activities, and decision-making.
8. Contracting, Power, and Safety : How are/might issues of power, control and authority be manifested in your group (e.g., through your leadership style, in this group’s early development, in roles that group members may take on, in mandated groups)? How might you help members and yourself develop safety and competency? If you would like to use the Schiller group development model, how would issues of challenge and change be expressed in the group
(e.g., through your leadership style, in this group’s early development, in roles that group members may take on, in mandated groups)? If mandated group, consider limits of confidentiality and effect on contracting, power, and safety.
9. Evaluation : How do you plan to evaluate the group experience (e.g., use of standardized instruments, on-going feedback, questionnaires, attrition)? If this is a mandated group, what are your reporting requirements/criteria for group members?
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10. Pitch it!
Finally, you will be asked to explain the group to a potential group member (Played by your Professor!). You will need to explain my role (i.e., client demographics and history) and you will have ten minutes to pitch the group and answer my questions. (Your classmates will have an opportunity to ask questions after your presentation.) Consider the following:
First, you will have ten minutes to present the group proposal. You will decide what group of stakeholders will comprise your audience. Examples are: your agency director, supervisor, board or community group (pick one). This presentation should cover the major areas outlined above. Start with title of the group.
Does your group pass the “purpose” sniff test? Consider these criteria: The purpose of the group can be stated clearly and concisely by both the worker and the group member. Avoid use of jargon.
You will have ten minutes to present your group and five minutes to conduct your
“interview “of the potential group member. The group will receive one grade overall based on the quality of the content and the professionalism of the presentation.
You need to provide a list of references in APA form that you cite and utilize during your presentation.
 The group will receive one grade overall based on the quality of the content and the professionalism of the presentation.
COURSE GRADING CRITERIA
The first assignment (Reflection on Wk/Client Interaction) is weighted at 20% of the course grade.
The second assignment (Biopsychosocial Assessment) is weighted at 40% of the course grade.
The third assignment (Group Work) is weighted at 20% of the course grade.
Active class participation, consistent attendance, and articulation of learning from the required readings for each class constitute 20% of your course grade.
If students who are Clinical majors receive a grade of C+ or lower in this course, the instructor may contact the student’s faculty advisor to request that a Problem Resolution be held.
24

COURSE POLICIES
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all class sessions and to inform the instructor in advance of any absences. Failure to attend class sessions is likely to have a negative effect on your course grade.
Academic honesty:
Papers and presentations in the School of Social Work must meet standards of academic honesty and integrity, avoiding any possibility of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct. For specific information about the BUSSW policy regarding academic misconduct, see Student Handbook: Ways & Means
(http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/stud_hb/index.shtml).
Writing style and references:
Students are expected to follow the editorial and reference standards set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). This manual is available at the Mugar Library reference desk. A helpful BUSSW APA
Style Guide can be found at http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/academic/index.shtml.
Students with disabilities:
If you have a disability and want to request reasonable accommodation, the
University requires that you consult with Boston University’s Office of Disability
Services for information regarding this process ( http://www.bu.edu/disability/ ).
Academic writing assistance:
If you would like academic writing assistance, information can be found at http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/academic/assistance/index.shtml
or contact the
BUSSW Office of Student Services.
Electronic devices in the classroom:
Computers may be used to support the learning activities in the classroom, with permission of your instructor. These include such activities as taking notes and accessing course readings under discussion. However, non-academic use of laptops and other devices are distracting and seriously disrupt the learning process for everyone. Neither computers nor other electronic devices are to be used in the classroom for non-academic reasons. This includes e-mailing, texting, social networking, and use of the Internet. The use of cell phones during class time is prohibited. Please turn off cell phones and refrain from taking calls unless you are “on call” and have cleared this with the instructor prior to class.
Under such circumstances, please put your phone on vibrate, sit close to a door, and step out of the room to take the call.
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Religious holidays:
The school, in scheduling classes on religious holiday, intends that students observing those holidays be given ample opportunity to make up work. Faculty members who wish to observe religious holidays will arrange for another faculty member to meet their classes or for canceled classes to be reschedule
26

