6101WEEK 4 DISCUS
Candyy31
6101wk4discussion.docx
2
Response 1
YesterdayLocal: Dec 21 at 12:10am<br>Course: Dec 21 at 1:10am
Compare task groups versus educational, support, or skills groups.
According to Kirst-Ashman and Hull (2018), task groups exist to achieve specific objectives or tasks. A few examples of task groups include boards of directors, task forces, committees and commissions, governing bodies, interdisciplinary teams, case conferences, and other organizations that social workers might collaborate with. Task groups work together to develop interventional plans and programs that could aid a broader range of people. In contrast, treatment groups such as educational, support, or skills groups focus on the needs of their members (Kirst-Ashman and Hull (2018). Treatment groups consist of people who are dealing with the same or similar issues.
Describe a type of treatment group you would facilitate as a social worker.
The type of treatment group I would like to facilitate as a social worker is a support group. Support groups are individuals with the same characteristics who come together to provide one another emotional support, promote new coping skills, and facilitate strengths-based discussions of problems and challenges (Kirst-Ashman and Hull (2018). When discussing support groups, I would like to focus my attention on military families. Military life can be incredibly hard and is often affected by deployments and frequent relocations. I want to assist them in enhancing their quality of life by helping them manage their emotions, talk about their feelings, and improve their overall well-being.
Explain what professional role you may take when facilitating this group.
The professional role I would take in facilitating this group would be as a facilitator. According to Kirst-Ashman and Hull (2018), this professional role is crucial whether the issue is between group members or people and their surroundings. In a task group, the facilitator must encourage everyone to engage, stick to the agenda, and create a safe space for open conversation.
Describe what is meant by group norms, and explain how you would help shape these norms based on your role in the group.
Norms are unwritten expectations about how people will behave in particular circumstances (Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 2018). In other words, group norms are expectations of how group members ought to behave and communicate. As a facilitator, I will ensure that each member treats the other with dignity and respect. Military families are composed of a diverse population, and it is vital to create an open and accepting environment regardless of their race or background.
Explain what is meant by group roles. Identify at least one group role, and explain why a group member may take that role.
Group roles are functions and responsibilities that members of a group carry. Group roles can either be functional or nonfunctional roles. Functional roles such as harmonizer, compromiser, encourager, and other roles aim to improve group functioning. In comparison, nonfunctional roles do not contribute to the group’s progress or goals. One of the group roles that I think would be beneficial to the group is encourager. Encourager encourages other group members to participate and feel heard or understood. Encouraging families to talk about their challenges could help them express their feelings and think that they are not alone. This could also help encourage them to ask for help or resources when needed.
Describe a group member role that might be most challenging to you as a group leader, and explain why.
As a group leader, the most challenging role for me would be aggressive members. Aggressive members attack others in an effort to elevate themselves by bringing others down (Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 2018). They are inclined to disagree with others’ beliefs and motivations, which could cause conflict in the group. This role could cause intimidation to other group members, who could cause lower group cohesion and progression.
References
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Empowerment Series: Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning.
Response2
Collapse Subdiscussion Cassie Harman
YesterdayLocal: Dec 21 at 9:40am<br>Course: Dec 21 at 10:40am
· Compare task groups versus educational, support, or skills groups.
Task groups “exist to achieve a specific set up objectives or tasks.” (Kirst-Ashman, & Hull, 2018) Much as the name suggests, individuals and/or experts work together to complete a particular task. Educational groups have the goal of educating the members on particular issues. These often include reports and presentations. Support groups help members address specific issues such as grief, depression, or addiction. Skills groups teach members the skills necessary to accomplish a goal. Task groups as a whole support the completion of a project, whereas the latter group of treatment groups focus on the specific needs of the client(s).
· Describe a type of treatment group you would facilitate as a social worker.
A treatment group that I would facilitate as a social worker would be a support group. In my current profession as a counselor, I see many of the same issues surfacing throughout different clients. By bringing together a support group for grief, I believe it would be helpful for the members to share their experience and realize they are not alone in the way they are feeling. Having the support of others can help you not feel as isolated, which can exacerbate issues.
· Explain what professional role you may take when facilitating this group.
In this group, my professional role would be the facilitator. As the facilitator, I would encourage participation and sharing, while keeping the members on topic. Facilitators help keep the group within the appropriate time frame. They also help create the ambience of the group and focus on productivity rather than the group disparaging one another.
· Describe what is meant by group norms, and explain how you would help shape these norms based on your role in the group.
“Norms are unwritten expectations about how people will behave in particular circumstances.” (Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 2018). “Group norms are the habits, the customs or the ways in which group members expect things to be done within a group.” (International Association for Social Work with Groups, 2015). As a facilitator, because a diverse population may have different interpretations of appropriate group behavior, I would establish group expectations verbally and encourage the group members to make suggestions as well. Some of the expectations I typically include in groups are participation, confidentiality and showing respect to others.
· Explain what is meant by group roles. Identify at least one group role, and explain why a group member may take that role.
Group roles are the functions that each group member puts forth. It is defined by the way the group member interacts within the group. Some roles include challenger, aggressor and encourager. An encourager may be someone who is used to being discouraged and does not want others to feel the way that they do.
· Describe a group member role that might be most challenging to you as a group leader, and explain why.
The most challenging group member for me would probably be the aggressor. I believe one of the most important aspects of a group is supporting one another. Questioning is to be expected, as not all people think the same way, however a member who attacks the opinions or feelings of others would be detrimental to healing and could most likely cause further damage.
References:
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Empowerment series: Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning.
International Association for Social Work with Groups. (2015). Standards for social work practice with groups. (2nd ed.). IASWG.
