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Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 571 – Social Work Practice with Groups- Fall 2022

Credits - 3

Description

Social Work Practice with Groups teaches the conceptual base, professional values, ethics, and practice skills of social group work. Emphasizing social work with groups as integrative practice, this course encompasses the continuum from therapy groups to task-oriented groups. Course content highlights the health promoting, empowerment, and relational aspects of social group work and its potential for mutual aid, community building, and social justice. The use of groups to achieve individual and social change goals is emphasized. Group dynamics and development will be assessed with attention to agency, community, cultural, and societal contexts. This course emphasizes ethical group work practice and evidence-based group approaches. Group work with diverse populations and the use of groups with client populations experiencing the structural and personal impacts of inequity and cultural oppression is a unifying course theme.

Materials

Zastrow, C. & Hessenauer, S. (2019). Social work with groups: comprehensive practice and self-care (10th ed.). Boston, MA United States of America: Cengage.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

  1. Demonstrates ethical and professional behavior.
  2. Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
  3. Engage in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in practice.
  4. Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
  5. Engage in policy practice.
  6. Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  7. Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  8. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  9. Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Apply self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse  clients and constituencies. EPAS 2c
  2. Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients and constituencies. EPAS 6b
  3. Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives based on the critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within clients and constituencies. EPAS 7c
  4. Critically choose and implement interventions to achieve practice goals and enhance capacities of clients and constituencies. EPAS 8a
  5. Facilitate effective transitions and endings that advance mutually agreed-on goals. EPAS 8e

Assignments

Group Therapy Website
CO2, 3, 4, 5

In this course, you will participate in a team project to develop a Group Therapy Website focusing on one of the following: Addiction Recovery, Anxiety, Depression, Grief and Loss, Obsessive/Compulsive Recovery, Post-Traumatic Stress Recovery, Relationships, or Trauma Recovery.

During the next seven weeks, each team will construct a training and information website that will inform others who may be interested in conducting therapy groups related to your assigned issue. This assignment is designed to increase your understanding and appreciation for group work practice and to become aware of the theories, techniques, and other information relevant to the topic chosen. Please use the instructions for Developing a Website in Google Sites.

The website, in its completed form, should be a navigable, comprehensive resource for anyone interested in the type of therapy group your team focused on. It should not only function as a resource for others in their own studies, but also serve as a fully usable resource and training site for classmates and other clinicians interested in starting this type of group in their own community. The heart of this assignment is developing the curriculum for an actual 6 to 10-week group on your assigned topic (Each team member will be expected to create two-weeks of group curriculum so teams of 3 will produce a 6-week curriculum, teams of 4 will have an 8-week curriculum, and teams of 5 will have 10-weeks.

Teams must submit their google-sites link and provide view access to the instructor by the end of week 4 to allow instructors to monitor progress and share suggestions and concerns prior to website publication to the whole class. Your website must be finished and published to the class by Thursday of Week 7 for peer review and feedback. Your team will meet weekly in your small group forums throughout the first 6-weeks of the term to work on this project. Your website will be graded in Week 8 by your instructor, following peer feedback and discussion in Week 7.

Your website must contain information on all of the relevant group dynamics and concepts covered in this course. You have complete creative freedom in how you develop your site and present information and training materials as long as you cover everything outlined in the assignment requirements and rubric. Be sure to include information on core practice considerations like; ethics, culture, social policy, and oppression as they relate to your area of focus, implications from a trauma-informed perspective, etc.

While this is a team project, your individual contributions may increase or decrease your own individual grade for this assignment. This assignment counts toward 36% of your overall course grade.

Note: Your instructor will enroll you in a 3-5 person team and assign your team’s area of focus. Although there may be some issues you are more interested in than others it is important for social workers to be prepared to offer groups for a variety of issues based on what your service community identifies as the most urgent needs. Each week there will be a comment in your small group discussion forum that provides guidance and direction on what your team should be focusing on that week and where you should be in the development of your website. All team interaction and communication regarding website development, assignment of tasks, feedback, etc. should happen within your small group forum. If you wish to use Google Docs or some other process to share documents and work on detailed sections of the website, that is fine, just be aware that your instructor will grade individual contributions to this project at the end of the class based on what you post and share in your small group discussion forums each week.