APPENDIX
Eco-Map
Fill in connections where they exist. Indicate nature of connections with a descriptive word or by drawing different kinds of lines:
_________ for strong, - - - - - - - - - - for tenuous, ++++++++++ for stressful.
Draw arrows along lines to signify flow of energy, resources, etc. 
Identify significant people and fill in empty circles as needed.
Social
Welfare
Work
Health
Care Religion
Community
Groups
School
Family or Household
Extended
Family
Culture
Friends
Recreation
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PETER: A CASE OF AN INVOUNTARY CLIENT
Setting:
An outpatient substance abuse and mental health clinic in a suburb of Santa Fe
Client:
A 38-year-old, gay, white Catholic male of Irish-German descent, working as a carpenter to support his work as a sculptor
Worker:
White female social worker in her early 30s
Presenting Problem:
You are engaging a client who has been mandated for outpatient substance abuse treatment following his second driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) offense.
Case Record:
Peter, the subject of this study, was referred to the Counseling Center, an outpatient mental health clinic in the suburbs of Santa Fe, to receive aftercare treatment for his 2nd DUI offense. He had just completed two weeks of inpatient treatment in a program designed specifically to treat 2nd time offenders. The referral source was Dr, Weiss, and the Clinical Director of the program. Dr. Weiss described Peter as, "a quiet man who was cooperative and pleasant. He seemed to get a lot of the educational portion of the program, but didn't participate at all in the group discussions." While the Counseling Center is listed in the yellow pages as a substance abuse treatment center, it does not specialize in this field and receives only a nominal number of mandated referrals. Such referrals tend to be given to a select number of clinicians at the agency who have a greater understanding of substance abuse and dependence and who are more comfortable sitting with a coerced client (who is often very angry and "resistant" to treatment). I happen to be one of those clinicians and Peter was referred to me.
Peter identifies himself as "an artist unable to make a living from art." He is a sculptor and makes large, spiny, abstract sculptures in the backyard of his small home in suburban Santa Fe. To supplement his income, he works a 40-hour job as a carpenter. Peter is the fourth of five children; he has four brothers. His father was a lifetime Navy officer, and Peter, his mother and siblings moved around the country every two to three years. Peter is gay and stated, "I always knew this and am quite comfortable with it now." He has long been disillusioned with the
Catholic Church because he feels the church is wrong to reject him simply because of his sexual orientation.
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My first session with Peter has been arranged by Dr. Weiss and took place two days after Peter completed his inpatient treatment. Peter came to the session neatly but casually dressed in a flannel shirt and blue jeans. He sat down; slumped into the chair I offered him and dropped his leather jacket in a heap on the floor next to him. He started the interview immediately: “I can't come this time of day. I just spent two weeks out-of work and my boss was pissed at that and now I had to come here In the middle of the day and take some more time off. I just can't afford that and I definitely can't afford to lose my job!" I responded, "We can try to negotiate a better time and if today's not good, we can reschedule."
Peter interrupted and in a calmer tone said, "No, I'm here; we may as well start.
What do we need to do?" I said, '"The best place to start maybe is to get to know one another to see if we can work together…." Peter interrupted again, "What do you want to know about me?" His questions were both plaintive and challenging and I needed to breathe slowly to keep from giving quick responses. Studying his harried face I asked, "What do you think would be important for me to know about you?" He said, "that I come from a dysfunctional family, that I have a problem with alcohol, and that I am gay.” Peter studied my face.
Amodeo, M. (Ed.) Social work approaches to alcohol and other drug problems:
Case studies and teaching tools for education and practitioners
29

