Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group

Identify and briefly describe a population you are working with in the field that could benefit from a group-based intervention. What are some challenges potential members face? How did this population come to your attention?

The group has six individuals, African American youth and adolescents, including two Caribbean girls aged 15 and 17, two African Americans; a boy aged 14 and a girl aged 16, one African girl aged 17, and one Jamaican boy aged 17. I worked with these individuals at the clinic I went to for my clinical. All have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety and depression from different circumstances. Both Caribbean girls are Christians, but the others do not identify with a religion, although they grew up religious. They all live in Nassau County, Long Island, NY, and receive therapy from the same agency. Their pain points are verbal abuse, neglect, and ongoing trauma.

These individuals are up against cultural practices they do not wish to be part of, including religious beliefs, high dependency by family members due to close nit families, and stereotypes associated with African Americans like crime and poverty, as they feel powerless and unheard of because they are minors. I encountered and worked closely with these individuals during my internship. These clients share common circumstances and have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. They perceive their families as toxic, which is beyond their ability to change because they are minors. They all face isolation and loneliness and feel misunderstood for wanting to dissociate from the cultural practices and beliefs associated with their family background. These individuals will undergo group therapy to help them relate to one another by sharing experiences and establishing common goals for behavioral changes and coping strategies to help them through their everyday ordeals.

Using the required readings and course syllabus to guide the literature, what are the three key values or benefits of using a group approach with this population?

The group therapy approach is preferred to individual or one-on-one therapy for this group of individuals because of related experiences, challenges, and struggles. Members have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, are in a toxic environment, and face isolation, loneliness, and feeling misunderstood. Despite having related experiences, the clients have individual differences, and members can benefit from the broadly varying clusters of therapeutic factors typical in group settings (Yolom & Leszcz, 2005). According to Wayne and Cohen (2001), high-quality group work education facilitates effective group work practice. Therefore, the practitioner should help members develop interactional skills for group work practice and foster a healthy and relatable environment where members can benefit from the group work approach.

By engaging in group work, members can benefit from interpersonal learning. Individuals in the group have related experiences and can help members acknowledge their struggles and issues and feel less alone, offering support and encouragement (Yolom & Leszcz, 2005). The group members interact with each other and receive feedback from other group members or the therapist, which helps them better understand themselves and how they can improve their behaviors and attitudes. Group members are also each other’s role models, helping one another successfully cope with the problems they experience, feeling encouraged and inspired about their recovery process, and establishing a culture of support and motivation.

Group members will also benefit from mutual support to promote social skills, enhance self-reflection and awareness, and receive support and encouragement from various individuals (Brandler & Roman, 2016). Members will interact to build communication skills and engage others’ feedback to learn more about themselves to enhance self-awareness. The group approach will offer a safe environment where members can share their personal life and information, display natural behaviors, and express themselves without feeling discriminated against or unheard (Brandler & Roman, 2016). Members can observe each other’s behaviors through social interactions or situations and help the practitioner respond better than if it was individually expressed in a one-to-one session.

(Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group)

Group members can also gain from the installation of hope. Individuals selected join a group of individuals struggling with similar issues. In this case, they have a remarkable chance to experience or witness changes in others while also experiencing small wins as they are acknowledged and celebrated by peers (Yolom & Leszcz, 2005). Group members react differently to treatment, and the group might include members at various recovery levels at some point. Members can see other individuals cope and recover from their illnesses, which gives them hope to begin or continue the process.

Using course literature on models and theories of group practice, what type of group approach do (or did) you propose?