Website Requirements:

  1. General Information Section – Provide general information and resources on your assigned issue at a level that is accessible for non-clinical people who might struggle with this issue or know someone else who does. This should include psychoeducation information and materials, links to consumer support sites, anything you feel would be helpful to someone seeking information and help with this issue.
  2. Clinical Information Section – This section should provide clinical information related to your assigned issue including detailed information on symptoms, strengths-based and trauma-informed theories for root causes and emerging and best-practices related to clinical social work treatment and support with an emphasis on group treatment.
  3. Personal Testimonial Section – Provide examples of personal testimonials from the web or other sources from people who have publically shared their struggle with this issue (make sure you don’t use stories that are copyrighted or otherwise protected). This can include but is not limited to YouTube videos, links to individual websites, excerpts from articles or books, etc.
  4. Curriculum Section – This is the heart of this assignment. This section must include detailed curriculum for each week, 1.5 to 2-hour sessions each week (length of the group sessions is your choice and should be based on your overall design and what the literature suggests), for a therapy group on your assigned issue. Each week of the curriculum should include an overview for the week, opening activity/process, activities and/or discussion topics for the week, suggestions for wrapping up and closing the week. Be very clear which therapeutic perspective your group curriculum is based on; for example; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, CBT, Trauma Theory, Narrative, Solution Oriented, etc. Since you are designing a clinical therapy group you should not use a twelve-step model. Include any other relevant information you feel is helpful to clinicians who wish to run a group based on your model and design. Important: Your group curriculum must be original and uniquely yours. Existing models cannot be copied and used; for example, you cannot use Marsha Linehan’s DBT Group curriculum, or Seeking Safety, or TREM, or any other published curriculum that has been developed. You are allowed to use specific exercises from the Text Appendix in your weekly curriculum as long as they are part of a broader original design for a given week. If you have any questions at all about this please talk to your instructor early in the term.

Weekly Reflective Journals
CO1 and CO2

Students will observe, analyze and describe their experiences with their respective website development team in weekly journal entries. These observations should be recorded on a weekly basis in individual, private journals, incorporating course readings and classroom content on group process and development. Each journal entry must conclude with a self-reflection paragraph that demonstrates self-observation, inquiry, and awareness of areas of student-strength as well as areas for improvement and growth. Self-reflection paragraphs should wrap-up each week with a clear goal statement of what you will do in the coming week to work on identified growth areas. These weekly journal entries can vary in length but should generally around 2-pages in length. The course learning materials should be thoughtfully incorporated and discussed as part of your weekly entry however direct quotes and paraphrased entries should be kept to a minimum. This is a reflective assignment and as such should mainly be comprised of your own observations and thoughts.

Journal entries should contain APA reference formatting whenever the literature is cited. Weekly entries will be completed each week covering Week 1 through Week 8 (8 separate journals). This assignment will count toward 32% of your overall course grade. It is expected that journal entries will be completed when due; this is particularly important because of the reflective nature and the weekly goal setting component.

Only you and the instructor will be able to view your journal. This confidentiality guarantees that you will be able to share not only what is working in your group but also what or who is not working toward the advancement of the project. This degree of honesty is expected, and at the same time, the instructor will be looking for your strategies and tactics to help resolve the difficulties in the group. Your progress, as well as frustrations, challenges and obstacles, are appropriate “material” for journaling.

Your journal entries will conform to the following format each week:

  1. Response to “Journal Question of the Week”
  2. Update on group progress or lack of progress made in relation to guiding prompt for the week
  3. Leadership, Communication and Decision making in the group and how this is or isn’t working
  4. Your Own Process – personal successes, what you feel good about with this group, your own challenges and growth opportunities
  5. The Group Process – what stage does the group seems to be in, challenges emerging at this stage, strengths emerging in the group, strategies going forward
  6.  Your personal growth goal and plan for the coming week
  7. References as needed

Whole-Class Discussions
CO2, 3, 4, 5 

The discussion forums required in SSWO 571 spring from the content you will cover in this course from week to week. These forum posts should demonstrate the assimilation of the material covered during that particular week and from previous weeks. Each week, you must post your initial response by Saturday 11:59 PM, and respond to a minimum of three classmates before Tuesday at 11:59 PM. This schedule is adjusted in the final (short) week. See your course for specific dates. 

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

AssignmentPoints
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement 10
Group Therapy Website - Submit for feedback in Wk. 460
Weekly Reflective Journals40 points X 8 wks = 320
Weekly Discussions40 points X 8 wks = 320
Group Therapy Website - Submit final version in Wk. 7290
Total1000

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

Course weeks run from 12:00 AM ET on Wednesday through 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday at 11:59 PM ET. Unless otherwise specified, all discussion comments and assignments are due the last day of the week. Initial responses to discussion prompts are due by the end of Saturday unless otherwise noted.

