Group work

Group Counseling in the School and Clinic offers a comprehensive introduction on how to lead task, psychoeducational, counseling, and psychotherapy groups from a systemic, theoretically integrative perspective. Giving significant attention to pro-developmental leader and member roles, multicultural applications, outcome research, and accountability in group work, this text goes far beyond the traditional focus on only counseling and psychotherapy.

The effective preparation of group leaders has become increasingly more important in recent years due to managed care and educational reform movements, and Group Counseling in the School and Clinic emphasizes the systemic approach to group work that is, preparing group leaders to facilitate the systemic group process, from planning the group through the four stages of group work: forming and orienting, transition, working, and termination. Showing students how to master the facilitation of these defined stages of group work allows them to effectively work with clients in all types of group contexts and topics, and from a theoretically integrative perspective.

Throughout the book, readers are exposed to the foundations of group work by exploring the historical forces that shaped group work today, the therapeutic factors that underlie effective group approaches, and the advantages and disadvantages of group work. Students will build a foundation of multicultural, ethical and legal group work attitudes, and knowledge and skills before learning to distinguish the roles of group members and group leaders. While many comparable texts portray group member roles from a negative or destructive perspective, this text looks at the pro-developmental needs of group members with a focus on helping members to appropriately self-disclose and give and receive feedback to enhance the therapeutic value of the group experience. Leader skills are emphasized early in the text to help students understand and master the role of the leader as a facilitator of group process and techniques that group leaders find helpful in keeping groups moving in a positive direction.

SECTION I: Foundations of Group Work

Chapter 1: The Value of Group Work: Functional Group Models and Historical Perspectives by Julia A Southern, Bradley T. Erford, Ann Vernon, and Darcie Davis-Gage

Chapter 2: Ethical and Legal Foundations of Group Work by Lynn E. Linde, Bradley T. Erford, Danica G. Hays, and F. Robert Wilson

Chapter 3: Multicultural Issues in Group Work by Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy and Cheryl Moore-Thomas

Chapter 4: Distinguishing Group Member Roles by George Leddick

Chapter 5: Leading Groups by Amy Milsom

SECTION II: Systemic Group Work: Planning and Process

Chapter 6: Planning for Group Work by F. Robert Wilson

Chapter 7: Forming and Orienting Groups by Nathaniel Ivers and Debbie W. Newsome

Chapter 8: The Transition Stage in Group Work by D. Paige Bentley Greason

Chapter 9: The Working Stage by Kevin A. Fall, H. George McMahon, and Danica G. Hays

Chapter 10: Termination by Danica G. Hays, Tammi F. Milliken, and Catherine Y. Chang

SECTION III: Group Work in Action: Models and Theoretical Approaches

Chapter 11: Leading Task Groups by Janice L. DeLucia-Waack and Amy Nitza

Chapter 12: Leading Psychoeducational Groups by Sam Steen, Julia Bryan, and Norma Day-Vines

Chapter 13: Person-Centered and Existential Approaches to Group Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theory, Techniques, and Applications by Laura R. Simpson and Joel F. Diambra

Chapter 14: Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy Approaches to Group Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theory, Techniques, and Applications by Ann Vernon

Chapter 15: Reality Therapy and Behavior Therapy Approaches to Group Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theory, Techniques, and Applications by Ann Vernon

Chapter 16: Adlerian and Transactional Analysis Approaches to Group Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theory, Techniques, and Applications by Laura R. Simpson, Ann Vernon, and Bradley T. Erford

Chapter 17: Gestalt and Psychodrama Approaches to Group Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theory, Techniques, and Applications by Darcie Davis-Gage

Chapter 18: Other Approaches to Group Counseling and Psychotherapy: Family-Couples, T-groups, and Self-help Groups by Darcie Davis-Gage and Ann Vernon

SECTION IV: Special Issues in Group Work

Chapter 19: Special Issues in Group Work With Children and Adolescents by Susan H. Eaves and Carl J. Sheperis

Chapter 20: Group Work With Adult Populations by Susan H. Eaves and Carl J. Sheperis

Chapter 21: Accountability in Group Work by Bradley T. Erford

Chapter 22: Outcome Research in Group Work by Bradley T. Erford