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Week 4                                AOP starts within 

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Week 4                                AOP starts within 

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Anti-oppressive practice begins with an understanding of the social worker's social location and how that contributes to the development of oppressive relationships and interventions (Larson, 2008)

AOP essentially addresses power imbalances through self reflection, understanding of the oppressor and oppressed and critical evaluation of entire intervention process in terms of nature of relationships between worker and client (Larson, 2008). understanding and addressing these issues, creating change and balance.

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Week 4                             Group work with severely mentally ill women   

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Week 4                             Group work with severely mentally ill women   

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A combination of feminist practice skills and psychiatric knowledge is needed in order to best meet the needs of women with severe and persistent mental illness. (Avery, 1998)

In Group work,  it is important to meet the needs of members.  Noticing gender, age, family status, address, health conditions, etc. along with having an awareness of contextual aspects such as oppression and discrimination all play a part in the success of .group work.

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Holistic approach

Social work profession with its theory, practice and research and with a holistic approach needs to develop a primary alternative to mainstream mental health approaches (Morley, 2003).

Women with severe mental illnesses need an approach that takes strengths from more than one approach and the resulting intervention becomes a more well rounded holistic approach,

https://images.app.goo.gl/ovtwUPqhgCqzwm3C9

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Week 4                                Balance out power in the relationship between facilitator and group members with severe mental illness

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Week 4                                Balance out power in the relationship between facilitator and group members with severe mental illness

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Some ways to create a more equal worker/client relationship:

·         avoid titles, judgments or labels

·         demystify mental health practice

·         invite people to be part of every decision, focus on strengths and uniqueness in members

·         assure service users that they have the right to ask questions and feel what they feel.

·         ask for feedback

·         provide a user-friendly environment

·         be aware of your own social location and need for power

(Larson, 2008)

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Week 5,6,7                     Online mental health group work

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Week 5,6,7                     Online mental health group work

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"....online mental health interventions have the potential to be cost-effective, convenient, and reach a more diverse population than traditional, face-to-face interventions." (Barak,, & Grohol, 2011.  p. 156).

By;
-giving access to free or affordable support
-being convenient and  accessible to all areas
-having  privacy and anonymity
-being anonymous can help people feel less inhibited and more comfortable participating

"Some ...... see virtual groups as safer, because........offer greater control over timing and a pace of written and verbal interactions and direct physical contact." (Toseland, & Rivas, 2012,  p. 187).

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Week 5,6,7                      Ethics of online group work 

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Week 5,6,7                      Ethics of online group work 

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"Online technology has introduced an array of ethical issues and challenges that will require the augmentation of of existing practicing frameworks and training.  Beyond social work, other mental health professional groups have promulgated ethical and practice guidelines to assist clinicians and inform clients…..”  (Garvin, Gutierrez & Galinsky, 2017, p. 593).

Risks associated with and specific to internet psycho-social interventions include;
-breaches of confidentiality, lack of data privacy and security,
-risks of self-selection and self-diagnosis,
-risks of receiving psycho-education and treatment from an distanced, impersonal website……………..
(Cosgrove, et al, 2017, n.p.).

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Week 5,6,7                 Diversity and group counselling

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Week 5,6,7                 Diversity and group counselling

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"……having the proper tools to cultivate helpful and therapeutic exchanges between group members across cultural lines remains critical. Across disciplines, intercultural communication skills have been identified as vital to the effective functioning of groups." (Okech et al,, 2015. p 269).

Group leaders need to face rather than avoid the diversity of mental health issues and acknowledge it, practicing with an awareness of distinguishing characteristics and continuing to inquire and understand the personal unique values of the different members.

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Week 5,6,7                 Breaking the ice

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Week 5,6,7                 Breaking the ice

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"Diversity and Inclusion activities are simple ways to get people talking and listening to one another. It is only through understanding each other that we truly gain knowledge and can move forward together". (Diversity & Inclusion Activities. n.d., n.p.).

Icebreakers help members to relax and feel comfortable  participating together as a group.  This breaks down some of the walls people tend to put up when they feel vulnerable as members with mental illness might do.

