The New Social Worker Vol. 19, No. 4, Fall 2012 | Page 36
Riding the Mutual Aid Bus and Other Adventures in Group Work
A “Days in the Lives of Social Workers” Collection
Linda May Grobman, MSW, ACSW, LSW, and Jennifer Clements, Ph.D., LCSW, Co-Editors
Foreword by Steven Kraft, Past President of IASWG (formerly AASWG)
Groups come in all kinds.Therapy groups. Support groups.Task groups. Psychoeducational groups. Online
groups. Play groups. Experiential groups. Art groups. Drumming groups. Co-facilitated groups. Child groups.
Adult groups. Family groups.The list goes on. Regardless of what setting you are in, if you are a social worker,
you will work with groups at some time in your career.
You may have a picture in your mind of what a social work group looks like. It probably has people
sitting in a circle, talking about their feelings. There certainly are groups described in this book that fit that
image of a traditional group. However, the editors also introduce you to groups that take place on a bus or
a train, in a public restroom, in cyberspace, or on a zipline 40 feet in the air! Each story takes the reader
into the life of a particular social worker and shares practice wisdom about a time when that social worker
worked with a group.
By reading each one, you will have a greater perspective on social work with groups. The diversity of
the chapters, fields of practice, types of group, and populations will give you a greater idea of the power
of group work. It can be quite an adventure!
Developed in collaboration with the International Association for Social Work With Groups (IASWG),
this book includes the full text of the Standards for Social Work Practice With Groups.
“These captivating stories will inspire and inform
social workers about the endless possibilities and
power of practice with groups. Social workers
will find strong connections with stories that are
set across a wide range of organizational contexts
with highly diverse populations, group models, and
strategies. The accessible and poignant chapters
will resonate with practitioners and students as
the authors share their challenges in working with
groups—as well as their successes. Ultimately, the
stories provide examples of skillful practice and
accompanying struggles that promote progress
and change through group membership.”
Carol S. Cohen, DSW, Associate Professor
Adelphi University School of Social Work,
Garden City, New York
Co-Chair, Commission on Group Work in Social
Work Education, International Association
for Social Work with Groups
Table of Contents
About the Editors/Contributors
Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgments
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Somewhere Else
Journey Into the Land of Groups
Group Worker’s Heaven
Psychoeducation With Adolescent Girls
in Crisis
Social Work 40 Feet in the Air
Creating Group Norms Around the
Campfire
Riding the Mutual Aid Bus
The Magic of Group Work: Preparing for
Adoption
Keeping the Hope Alive: Family Nurturing
CampTM
Don’t Count Me Out
Job Club Support Group
Refugees in a Community Health Clinic
Red Flags and Common Themes in an
Addictions Group
Group Therapy for Social Phobias and
Panic Attacks
Overcoming the Secret of Shy Bladder in
a Weekend Workshop
Graduation Day
Shattering Stereotypes: A Group for
“Mature Women”
Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk With
the Sexuality and Gender Identity Group
Fight Club: A Support Group for LGBT
College Students
In the Company of Others
An Intergenerational Group Experience
for Social Work Students
Group Work at a Homeless Shelter
The Power of Men’s Stories
A Focus on Relational Needs
Uplifting Fathers and Strengthening
Families
The Group Who Holds the Group
Group Work With Male Adolescent Sex
Offenders
Crisis Oriented Group Work With Emergency Services Personnel
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