Answer to Question 1
Therapy groups are generally composed of members with rather severe emotional or personal problems. Leaders must be highly skilled; they need to be perceptive, to understand human behavior and group dynamics, to have group counseling capacities, to use the group to bring about behavioral changes, to be aware at all times of how each member is affected by what is happening, and to develop and maintain a constructive atmosphere within the group. As with one-to-one counseling, the goal of therapy groups is generally to have members explore their problems in depth and then develop one or more strategies for resolving them. The group therapist often uses one or more of the following psychotherapy approaches as a guide for changing attitudes and behaviors: reality therapy, learning theory, rational therapy, transactional analysis, client-centered therapy, psychodrama, and feminist therapy. Group therapy is widely used in counseling. It has several advantages over one-to-one therapy. The helper therapy principle generally is operative; members interchange roles and sometimes become the helper for someone else's problems. Helping others provides psychological rewards. Groups also help members put their problems into perspective by realizing that others have problems as serious as their own. Groups help members who are having interaction problems to test out new patterns of interacting. Research has shown that it is generally easier to change an individual's attitude in a group than individually. Group pressure can have a substantial effect on changing attitudes and beliefs. Furthermore, group therapy permits the social worker to treat more than one person at a time and thus maximizes the use of professional staff. In essence, a group therapist uses the principles of one-to-one counseling and of group dynamics to help clients change dysfunctional attitudes and behavior. Often the traditional comprehensive psychotherapy approaches are combined with certain specialized treatment techniques (such as parent effectiveness training and assertiveness training) to help clients resolve personal and emotional problems. The selection of treatment techniques is based on the nature of the problems.
Answer to Question 2
In working with individuals, groups, families, organizations, and communities, a social worker is expected to be knowledgeable and skillful in a variety of roles. The particular role that is selected should ideally be determined by what will be most effective, given the circumstances.
Enabler: In this role, a worker helps individuals or groups to articulate their needs, to clarify and identify their problems, to explore resolution strategies, to select and apply a strategy, and to develop their capacities to deal with their own problems more effectively.
Broker: A broker links individuals and groups who need help (and do not know where it is available) with community services.
Advocate: The role of advocate has been borrowed from the legal profession. It is an active, directive role in which the social worker advocates for a client or for a citizens' group. When a client or a citizens' group is in need of help and existing institutions are uninterested (or even openly negative and hostile) in providing services, then the advocate's role may be appropriate.
Activist: An activist seeks institutional change; often the objective involves a shift in power and resources to a disadvantaged group. Activists are concerned about social injustice, inequity, and deprivation, and their strategies include conflict, confrontation, and negotiation. The goal is to change the social environment to better meet the recognized needs of individuals.
Mediator: The mediator role involves intervention in disputes between parties to help them find compromises, reconcile differences, or reach mutually satisfactory agreements. Social workers have used their value orientations and unique skills in many forms of mediation.
Negotiator: A negotiator brings together those who are in conflict over one or more issues and seeks to achieve bargaining and compromise to arrive at mutually acceptable agreements.
Educator: The educator role involves giving information to clients and teaching them adaptive skills. To be an effective educator, the worker must first be knowledgeable. Additionally, she or he must be a good communicator so that information is clearly conveyed and readily understood by the receiver.
Initiator: An initiator calls attention to a problem-or even to a potential problem. It is important to realize that some problems can be recognized in advance.
Empowerer: A key goal of social work practice is empowerment, which is the process of helping individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities increase their personal, interpersonal, socioeconomic, and political strength and influence through improving their circumstances.
Coordinator: Coordinators bring components together in some kind of organized manner.
Researcher: Every social worker is at times a researcher. Research in social work practice includes studying the literature on topics of interest, evaluating the outcomes of one's practice, assessing the merits and shortcomings of programs, and studying community needs.
Group Facilitator: A group facilitator is one who serves as a leader for group activity. The group may be a therapy group, an educational group, a self-help group, a sensitivity group, a family therapy group, or a group with some other focus.
Public Speaker: Social workers occasionally are recruited to talk to various groups to inform them of available services or to advocate for new services. In recent years, various needed services have been identified. Social workers who have public-speaking skills can explain services to groups of potential clients.
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