Successful group practice requires the leader or the leading practitioners to adopt group practice best practices and values that inform and guide interpersonal interactions between group members and between group members and the practitioner (Wayne & Cohen, 2001). The group has six members, and new memberships will be limited as it might disrupt the progress if new members are allowed to join at any time. In this case, by the time a new member joins, the group will have undergone several staging of group practice, which will be seen as disruptive. The sessions will be two times a week, two hours long, for six months to ensure members completely recover from their anxiety and depression and feelings of loneliness, isolation, and misunderstanding. The leader will be less active, facilitating interpersonal interactions, balancing support and confrontation, managing the working process and tasks, and encouraging member-to-member empathy. The group sessions will be in a circle, and icebreakers will be the primary approach in helping members integrate and connect.

The primary aim of the practitioner is to establish working and constructive relationships between group members using group activities. The remedial model is ideal for this group as it addresses individual dysfunction, utilizing the group as context and means to alter deviant behavior (Alissi, 1980). Individuals involved in group work have behavior disapproved by society, including the desire to dissociate from cultural practices attached to their ethnic backgrounds. The remedial model can help remove the adverse conditions from group members whose behavior is unacceptable. This approach is also suited for isolated and alternated persons, which is the case with group members selected for this group work. The model will guide attempts to bring change in these individuals, especially adjusting personal and social relations.

Using the required readings and course syllabus to guide the literature, identify at least two key opportunities, challenges, or obstacles in group interventions in the contexts below. How would you address each of these challenges?

Discuss at least two challenges or obstacles for each of the following: Use, cite, and reference at least one source in each subsection (A, B & C) – sources may be used in more than one)

In the agency context?
How will the agency\’s organizational mission, structure, and activities influence the group?

The agency’s primary purpose and mission is to help individuals recover and promote group cohesiveness. However, the agency has a leadership structure, policies, requirements for membership, and activities such as relationships with local governments, funding sources, and other partners that influence the agency’s operations. The government is critical to the agency’s continuity through yearly funding. Apart from government funding, the agency depends on payment for services to continue operating, which in this case, parents are paying because group members are teenagers. Therefore, group sessions can only be sustained with membership fees. The agency policies would see a group member discontinued if they fail to pay the required fee, affecting group dynamics and the established cohesion (Brandler & Roman, 2016).

(Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group)

Also, the agency continued operation depends on funding from the local government, implying political interference in the leadership and running of the agency (Brandler & Roman, 2016). Local government involvement in the agency’s running means that government policies impact the agency’s operations. Sometimes the budget is cut, or the funding is late, affecting the agency’s and group sessions’ operations. To address this problem, a potential solution would be the agency seeking other reliable or timely funding sources, including charitable funding, community-based funding, or partnership with non-profit organizations addressing mental health in the community and alternatives to curb the inconveniences caused by lateness or budget cuts from local government funding.

How will they affect the way you develop and work with the group?

Therapists have a signed contract and work agreement with the agency to promote the agency’s mission, vision, values, and policies. Therapists enforce these policies in the group, which affects working with the group because strict adherence is needed. For instance, I have to enforce the level of discipline required in the agency, including regulations for lateness, absenteeism, membership payment, and discrimination policies. In such cases, agency interest might come before the group’s interests, negatively affecting how I develop and work with the group. When forming the group, the therapist must explain and clarify agency policies and rules and help members understand and apply them for continuity.

In the community context?
What communities influence the development of this group?

The selected group members are from the African American community, although from different regions, including the US, Africa, Caribbean Island, and Jamaica, meaning they share common characteristics. Working with this group is a social work practice that needs the involvement of the community where these individuals come from. The African American community influences this group’s development through its beliefs, values, and cultural practices. For instance, African Americans emphasize family closeness, community bonding, and solidarity; any altered values are considered deviant from community values and cultural beliefs. Group members will have to show adjustment to acceptable behavior if they want to be part of the community, including dissociating from not wanting to be involved in cultural practices and values of the African American community.

(Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group)

For successful integration back into the community, the community has to facilitate an accepting environment for the individuals who have adjusted their behavior. As a therapist, I will consider the African American community’s values, culture, beliefs, and social perception when developing the group to ensure I attend to these backgrounds and promote cultural sensitivity with the group. The group dynamics will not be complicated because all members are African Americas. Notably, the members’ countries of origin differ because I have some from Africa, America, Jamaica, and Caribbean Islands. The specific cultures and values of these different sub-communities will influence group development. The difference in values and backgrounds will be key in establishing and sustaining cohesiveness in the group.

