The impact of group work education on social work practitioners' work with groups.
Item
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Title
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The impact of group work education on social work practitioners' work with groups.
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Identifier
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AAI9224860
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identifier
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9224860
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Creator
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Steinberg, Dominique Moyse.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Roselle Kurland
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Date
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1992
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Social Work | Education, Guidance and Counseling | Education, Teacher Training
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Abstract
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This exploratory/descriptive study compares approaches to practice by social workers educated in social work with groups (GWS) and those not educated in that method (NGWS). More specifically, it compares the extent to which approaches reflect a mutual-aid model of work with groups.;An early rule learned by social work students is that informed practice distinguishes the professional from the good samaritan; yet courses in group work have been almost eliminated in schools of social work today, leaving many practitioners mandated to work with groups at a loss for just that informed skill they have been told will separate them from other kindly-minded persons. In their quest for control, they seek help from any number of sources, some of which depart considerably from the value base of social work.;The qualitative data generated by this study reveal some poignant differences between the two sets of respondents. The overall practice orientation of NGWS tends to be based on principles of psychiatric psychotherapy rather than on those of social work, an orientation reflected throughout the findings with regard to perceptions of worker role. Case illustrations also indicate that NGWS are more controlling in their groups than are GWS and tend to perceive conflict as an unwelcome interruption of the group's process--a posture which dramatically impedes a group's ability to develop into a mutual-aid system. Further, while GWS devote much professional energy into developing the interpersonal dimension of the group, NGWS tend to devote their energy primarily to task achievement with only incidental attention to the interpersonal aspect of membership. Finally, while GWS consistently refer to group stage theory to guide their actions throughout the life of the group, NGWS do not appear to readily realize the implications of group-development theory on their function and tasks.;In sum, the results of this study suggest some clear and not insignificant differences between the approaches to practice of practitioners who have been trained in social work with groups and those who have not. To the extent that these differences (1) appear among professionals who share a small geographical space in which potential for colleagial contagion is high, that (2) they exist at a time when the demand for work with groups is increasing while instruction is decreasing, and that (3) they exist in an era of growing emphasis on effectiveness studies, these differences are considered noteworthy.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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D.S.W.
