MSWK508

This course is designed to provide students with knowledge and skills relevant to social work practice in groups. It is expected that students will learn basic skills through course readings, papers, videos/films and role-playing of the different approaches to social work with groups. This course builds upon the Human Behavior and Practice foundation courses, and is grounded in developmental, psychodynamic and cognitive theories and linked to fieldwork experience through in class assignments and class discussion. The course reviews the various ways groups are used in social work practice, i.e., socialization, social support, psychological treatment, self-help, advocacy and prevention. Particular attention is given to the recruitment and composition of groups, contracting and goal setting, leadership, structure of groups, phases of group development, group processing such as decision making, tension reduction, conflict resolution, termination and evaluation of evidenced based group interventions. Emphasis is given to how group work practice takes place with particular client systems and within current societal and professional contexts.