Levels of predicted attainment
Most Unfavorable outcome thought likely
Problem
1:
GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING FORM
Problem
2:
Problem
3:
0 0 0
Problem
4:
0
Problem
5:
0
Less than expected success 5 5 5 5 5
Expected level of success 10 10 10
More than expected success
Most favorable outcome thought likely
Score
15
20
15
20
15
20
1
0
1
5
2
0
1
0
1
5
2
0
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Shulman
Tune in
Put client’s feelings into
LIST OF PRACTICE SKILLS ~ CP 759
Reach for individual Determine client’s communication in a group expectations
Clarify roles words
Share worker’s feelings
Monitor the group
Monitor the individual
Respond verbally and non-verbally
Contain
Reach for non-verbal cues
Empathize
Elaborate
Identify content and process connections
Murphy & Dillon
Psychologically attend
Physically attend
Use silence
Validate
Universalize
Use metaphors
Look for underlying feelings and use feeling words
Convey empathy
Stay in touch with client
Accurately assess client
Help client see life in new ways
Move from general to specific
Focus listening
Question/explore
Reach inside silences
Reach for feelings
Make a demand for work
Partialize client’s concerns
Hold to focus
Check for underlying ambivalence
Challenge the illusion of work
Point out obstacles to work
Support clients in taboo areas
Share data
Summarize
Generalize
Identify next steps
Rehearse
Identify doorknob communication
Explore client resistance
Facilitate confrontation
Advocate for client
Identify and affirm strengths
Use closed/open ended questions
Prompt
Reflect
Summarize
Refocus
Initiate new topics
Appreciate and use resistance
Goal-set
Provide concrete services
Mirror
Use empathic echo
Underline
Partialize and prioritize
Accentuate the positive
Encourage client hypothesizing
Reflect discrepancies
Observe stuck patterns
Educate/share information
Model
Hepworth, Rooney &
Larsen
Give positive feedback problems
Respond to nonverbal messages
Teach client to respond empathically
Be authentic
Use self-disclosure
Share feelings/reactions
Identify impact of problem on others
Make requests and give directives
Interrupt dysfunctional processes
Say no and set limits
Lean into client’s anger
Maintain focus and manage interruption
Identify the problem
Clarify ecological factors
Assess developmental needs and wants
Assess strength in family
Assess obstacles and strengths
Convey assessment findings to client
Provide immediate benefits
Normalize
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Give concrete assistance
Reassure
Offer hope
Set goals jointly
Identify relevant social systems
Define goals explicitly
Increase self-efficacy
Enhance self-esteem
Encourage empowerment
Mobilize resources
Recognize threats to relationship
32

SPECIAL STRENGTHS, TECHNIQUES, AND SKILLS IN GROUP WORK
I. Yalom describes the therapeutic factors that operate in groups:
 Imparting of information
 Instillation of hope
 Universality
 Altruism

Corrective recapitulation of the primary family group
 Development of socializing techniques
 Imitative behavior

Interpersonal learning
 Group cohesiveness
 Catharsis
 Existential factors (life is tough, but we can take responsibility)
These factors assume differential importance depending on the goals and compositions of the specific group. Many of the factors are interdependent. In the change process, some refer to actual mechanisms of change; others to conditions for change.
Yalom, I. (1995) The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.) New
York, NY: Basic Books.
II. The Worker's tasks and skills (Schwartz)
Tasks:
1.
Finding, through negotiation, the common ground between the requirements of the group members and those of the systems they need to negotiate.
2.
Detecting and challenging obstacles to work, as these arise.
3.
Contributing facts, ideas, and values when such data may be useful to the work.
4.
Lending his own vision and projecting his own feelings about the struggles in which they are engaged.
5.
Defining the requirements and limits of the situation (working agreement).
Skills required are:
1. Reinforcing the different ways in which people help each other.
2. Partializing large problems into smaller, more manageable pieces.
3. Generalizing: finding connections between small segments of experience.
4. Calling for talk that is purposeful and invested with feeling (2 nd and 3 rd stages of elaboration).
5. Reaching for opposites, ambiguities.
6. Demanding work.
Schwartz, W., & Zalba, S. (1971). The practice of group work . New
York, NY: Columbia University.
(Schwartz's ideas have been developed and elaborated upon by
Shulman in Skills of helping .)
33
4161
92

BASIC GROUP TYPES
1.
Task and Social Action
 Focuses on the task, outcome, productivity (rather than individual development or social relationships).
 In some instances, the task may serve as a way for members to interact.
 Allows people to act on their own behalf in bringing about changes in their environment.
 Gives people voice in decisions that affect their lives--empowerment.
 Multiplies solutions and resources - power in numbers.
Examples: Committees, community organization, planning or governing groups, Tent City Organization for Mixed-Income Housing, Coalition for
Pregnant and Parenting Teens, Oral History Video Project, Planning
Committee for Junior High Drug Awareness Week, AIDS Brigade, Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual & Trans-sexual Caucus.
Worker: Helps to define the task, confront barriers, and keep group focused.
May share vision and knowledge of resources and strategies. Encourages and develops leadership from within the group.
2. Growth & Education for Life
 Promotes normal social growth -helps people meet developmental challenges and transitions, and adapt to new situations.

Preventive, especially around stress and crises.
 Provides information, opportunity for mastery of content.
 Helps people learn new skills and new roles.