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Week 5,6,7               Educating members about confidentiality 

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Week 5,6,7               Educating members about confidentiality 

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“Group leaders are responsible for educating members about the important and advantages of keeping information pertaining to the group private.  “ (Corey, M.S., Corey, G. & Corey, C. 2018. p 69).

Some members of groups do not take confidentiality very seriously and this can prevent members with mental health issues from engaging and sharing.  Creating better group cohesion helps to humanize the members, so that they feel more empathy and concern for each other and understand the vulnerability of sharing.

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Week 8,9,10                Groupwork goals

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Week 8,9,10                Groupwork goals

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"People who have been violent are likely to be anxious and poorly focused, so it is important to help them form a goal by clarifying vague goals, simplifying complex goals and moving a big goal to a smaller, doable one through curious questioning." (Milner, & Myers, 2017, p. 149).
Discussing other subjects other than the problem at hand can help to break the ice and reassure members that they are more than the problem and valued  for other qualities as well.

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Avery, L. (1998). A feminist perspective on group work with
severely mentally ill women. Women & Therapy, 21(4), 1-14.
doi:10.1300/J015v21n04_01

Barak, A., & Grohol, J. M. (2011). Current and Future Trends in Internet-Supported Mental Health Interventions. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 29(3), 155–196. doi: 10.1080/15228835.2011.616939

Bullock, A., & Bannigan, K. (2011). Effectiveness of Activity-Based Group Work in Community Mental Health: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(3), 257–266. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2011.001305

Christine Morley BSW (hons) (2003). Towards Critical Social Work Practice in Mental Health. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 14:1, 61-84, doi:10.1300/J059v14n01_0

Cosgrove, V., Gliddon, E., Berk, L., Grimm, D., Lauder, S., Dodd, S., … Suppes, T. (2017). Online ethics: where will the interface of mental health and the internet lead us?. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 5(1). doi: 10.1186/s40345-017-0095-3

Corey, M.S. , Corey, G. & Corey, C. (2018). Groups: Process and practice, 10 th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Diversity & Inclusion Activities. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://diversity.wvu.edu/office-of-innovation-inclusion-and-outreach/resources-to-facilitate-inclusion

Garrett, M. T., Garrett, J. T., & Brotherton, D. (2001). Inner Circle/Outer Circle: A Group Technique Based on Native American Healing Circles. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 26(1), 17–30. doi: 10.1080/01933920108413775

Garvin, C.D., Gutierrez, L.M. & Galinsky, M.J. (2017). Handbook of social work with groups, 2nded. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Henry, S., East, J., & Schmitz, C. L. (2002). Social work with groups: mining the gold. New York: Haworth Press.

Hyde, B. (2013). Mutual Aid Group Work: Social Work Leading the Way to Recovery-Focused Mental Health Practice. Social Work With Groups, 36(1), 43–58. doi: 10.1080/01609513.2012.699872

Larson, G. (2008). Anti-oppressive Practice in Mental Health. Journal Of Progressive Human Services, 19(1), 39-54. doi:10.1080/10428230802070223

Lindsay, T. & Orton, S. (2014). Groupwork practice in social work, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Milner, J., & Myers, S. (2017). Working with violence and confrontation using solution focused approaches: creative practice with children, young people and adults. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Okech, J. E. A., Pimpleton, A. M., Vannatta, R., & Champe, J. (2015). Intercultural Communication: An Application to Group Work. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 40(3), 268–293. doi: 10.1080/01933922.2015.1056568

Pelech, W., Basso, R., Lee, C.D. & Gandarilla, M. (2016). Inclusive group work. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press.

Svavarsdóttir, S. J., Ólafsdóttir, K. V., Sturludóttir, E., & Júlíusdóttir, S. (2012). Psychiatric Group Work in Social Skill Training. Social Work with Groups, 35(2), 103–123. doi: 10.1080/01609513.2011.602221

Toseland, R.W. & Rivas, R. F. (2012). An introduction to group work practice. Toronto: Pearson Higher Education.

Zastrow, C.H. (2009). Social work with groups, 7th ed. Brooks/Cole: Belmont, CA.