ALL TIMES ARE IN THE EASTERN STANDARD TIME ZONE, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Course Weeks

Week 1: Aug 24 – Aug 30
Week 2: Aug 31 – Sep 6
Week 3: Sep 7 – Sep 13
Week 4: Sep 14 – Sep 20
Week 5: Sep 21 – Sep 27
Week 6: Sep 28 – Oct 4
Week 7: Oct 5 – Oct 11
Week 8: Oct 12 – Oct 16

 

Week 1: Types and Stages of Group Development and Leadership in Groups 

Readings: 

  • Course text: Chapters 1 and 3 and Ch. 7, pp. 245-246
  • Sternbach, J. (2001). Men connecting and changing-stages of relational growth in men’s groups. Social Work with Groups, 23(4), 59-69. doi:10.1300/J009v23n04_05
  • Schiller, L. Y. (1997). Rethinking stages of development in women’s groups: Implications for practice. Social Work with Groups, 20(3), 3-19. doi:10.1300/J009v20n03_02
  • Shulman, L. (2017). Addressing internalized biases and stereotypes of the group leader: A life-long professional task. Social Work with Groups, 40(1-2), 10-16. doi:10.1080/01609513.2015.1068103

Multimedia: 

  • 571 Week 1 – Groups: Types, Stages of Development, and Leadership

Whole-Class Discussion:

  • Stages of Group Development

Assignments:

  • Week 1 Journal
  • Week 1 Small Group Team Project

Week 2: Goals, Norms, and Communication in Groups

Readings:

  • Course text: Ch. 4 and 5
  • Trauma-Informed Approach 
  • Malekoff, A. (2017). On getting over oneself and creating space for all voices in group work with adolescents. Social Work with Groups, 40(4), 364-375. doi:10.1080/01609513.2016.1152802
  • Eaton, M. (2017). Come as you are!: Creating community with groups. Social Work with Groups, 40(1-2), 85-92. doi:10.1080/01609513.2015.1069129
  • Dybicz, P. (2012). The ethic of care: Recapturing social work’s first voice. Social Work, 57(3), 271-280. doi:10.1093/sw/sws007. (Special Note: This is a long article, close to ten pages, but it provides a fresh and provocative view of how social work has gone full circle as a profession and is now returning to our roots in terms of relational care.)

Multimedia: 

  • 571 Week 2 – Goals, Norms, and Communication in Groups

Whole-Class Discussion:

  • A Relational Approach to Nurturing Group Culture

Assignments:

  • Week 2 Journal
  • Week 2 Small Group Team Project

Week 3: Establishing a Deliberate Group Process 

Readings:

  • Course text: Ch. 1 pp. 15-24, Ch. 7 pp. 238-246, Ch. 12 pp. 363-373
  • Sethi, B. (2017). Healing through group work. Social Work with Groups, 40(1-2), 156-160. doi:10.1080/01609513.2015.1065387
  • Clements, J. A. (2017). Invisible people don’t need masks. Social Work with Groups, 40(1-2), 17. doi:10.1080/01609513.2015.1069540
  • Myers, K. (2017). Creating space for LGBTQ youths to guide the group. Social Work with Groups, 40(1-2), 55-61. doi:10.1080/01609513.2015.1067092

Multimedia:

  • 571 Week 3 – Establishing a Deliberate Group Process
  • Leading Groups with Adolescents

Whole-Class Discussion:

  • Designing Sessions to Facilitate Desired Outcomes

Assignments: 

  • Week 3 Journal
  • Week 3 Small Group Team Project

Week 4: Dealing with Anger in Groups and Introduction to Trauma Recovery Group Models

Readings:

  • Course text: Ch. 6 pp. 187-198, Ch. 12 pp. 367-368 (Strategies for Working with Hostile, Involuntary Members), Ch. 13 pp. 400-407
  • Anger Management for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Clients: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Manual for Group Facilitators (PDF)

Multimedia:

  • 571 Week 4 – Dealing with Anger, Conflict, and Other Strong Emotions in Groups
  • Understanding Trauma through TREM and M-TREM (8:22)
  • Seeking Safety Therapy –  Interview with Dr. Martha Schmitz (2015) (16:54)

Whole-Class Discussion:

  • Anger from the Inside-Out and the Outside-In

Assignments: 

  • Week 4 Journal
  • Week 4 Small Group Team Project
  • Submit Link to Group Therapy Website

Week 5: The Therapeutic Factors (PCOMS) and Introduction to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Groups & Dialectical Behavioral Treatment (DBT) Groups

Readings: 

