Robert K. Conyne - What Is Group Work?

Context

Group work is defined,
providing the background
for all other books in the kit

Effective Planning for Groups (9781483332307)

How to Form a Group (9781483332291)

Groups: Fostering a Culture of Change (9781483332284)

How to Select and Apply Change Strategies in Groups (9781483332277)

How to Help Leaders and Members Learn from Their Group Experience (9781483332260)

How Leaders Can Assess Group Counseling (9781483332253)

Groups in Community and Agency Settings (9781483332246)

Group Work in Schools (9781483332239)

What Is Group Work?

To professors Shelley C. Stone (deceased) and Bruce Shertzer of Purdue University's Counseling and Personnel Services Section, where I did my graduate work. Your innovative Guidance Monograph Series from the 1960s inspired this kit and its companion, The Prevention Practice Kit (coedited with Andy Horne). Along with your Purdue colleagues, I could never have asked for better role models.

Robert K. Conyne

Seattle University and the
University of Cincinnati

Leann Terry Diederich

The Pennsylvania
State University

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record of this book is available from the Library of Congress.

9781483332314

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

13 14 15 16 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

T hanks to the SAGE staff for their support, to the book manuscript reviewers for their insight, to all group work practitioners for their dedication and contributions, to my coauthor, Leann, for her great ideas, and to my wife, Lynn, for allowing me the freedom to take up such projects in the first place!

Robert K. Conyne

Many thanks to all the group work practitioners who have mentored me throughout the past 10 years; you are too numerous to name but have been instrumental in my development. I value Bob, for his patience and support through this first experience in writing a book, and my husband, David, for helping me laugh and play when life gets a bit too serious.

Leann Terry Diederich

Group Work Practice Kit Acknowledgments

Thanks to Kassie Graves and the wonderful SAGE team, once again, for their support and guidance. Appreciation to the kit's reviewers, who offered valuable insight in its development: Sally H. Barlow, Brigham Young University; John C. Dagley, Auburn University; Arthur M. Horne, The University of Georgia; Marilyn MacGregor,Western New Mexico University; Niloufer M. Merchant, St. Cloud State University; Chuck Reid, The University of Texas -Pan American; and John L. Romano, University of Minnesota. All the authors in this project merit particular thanks, and I especially value the mentorship provided by the senior authors to their younger coauthors. I am honored for the endorsement of the kit by the Association for Specialists in Group Work. A tip of my hat to all group leaders and those learning to assume that vaunted role. And, finally, I bow deeply and thankfully to my family for all their support and love.

T he Group Work Practice Kit: How to Improve the Everyday Practice of Group Work consists of a collection of brief practice books covering the span of group work application, based on research evidence. Its intent is to provide practitioners, instructors, students, and trainees with concrete direction for spreading and improving group work practice by counselors, psychologists, social workers, student personnel, and other human service personnel.

The kit comprises nine independent books that are presented concisely, intended to be easily readable and to provide usable ideas and directions. These books all address critical practical areas within group work. The emphasis throughout is on creating interesting, scholarly, and pragmatic guidance for planning, performing, and processing group work. Each book is infused with appropriate attention to diversity and multicultural issues, with attention to accreditation and/or specialty standards.

This series is a closed-ended series of books, purchasable in its entirety or as individual books. The kit has been developed to attract interest across a number of disciplines and among practitioners.

The kits span encompasses major aspects of planning, performing, and processing group workthat is, across the span of group work practice, from conceiving an idea for a group (planning) to delivering it (performing) and then evaluating its conduct and effectiveness (processing). Each book within the kit, however, independently represents a single area of substance.

A unique aspect of this kit is that all senior authors, who are established scholars in the group work field, have teamed up with knowledgeable coauthors who are early career professionals in the field. The intent is to produce solid and innovative products while also nurturing and mentoring (and learning from) these early-stage professionals.

Another special aspect of this kit is that it is endorsed by the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW). In fact, ASGW will receive a designated portion of any royalties generated from the sale of books in the kit.

A third feature of this kit is that all books weave evidence-based information with practical application. In the latter instance, all books include a range of learning exercises aimed at helping readers translate concepts into everyday use and enabling instructors to assist the readers in doing so.

Thumbnail Sketch of Book Contents

Section A. Context

Group work is defined, providing the background for all other books in the kit.

Book 1: What Is Group Work?

Robert K. Conyne and Leann Terry Diederich

This introductory book establishes a general context and framework for the kit and its chapters. It presents an inclusive conception of group work, defines types of groups, connects with extant accreditation and/or specialty standards, demonstrates how best practices in group work and attention to diversity and multicultural issues can be used to guide practice, illustrates how key group processes (e.g., group cohesion) can be used to mobilize effort, and sets the stage for the importance of translating available group work evidence into group leader practice.