Expands the range and quality of social relationships.
 Stimulates creative expression.
 Allows persons who have been isolated or subject to oppressive environments, to learn basic social skills.
Examples: Activity groups at community centers and schools, new mother's group, alcohol education group, groups for Southeast Asian students who are newcomers, special interest groups (drama, photography, dance), group for people making career changes, multicultural awareness group.
Worker: Roles may range from that of teacher of specific information or skills to that of a facilitator of group expression and program to that of resource provider. The worker may be didactic or reactive/reflective in stance.
3. Support and Stabilization
 Helps people who are experiencing life crises, stress, or lack of support in their lives (including those experiencing discrimination and economic instability).

Promotes the strengths and adaptive capacities of persons.
 Provides supports for those in danger of deterioration.
 Helps build coping skills.
34


Provides opportunity for education, expression of feelings, mutual aid, clarification, problem solving, specific skill building.
Examples: Groups for homeless women (after-school activity group for their children), for persons who are divorced (and their children), for persons diagnosed as HIV+, for persons addicted to drugs/alcohol (and their families), for families with a person in the hospital; groups for people with cancer, for parents of court-involved adolescents, for elderly facing a housing crises, groups for survivors of sexual abuse, single session to help families deal with the violent death of teens in a community.
Worker: Can be active, instructive, initiating, as needed. Use of support, clarification, and structural/environmental modification.
4. Recapitulation/Restitution
 Allows for re-working of relationships through re-experiencing or playing them out in the present.

Helps connect the source with current problems in relationships.
 Suitable for those with good reality testing, impulse control, ability to handle anxiety, willingness to examine their relationships in the present.

Focus on the process-feelings and interactions-of the group in the present.
Examples: Therapy groups for young adults having problems in relationships, for people who are anxious, stuck, or dissatisfied in their work, for adult children or people in recovery who are ready to examine the nature and impact of formative relationships.
Worker: Likely to be permissive, interpretive, less directive. Use of transference, catharsis and regression; reflection of here-and-now interactions.
NOTE: Groups that have a curriculum or that are more didactic in nature are often referred to as educational/support or psycho-educational groups. At times there may be some overlap of group types. However, one should always be clear about the purpose of the group and the outcome expected. Are you aiming towards prevention? Growth? Stabilization? Social change?
Adapted from:
Garland, J.(1986). The relationship between group work and group therapy. In M.
Parnes (Ed.), Innovations in social group work: Feedback from practice to theory (pp. 17-28). New York, NY: Haworth Press.
35

GUIDELINES FOR GROUP COMPOSITION
Introduction:
You may not have a choice about the composition of your group. Attendance may be mandated by the courts or may be required by virtue of an individual's admission to a specific program (e.g., day treatment center, hospital unit).
Obviously, it is preferable to have group members who are motivated to work on their problems and who have expectations for a positive outcome. This is not to say, however, that individuals who are reluctant to participate or acknowledge problems should be counted out. Through the group and skillful leadership, it may be possible to reach that part of them that is seeking help. You may not have choices for other reasons, e.g., there are limited numbers of people available or members are self-selected. If you do have choices, consider the following:
1. Consider the purpose of the group foremost: It is essential that members have a common need, so that they have some focus for the content of group life. Is there a connection between the individual's personal sense of urgency and the work of the group? (Shulman& Schwartz). Remember that common status and common need are not the same. For example, addicts in a treatment center have many different needs. In the time that they have, around what needs can they come together? Rape victims have a common experience; however, their needs differ at various points. Initially, they need to deal with the immediate crisis and get their life stabilized; later, they need to deal with any residual feelings or difficulty in relationships.
2. Aim toward assembling a compatible and cohesive group (Yalom). The group should be homogeneous in enough ways to ensure stability and heterogeneous in enough ways to ensure vitality (Redl's law of optimum distance). In a cohesive group, conflict can be tolerated and transformed into productive work. Think about people who are similar in developmental level, degree of vulnerability and capacity to tolerate anxiety Think about people who are different in coping patterns and defenses.
3. Compose the group, if possible, so that no single member represents a significant difference, resulting in pressure to exemplify or speak for an entire group (e.g., only man, only person of that age, only Black, only gay person, only person of a particular socioeconomic group, etc.) You may talk to that person about the composition so that s/he can make an informed decision about joining. You may feel that the special focus of the group transcends differences. In any case, it is important to acknowledge and discuss the salience of race and other differences.
4. Think in terms of pairing, blending, & bridging; that is, persons who might be similar or compatible or provide a link with other persons.
5. Choose people who can communicate in a meaningful way with each other.
6. When the purpose of the group is to help members help each other because they have specific problems, such as children of alcoholics, children of divorced parents, people with AIDS, women who have been battered, etc,
36