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Week 8,9,10   Groupwork and Indigenous method

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Week 8,9,10   Groupwork and Indigenous method

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Group facilitators working with members representing a wide range of diversity within ways of being and mental health ideally will possess a repertoire of methods that work towards; “……universality, imparting of information, altruism, recapitulation of family experiences, development of socializing techniques, imitative behavior, interpersonal learning, group cohesiveness, catharsis, and existential dimensions.” (Garrett, Garrett, & Brotherton, 2001, p 18).

There is an indigenous group technique called inner circle/outer circle.  A few members go into the center of the healing circle (other members around them) and this creates the feeling of being ‘within’ the healing circle, supported and protected.

“Implementation of inner circle/outer circle in the working stage of group development could serve as the primary intervention in helping group members clarify and work toward their goals personally as well as within the group dynamic.” (Garrett, Garrett, & Brotherton, 2001, p 27).

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Week 8,9,10                 Activities in groups

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Week 8,9,10                 Activities in groups

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"……….activity groups are more effective than verbal groups for developing interpersonal skills,………because their assumption is that “human beings define their lives, cultures, values, and worth through activities” ……………… and that doing and communicating can be powerful therapeutic tools." (Bullock, & Bannigan, 2011, p 258).

Sharing activities with others helps to create a connection with members in the group.  It is better to engage the hands and the mind, creating another focus that is less serious, encouraging camaraderie.  Meanwhile the learning and recovery happen in the background, disguised by the fun.

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Week 8,9,10         Appropriate activities      

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Week 8,9,10         Appropriate activities      

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“Psychosocial rehabilitation programs for persons with mental illness provide experiences which improve ability to function in the community……….Members are continually encouraged to assume productive citizen roles both within the psychosocial rehabilitation facilities and in the broader community which is viewed as an integral part of the total psychosocial rehabilitation setting.” (Henry, East & Schmitz, 2002, p. 165).
Some activities may be more suitable than others, requiring the constant awareness and analysis of what both the group and the individuals need.

"……….the planned activities in a group should follow logically from the aims and objectives of the group, which themselves derive from the identified unmet needs of the members……."(Lindsay, & Orton, 2014, p. 1).

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Week 8,9,10                  Mutual Aid in Groupwork 

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Week 8,9,10                  Mutual Aid in Groupwork 

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Mutual aid represents the potential of group members to receive help and to assist one another as they work on their needs, concerns, challenges or problems. (Pelech, Basso & Gandarilla, 2016, p. 147).

A mutual aid group has a goal to support collective resourcefulness and innovation, hopefully reducing the necessity for professional intervention, allowing the worker to share power and collaborate with members.

"Although, psycho-education is a best practice in working with families in mental health ………it can be patronizing and dis-empowering if group members are not invited to share their experiences and expertise. Mutual aid adds a recovery-focused dimension to group work practice.". (Hyde, 2013, p 3).

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Week 8,9, 10                Conflict in groupwork

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Week 8,9, 10                Conflict in groupwork

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It is not the conflict that is negative.  How conflict is managed determines whether the end result is positive or negative.  For someone with a mental illness such as schizophrenia, it may be difficult for them to express precisely how they are feeling and may need encouragement.

"By expressing and working out their dissatisfactions, group members can assess their beliefs, values and opinions.  Therefore, verbal conflicts can lead to personal growth and encourage innovation and creativity." (Zastrow, 2009, p. 1).

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Week 8,9,10  Empowerment and mutual aid 

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Week 8,9,10  Empowerment and mutual aid 

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Through the use of the; “…….method of conducting communication and conversational and assertiveness training that relies to a large extent on role-playing……” (Svavarsdóttir, Ólafsdóttir, Sturludóttir, & Júlíusdóttir, 2012, p. 105), members are drawn out to participate and create connections and support, each learning from the others' skills and strengths, improving self-esteem.
Sociologist Kurt Lewin’s “…….hypothesis was that a group does not act the same as the individual group members and that group work can be more effective than working with individuals, when the intention is to get people to change their attitudes and behaviors…….” (Svavarsdóttir, Ólafsdóttir, Sturludóttir, & Júlíusdóttir, 2012, p. 106),