How may/will communities influence and/or support the ongoing development of this group?

These group members are part of the community, and community values and interests will influence its development. Members have shared experiences and feelings of isolation, loneliness, and misunderstanding. Members also claim to be in a toxic environment where they must conform to specific values and practices they disagree with but have no choice because they are minors. According to Berman-Rossi and Miller (1994), individuals act on the environment, but its influence on individuals is greater, influencing choices, actions, and ideas. Therefore, their communities have influenced and played a critical role in developing mental health issues like anxiety and depression and how they feel.

At the end of group therapy, the members must integrate into the community and develop healthy interpersonal relationships. Members are also minors are will require consent and direction from seniors, particularly family members, to be part of the group. Therefore, community members, including their families, social workers, and community leaders, who better understand the community’s cultural practices, values, and acceptable behavior, will be involved to inform and support the group’s ongoing development. There will be interactive sessions with these community members at different stages of the group process to help access individual development and behavior adjustment per the community values and acceptable behavior.

In the potential members\’ and worker context?
How are your identities similar or different from the client or system potentially represented in the group?

The group members experience isolation and loneliness, feel misunderstood, and have recently been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. These individuals have a commonality that I do not identify with or share experience with, but only at the professional level. I have proficient knowledge and expertise in addressing such cases and recognize how individuals feel. However, I lack personal experience or firsthand experience at a personal level on anxiety and depression symptoms or feeling disconnected from the community and family members. I need high-level empathy to understand what the clients are going through and help them throughout the recovery process.

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What assumptions or biases may you need to be aware of?

After the norming or middle stages, it is assumed that members will have no conflict, interact openly and freely, and acknowledge individual differences, working towards a common goal. I need to be aware that this is not always the reality and expect conflict or individual differences to sustain throughout therapy. I should also be keen on hidden personalities that only appear in particular circumstances, for instance, members’ reactions when one of them is overwhelmed by feelings. I should also be aware of in-group biases where some individuals feel smarter, in a better position, or more important than others. It can happen when individual members rival for attention or superiority in the group and tend to belittle or embarrass others (Brandler & Roman, 2016). Conclusively, I should expect individual versus individual and individual versus group confrontations at any point in the process.

How might culture and identity impact the power dynamics in your relationship with group members and/or client system?

Culture affects group dynamics and the relationship between group members and between the therapist and group members. The cultural characteristics of group members influence how group members interact and might lead to the formation of sub-groups within the group. Although all group members are African Americans, their origin countries differ, meaning cultural practices, values, and beliefs are somewhat different for the different sub-groups. For instance, African Americans from the U.S. might develop a superiority complex over African Americans from other countries, which might impact group dynamics. Culture influence habits, preferences, and values, and the differences in the cultures of the sub-groups might be a source of conflict between group members or between group members and the therapist, affecting group cohesiveness. For instance, American pop culture is integral to the culture of African Americans from the U.S., which might impact a close relationship with African Americans from other countries and continents like Africa, Jamaica, Caribbean Islands with unique cultural practices. To address this problem, I should understand every team member’s cultural characteristics and identity and develop initiatives to ensure cultural sensitivity, eliminating any potential superiority complex that might impact the group’s cohesiveness and work process.

(Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group)

Using the Worksheet: Planning Guide for Social Work Groups format; discuss your

actual or proposed group in relation to each of the 8 headings.

