lecture 2: theoretical perspective Flashcards
Four key values (Toseland & Rivas, 2017)
- Importance of the Person-In-Environment – consider how the socioeconomic-cultural environment affects the individual’s behaviour
- Mutual Aid and Support
o Fosters a sense of connection and belonging & fosters shared decision making - Empowerment and Self-Determination
o Fosters self-autonomy and agency; ownership and control over their circumstances - Understanding, respect, and camaraderie among people from diverse background
o Cultural sensitivity and humility
differences between casework and groupwork
Focus
- Individual client and their needs vs Interaction within a group setting
Relationship
- One-on-one relationship e.g. client-caseworker vs Complex web of relationships
Intervention
- Individualized casework e.g. counselling, resources etc (Intra-personal issues) vs Group dynamics, peer support, skill building (Issues might be multi-faceted)
Outcomes
- Empower individuals to address challenges vs Individual goals + Community goals and support
Can casework and groupwork be used together?
- Yes
- Can tackle same/different issue
- Points raised in groupwork can be used to reinforce any interventions done in casework
Reciprocal/Interaction Model (in terms of goals, structure, interaction, interdependence, cohesiveness, type of group)
Goals: To create a supportive environment where there is personal growth through reciprocal interactions
Structure: Attention to the group’s dynamics, patterns of interaction, and relationships
Interaction: Facilitated by “leader”; Supportive and mutual influence
Interdependence: Interdependence is a core principle. It means that group members rely on each other for support, information, and resources. – Common experiences
Cohesiveness: Aims to develop a high level of cohesiveness through shared goals and values; creating a sense of belonging
Type of group: Social & Recreational/Educational
o Not so much support group as there are usually therapy elements
Remedial Model (in terms of goals, structure, interaction, interdependence, cohesiveness, type of group)
Goals To address specific deficits or challenges faced
Structure Often highly structured, with clear objectives and step-by-step procedures.
Interaction Directed by a facilitator with a focus on skill acquisition and practice
Interdependence Limited, as the focus is primarily on individual skill development.
Cohesiveness Can vary depending on the group
dynamics, but often less emphasized than in other models
Type of group Psychotherapy/Group counselling/Self-help
o e.g. domestic violence group/drug abuse groups
Social Goals Model (in terms of goals, structure, interaction, interdependence, cohesiveness, type of group)
Goals To empower group members to address social issues and create positive change within their community
Structure Flexibility and adaptability to meet the changing needs of the community
Interaction Shared responsibility and decision making
Interdependence High as members rely on each other to achieve Interdependence collective goals.
Cohesiveness Strong sense of community and commitment to common goals
Type of group Social Action
o e.g. RN, PAP, Neighbourhood Watch, Volunteering groups
Ecological Model in Group Work
- attention to both internal and external factors
- *active participants in dynamic and reciprocal interactions
- Tries to improve the coping patterns of people *in their environment
o Better match between individual needs and chracteristics of environment - Person-in-environment
o Focus on 3 separate areas
Focus on the person and seek to develop problem-solving, coping and developmental capacities
Focus on relationship between a person and the systems he or she interacts with and link the person with needed resources services and opportunities. - Look beyond just the groupwork to analyse certain behaviours (despite them occurring in group work)
Focus on the systems and seek to reform them to meet the needs of the individual more effectively
o Intrapersonal interpersonal Groups (peers, family, religions) Organisations (structure, processes) Community (neighbourhood) Societal (Culture norms, policies)
Systems theory
- Attempts to understand the group as a system of interacting elements. It emphasises looking beyond the presenting problems of clients in order to assess the complexities and interrelationships of their problems.
- Groups are social systems with several interdependent members attempting to maintain order and a stable equilibrium while they function as a unified whole.
4 key principles in groupwork for systems theory
- Interdependence
- Wholeness – Group>Sum of parts
- Homeostasis
- Boundaries
4 major functional tasks to maintain equilibrium (Parson, Bales & Shils, 1953) in Systems Theory
- Integration – ensuring that members of groups fit together
- Adaptation – ensuring that groups change to cope with the demands of their environment
- Pattern maintenance – ensuring that groups define and sustain their basic purposes, identities and procedures
- Goal attainment – ensuring that groups pursue and accomplish their tasks
o Solve 2 general types of problems (Bales, 1950)
Instrumental problems
Socio-emotional problems
Psychodynamic Theory in Group Work (Toseland & Rivas, 2017)
- Group members act out in the group unresolved conflicts from early life experiences and the group becomes a reenactment of the family situation
- Use of here-and-now experiences of group interaction
- Through direct, mutual interpersonal communications, members build interpersonal skills, adaptive capacities, and ego strength, as well as gain insight into their behaviour.
4 key principles for group work in Psychodynamic theory
- View the group as a miniature society – where their past experiences and probles can be brought into the group
- Make sense of their behaviour
- Transference/Countertransference – response to each other’s sharings e.g. projection of past feelings
- Focus on here/now but by interpretation of the past
*more suited for longer term groups – invested and commited to personal group e.g. >12
Learning Theory
Behaviour of group members can be explained by these methods of learning
* (i) Classical approach – behaviour is associated with stimulus e.g. “Channel 5”
* (ii) Operant conditioning – the behaviour of group members and the worker are governed by the consequences of the actions.
* (iii) Social learning theory – most learning takes place through observation and vicarious reinforcement or punishment.
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development
- Used in the planning stage, taking into account the stage of development the participant is in