demographic factors are not as important variables for grouping. Persons who are in pain because of such problems can relate and form groups even though they are of different sexes and are different in age, sexual orientation, educational level, socioeconomic background, ethnic origin and race (Klein).
This principle applies particularly to short-term, focused groups, where the common situation and issues are experienced intensely and where the goals are circumscribed.
7. Variables may be more or less important according to the type or treatment groups; less important in task groups (Daniels & Paradise). Children's groups require consideration of age (2-3 year span recommended, generally) and developmental level. In psychodrama groups, it is important to consider physical vulnerabilities and problems with reality or boundaries.
Race appears a more critical factor (wish to have greater percentage of members like them) in intimate groups than in task groups (Davis). In research involving small problem-solving groups, those composed of equal numbers of Black and white members experienced more conflict than groups with a majority of one race (Davis, Chen, & Strobe).
8. Consider the specific requirements of your specific agency and group. For example, a group for people with panic disorders requires that members be able to tolerate attendance and be receptive and capable of doing daily homework assignments.
37

CO-LEADERSHIP ISSUES IN GROUPS
These are musts in co-leadership, especially important for a student paired with a regular agency staff member. These guidelines are to be pursued diplomatically but resolutely.
1. Clarify what "co" means. Is it truly equal participation and equal status or a euphemism for something else? Acknowledge it to each other and to the group if you are in fact an observer, assistant, etc.
2. Develop a plan a timetable and procedures by which you will reach full participation.
3. Clarify you respective philosophies, styles, and theories.
4. If the group is being formed, you should participate in all of the decision making (goals, model, etc.) and in as many of the procedures (e.g. interviewing prospective members) as is logistically feasible.
5. If the group is already running, you should be informed of its history, both in terms of the ongoing operations and evolution as well as the purpose, goals and formation activity that brought it into being.
6. You and your partner should meet between group sessions to de-brief, cathart, theorize, talk about your co-work and relationship, and plan for the next session.
7. Be especially aware of potential power differences, conflicts of interest and the like, if your co-worker is also your field instructor (supervisor).
8. It is highly desirable to have available a third party or parties all the way from a consultant to a peer or co-worker's group.
9. It is not advisable to be supervised or consulted to apart from your partner.
10. Last, but not least, try hard to deal with and/or put into place all of these items at the very beginning of your association. If you do not, it usually becomes increasingly difficult as time goes by to "retro-fit" your contract and modus operandi.
[Duffy/Garland]
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EXPLANATION SHEET OF TASK AND MAINTENANCE ROLES
Benne, K., & Sheats, P. (1948). Functioning roles of group members. Journal of
Social Issues , 4 , 42-47.
Task Roles
1. Initiating : Proposing tasks or goals: Defining a group problem; suggesting a procedure or ideas for solving a problem.
2. Information or opinion seeking : Requesting facts; seeking relevant information about a group concern; asking for suggestions or ideas.
3. Information or opinion giving : Offering facts; providing relevant information about a group concern; stating a belief; giving suggestions or ideas.
4. Clarifying or elaborating : Interpreting or reflecting ideas and suggestions; clearing up confusion; indicating alternatives and issues before the group; giving examples.
5. Summarizing : Pulling together related ideas; restating suggestions after the group has discussed them; offering a decision or conclusion for the group to accept or reject.
6. Consensus testing : Sending up trial balloons to see if the group is nearing a conclusion; checking with the group to see how much agreement has been reached.
Maintenance Roles
1. Encouraging : Being friendly, warm, and responsive to others; accepting others and their contributions; rewarding others by giving them an opportunity or recognition.
2. Expressing group feelings : Sensing feelings, mood, and relationships within the group; sharing own feelings with other members.
3. Harmonizing : Attempting to reconcile disagreements; reducing tension through “pouring oil on troubled waters”; getting people to explore their differences.
4. Compromising : When own idea or status is involved in a conflict, offering to compromise own position; admitting error, disciplining self to maintain group cohesion.
5. Gate-keeping : Attempts to keep communication channels open; facilitating the participation of others; suggesting procedures of others; suggesting procedures for sharing opportunity to discuss group problems.
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6. Setting standards : Expressing standards for the group to achieve; applying standards in evaluating group functioning and production
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