Agency/Environmental Context: The agency has had groups of adolescents and youths before. However, this particular group comprising exhaustively of African American adolescents and youth is new in the agency. It fits with the agency’s goal of helping vulnerable groups. The agency serves the immediate community, and the group composition includes adolescents and youth from the community, which fits the value of responsiveness. Mental health issues associated with adolescents and youth in the community are on the rise, coupled with family disjoints that act as a barrier to promoting family support for patients. Fees: A small fee is required from the clients, and parents were contacted regarding the payment to ensure sustainability.
Client Need(s): The group, comprising African American adolescents and youth, experience psychological and mental health issues linked to family issues and non-conformance to societal beliefs, standards, and expectations. The clients experience isolation and emotional problems from issues with their families and the community at large. There are no systems to re-establish and negotiate a connection with the family and the community, who perceive the client as non-conformant.
Purpose: The group work aims to help clients re-establish connection with their families and community, recover from mental health issues, feel part of society, and change behaviors to ensure conformance with family and community expectations.
Composition: The group comprises African American adolescents and youth faced with increased pressure of dissociating from their families and communities because they do not agree with the cultural practices and religious beliefs of their families and communities. Clients are from the community, can speak English, travel to the meeting point, and can be relied on for information.
Structures: The group work will be held at a Community Service Center on the ground floor, next to the conference room. Members will pay a small initial fee disclosed in the contract agreement. There is a membership policy dictating group engagement rules. The group is closed, and new members are not accepted mid-course to avoid disrupting group dynamics. The group will meet for two hours thrice a week. It will break for the summer and resume in mid-August. Members will be involved in the decision-making. Meeting notifications were sent through texts.
Content: The content varies, including check-in by members before the session to catch up from the previous meeting and introduce materials and resources designated for the current meeting. The content also includes social activities like games, role-plays, warm-ups, and exercises. There will be a trip at the end of group work.
Formation Strategy: The group members are recruited from the patient list presenting at the community health center. After the initial assessment, group members are invited to their first session to develop an approach and discuss initiatives that would best fit each individual and the group.
Evaluation Strategy: There will be time set aside before every session to review content and knowledge gained from the previous meeting. The session will be Q&A. There are weekly reviews of individuals’ goals and expectations and a collection of perceptions of their own progress and feelings about the group work. Group-generated scales for anxiety, depression, and stress will be used to monitor progress.
Identify and briefly discuss three readings from the course syllabus that were

particularly useful in developing your plan and beginning strategy.

I have interacted with multiple course readings that are relevant to this endeavor. Developing successful groups is demanding, but three particular prices of literature have been resourceful in efforts in planning group work and conducting the first session successfully. One reading is Alissi (1980), who presents social group work models and offers perspectives on social group work practice. This reading is rich in perspectives and ideas regarding basic group behavior, group development, group process, group therapy, and group work practice. I specifically learned from this reading my role as the group coordinator, which is helping and enabling function and helping group members develop greater independence and capacity for self-help. The reading also offers insights into creating group interaction and program activities that enhance individual growth and help achieve desirable goals. It also guided the enabling of individualization to ensure individuals are not lost in the whole.

(Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group)

The second reading is Brandler and Roman (2016), who discuss group work skills and strategies for effective interventions. Brandler and Roman (2016) emphasize group diversity and offer insights into group work and competencies needed for success. The material addresses dilemmas and complications in group work and specific techniques to help with various issues like confrontations. It contains discussions and excerpts valuable to this particular group. This reading enhanced my understanding of value dilemmas in a group practice, the group process (In the beginning, the middle, and the ending), and group planning.

The third reading is Wayne and Cohen (2001), who present educative information on group work. Wayne and Cohen (2001) posit that effective group social work practice relies on high-quality group work education. The reading offers an overview of group work and its benefits and presents group work practice models that enhance understanding of the essentials to developing a successful team. It also offers strategies to supervise group work and members, which are vital in developing evaluation strategies for this group.

(Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group)

Discuss your plans for an initial group session or describe how you conducted the first

session. What are/were your goals for these initial sessions? Incorporate process

recording excerpts, and/or anticipated statements and anticipated reactions.