  • Course text: Appendix 1, Module 1 (Rational Therapy Groups) and Module 4 (DBT Groups)
  • Edelstein, M. (2017). 5 major differences between REBT & CBT. Psychology Today.
  • Rachel Evans, 2014, Houston Group Psychotherapy Society Newsletter. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Group Practice.
  • Wampold, B. E. (2015). How important are the common factors in psychotherapy? An update. World Psychiatry, 14(3), 270-277. doi:10.1002/wps.20238

Multimedia: 

  • 571 Week 5 – The Therapeutic Factors (PCOMS) and Introduction to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Groups & Dialectical Behavioral Treatment (DBT) Groups
  • PCOMS Enhances the Factors Related to Success, presented by Barry Duncan, 2016 (7:55)
  • Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy for Addictions. Here is an opportunity to see Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in action with the master himself, Albert Ellis. Note: This video contains graphic and profane language, something social workers encounter on a regular basis, the difference you may notice in this video is that Ellis uses this language himself in reflecting the client’s thoughts and expressions of feelings. Although this is an individual session, the approach that Ellis models can be directly adapted to Groups. (53 minutes) 

Whole-Class Discussion:

  • Are rational positive self-talk and mindfulness the key to ending human suffering?

Assignments: 

  • Week 5 Journal
  • Week 5 Small Group Team Project

Week 6: Introduction to Narrative Therapy Groups and Solution-Oriented Therapy Groups

Readings: 

  • Cohen, M. B., & Graybeal, C. T. (2007). Using solution-oriented techniques in mutual aid groups. Social Work with Groups, 30(4), 41-58. doi:10.1300/J009v30n04_04

Multimedia: 

  • 571 Week 6 – Narrative Therapy and Solution-Oriented Therapy Groups
  • Beads of Life – A narrative therapy group for children who have been diagnosed with a medical condition by Sara Portnoy, 2017. (25:11)
  • Thwarting Shame – Feminist engagement in narrative group-work with men recruited to patriarchal dominance in relationships by Kylie Dowse, 2017. (23:53)
  • Solution Focused Therapy – Addressing a client’s relationship to drink, 2013. Note: Watch the first 38-minutes of this video, there is a six-minute introduction and then a live session with the therapist. The live session runs for just over 30 minutes and ends at the 38-minute mark. The live session is followed by a debriefing conversation and post-treatment message from the client which you are welcome to watch but it is not required. Although this is an individual session, not a group session, the therapist demonstrates many of the core elements of solution-oriented brief therapy. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find quality video demonstrations of solution-oriented group-work. As you watch the live individual session imagine how you could transfer the interventions demonstrated to a group session.

Whole-Class Discussion:

  • Healing through preferred stories and highlighting solutions

Assignments: 

  • Week 6 Journal
  • Week 6 Small Group Team Project

Week 7: Presentation and Peer Evaluation of Student Websites

There are no supplemental readings or multimedia assignments this week. The only required learning activity this week is to review and evaluate your classmates’ websites following the steps outlined in the whole-class and small-group discussion instructions.

Whole-Class Discussion:

  • Website Peer Evaluation and Feedback

Assignments:

  • Week 7 Journal
  • Week 7 Small Group Team Project

Week 8: Endings and Evaluation in Groups

Note: This is a short week, ending on Sunday. Please plan accordingly!

Readings:

  • Course text: Ch. 14
  • Birnbaum, M. L., Mason, S. E., & Cicchetti, A. (2003). Impact of purposeful sessional endings on both the group and the practitioner. Social Work with Groups, 25(4), 3-19. doi:10.1300/J009v25n04_02
  • Shapiro, E. L., & Ginzberg, R. (2002). Parting gifts: Termination rituals in group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 52(3), 319-336. doi:10.1521/ijgp.52.3.319.45507
  • Ending the Therapeutic Relationship: Creative Termination Activities (Note: Although presented for endings in individual therapy these ideas apply to groups as well)
  • Website: Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy: Termination of Group Psychotherapy. 

Multimedia:

  • 571 Week 8 – Endings and Evaluation in Groups

Whole-Class Discussion:

  • Closure and Transitions in Groups

Assignments: 

  • Final Website Submission
  • Week 8 Journal
  • Week 8 Small Group Team Project

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Social Work page

UNE Libraries:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

Essential Academic and Technical Standards

Please review the essential academic and technical standards of the University of New England School Social Work (SSW): https://online.une.edu/social-work/academic-and-technical-standards-une-online-ssw/

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Confidentiality Statement

Student and faculty participation in this course will be governed by standards in the NASW Code of Ethics relating to confidentiality in sharing information from their placement sites and practice experiences. Students should be aware that personal information they choose to share in class, class assignments or conversations with faculty does not have the status of privileged information.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Attendance Policy

8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.