I conducted the first session, which focused on introducing myself to the group members and having them introduce themselves. I also provided details regarding the purpose of the group, the expectations, and engagement rules and ensured members felt comfortable to participate in the following sessions. In the initial session, I intended to develop a proper rapport to break the unfamiliarity with the group members and ensure members develop a positive attitude towards the group work and its intended purpose. Secondly, I wanted to ensure that all group members understood engagement rules, which were actualized through a contract. I invited perspectives from group members and suggestions to make the group more effective, including their expectations, goals, and needs. I recorded them to ensure I integrate them into revised group engagement rules and appropriate behavior. I would use their perspectives to develop group work, plan group work activities, and ensure individualization. After the first session, we established the following rules:

Respect others and their opinions
Avoid any form of shaming, discriminatory behavior, or harassment.
Treat each other with dignity.
Respect turn taking.
Complete a session and walking out mid-session is discouraged.
Avoid walking around or engaging in any activity that would disrupt the session.
Based on the Skill Inventory in the Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups,

discuss three critical skills you used, or expect to use in the beginning stage of the group.

The Standards are available at: http://www.aaswg.org/node/377

The beginning of the group is the most crucial stage and could determine a group’s success or failure. I adopted skills, including creating the initial contract that specifies tasks and goals to complete and achieve and the work process, identifying confidentiality and limits, ensuring respect for social and cultural, autonomy and self-determination, and empowering individuals (AASWG, 2010). Using these skills, I provided a clear statement of group purpose and roles and requested feedback on their perception of needs, interests, and problems. I encouraged members to share their strengths and weaknesses and any concerns they might have. I promoted the connection between group members and encouraged them to identify and express commonalities among themselves. Additionally, I evaluated the impact of existing cultural differences between members and between them and me. I worked with group members to establish rules and norms that bolstered change and growth and helped members develop personal and group goals. Most importantly, I established an environment and expectations for sociocultural safety.

(Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group)

If you are referring to a group that has taken place, what is your critique of your work

and how might you have proceeded similarly and differently? If you are referring to a

proposed group that has not met, what challenges do you anticipate and what are your

strategies to address them?

I worked with this group as an intern at the community health center. I worked with them for the period I was there, and managed to adopt course concepts and insights into ensuring effective group work practice. The group has taken place, the beginning was successful, and I acknowledge the input from group members and their right attitudes towards the group and its purpose. I would continue similarly because I saw members who are invested in bettering themselves and ready to contribute meaningfully to their individual and group success. A concern regarding group work is the lack of adequate experience with this patient population and the ethical dilemmas surrounding working with adolescents or young adults. All members required consent from parents because they are yet to be adults, raising concerns regarding their autonomy. Working with teens has unique challenges, such as inconsistent decision-making, the likeliness of conflict between members, increased need for privacy and autonomy, peer relationships, and self-centeredness. Reflecting on this experience, I would engage group members in understanding challenges or issues associated with their developmental stage and how they might be contributing to their current state. I would be more involved and demand parental engagement to help establish family support of patient care.

References

Alissi, A.S. (1980). Social Group Work Models: Possession and Heritage. Perspectives on Social Group Work Practice: A Book of Readings. NY: The Free Press. Chapter 9

Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, INC (AASWG, Inc). (2010). Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups Second Edition.

Berman-Rossi, T., & Miller, I. (1994). African-Americans and the settlements during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Social Work with Groups, 17(3), 77-95. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J009v17n03_06

Brandler, S. & Roman, C.P. (2016). Group Work: Skills and Strategies for Effective Interventions. Third Edition. NY & London: Routledge.

Wayne, J. L., & Cohen, C. S. (2001). Group work education in the field (Vol. 2). Council on Social Work Education.

Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2005). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. Basic books. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/abs/theory-and-practice-of-group-psychotherapy/96ADB4A6E578EED3C9245D58986300B9

Identification and Contextual Assessment Planning for the Group