Social Action In Group Work

One of the most effective ways of dealing with social problems is getting rid of the cause of the problem, not just finding a remedy for the result. Social Action in Group Work provides a useful overview of the history, philosophy, theory, and practice of social group work and action in the promotion of societal change. It shows practitioners how to use their skills effectively to achieve social change. This helpful book incorporates ideas developed in social movements, identifies their contributions to social group work practice, and illustrates effective practice in case experience with specific examples. It provides a much-needed understanding of the need for and process of social action, along with new ideas for theory building, teaching, and practice in group work. Numerous case examples from a variety of different settings become models that will be extremely useful for social work students, educators, professionals, and those who work directly with groups. This invigorating book is divided into three sections, each with a unique focus, and tied together by overlapping concepts, theories, and models. The first section, Ideas of Social Action, examines the history of social action in group work and proposes an integrated global framework for social work organization, education and practice. Advocacy and Empowerment, the middle section, is replete with case examples. The third section, Principles and Practice, explores the application of social group work in a variety of situations, including inter-ethnic conflict and a group of homeless men and women. Together, the sections make a strong stand for a more sensitive, empowerment oriented practice and for more advocacy by the worker and group. Everyone involved or interested in the process of social change through social action with groups will find Social Action in Group Work a wealth of practical information.

One of the most effective ways of dealing with social problems is getting rid of the cause of the problem, not just finding a remedy for the result. Social Action in Group Work provides a useful overview of the history, philosophy, theory, and practice of social group work and action in the promotion of societal change. It shows practitioners how to use their skills effectively to achieve social change. This helpful book incorporates ideas developed in social movements, identifies their contributions to social group work practice, and illustrates effective practice in case experience with specific examples. It provides a much-needed understanding of the need for and process of social action, along with new ideas for theory building, teaching, and practice in group work. Numerous case examples from a variety of different settings become models that will be extremely useful for social work students, educators, professionals, and those who work directly with groups. This invigorating book is divided into three sections, each with a unique focus, and tied together by overlapping concepts, theories, and models. The first section, Ideas of Social Action, examines the history of social action in group work and proposes an integrated global framework for social work organization, education and practice. Advocacy and Empowerment, the middle section, is replete with case examples. The third section, Principles and Practice, explores the application of social group work in a variety of situations, including inter-ethnic conflict and a group of homeless men and women. Together, the sections make a strong stand for a more sensitive, empowerment oriented practice and for more advocacy by the worker and group. Everyone involved or interested in the process of social change through social action with groups will find Social Action in Group Work a wealth of practical information.

Help change the world by bringing ideas of social justice into your group work practice! Social workers who use hip-hop music to reach out to troubled adolescents. Practitioners who compare First Nations talking circles with social work practice with groups. A retired professor who transforms the way her fellow senior living center residents participate in their world. Fathers of children with spina bifida who help one another through an online discussion group. These and other examples you’ll discover in Social Work with Groups: Social Justice Through Personal, Community, and Societal Change will help you to assist groups to gain a sense of empowerment and create change in their own lives and communities. In Social Work with Groups: Social Justice Through Personal, Community, and Societal Change you’ll also find: definitions of social justice within the context of social work a proposal to help focus on social justice in teaching guidelines for group facilitators making decisions about self-disclosure studies of innovative group work discussion of the challenges to achieving social justice in group work valuable ways to ground social group work in rich cultural traditions This new book rides the crest of the growing wave of justice in social work with groups. Culled from the proceedings of the 22nd International Symposium of the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, it gives you the innovations and current thinking of professionals who, while coming from different cultural and professional backgrounds, are focused on helping all people enjoy the same rights and opportunities. If you want to use group work to challenge social inequality, Social Work with Groups will be a welcome addition to your library. Social action that gets results has to start somewhere—let it begin with you!

This book spotlights the unique contribution of the Journal for Specialists in Group Work to the social justice literature, and of group work to a social justice agenda. Although the term social justice may be relatively new in the counseling and psychology literature, the underlying values - attention to inequities, advocacy, and empowerment strategies for members of marginalized and oppressed populations – are not new in group work. Group leaders have been attending to these concerns all along, and group work itself is an ideal venue for the realization of social justice concerns. However, until now there has been a limited amount of scholarship on group work with a stated focus on social justice. This groundbreaking book emphasizes action through a practical approach, featuring research and case studies of social justice group work in community and school settings. Chapters highlight how group workers infuse social justice consciousness into their work, address social justice issues, and implement social justice practice. Authors review the history, practice, and future opportunities for social justice advocacy within group modalities. They also address guidelines for the training and supervision of practitioners engaging in social justice group work. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal for Specialists in Group Work.

Clinical Work and Social Action: An Integrative Approach develops a paradigm for social work and human services practice that integrates clinical work and social action. Social workers, clinicians, activists, and educators will explore ways to create harmony in the divisions that currently exist between values, theory, and practice, thereby reducing conflicts in their work. This book identifies central values and selected theoretical ideas for a new model of work that you can adapt to your practice setting. Separate chapters include case material related to work with people of color, work with oppressed populations, and classroom teaching. Clinical Work and Social Action connects the historic split between clinical work and social action to better serve the people with whom you work. Through Clinical Work and Social Action, you will find valuable suggestions and insights into how you can integrate values, theory, and practice as the basis for a new model of work. The book includes topics such as: exposing the myth that “politics” has no place in practice with individual clients and families and demonstrates that all practice is political examining a new paradigm for practice that encourages change at the individual, agency, and social policy levels demonstrating the importance of Paulo Freire’s ideas about dialogical praxis to social welfare work teaching a model of practice that facilitates and promotes involvement and open dialogue with people in the community and students in the classroom offering insight into how you can respond to the full range of your clients’concerns, such as racism, classism, homophobia, domestic violence, homelessness, disabilities, and emotional difficulties exploring how your values, theories, training and experience affect the choice of interventions you make with individuals, groups, and families To bridge the gap between clinical work and social action, you must develop a practice that includes the possibility of social change. With Clinical Work and Social Action, you will find many case studies and examples to help you do just that. This informative book provides you with ways to work with clients to bring about individual and social change and offers strategies for creating change in social agencies and communities.

The goal of Social Groups in Action and Interaction is to review and analyze the human group as it operates to create both social good and, potentially, social harm. The book provides relatively equal emphasis on topics traditionally considered from an intra-group perspective (for instance, conformity, minority influence, group decision-making, leadership, and task performance) as well as topics derived from an inter-group perspective (e.g. social categorization, social identity, intergroup conflict, stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination). In addition, topics that are not unique to either of these two approaches, and yet which are important aspects of group relations, such as culture, crowd behavior, social representations, and negotiation are also covered.

This comprehensive handbook presents major theories of social work practice with groups and explores contemporary issues in designing and evaluating interventions. Students and practitioners gain an in-depth view of the many ways that groups are used to help people address personal problems, cope with disabilities, strengthen families and communities, resolve conflict, achieve social change, and more. Offering authoritative coverage of theoretical, practical, and methodological concerns--coupled with a clear focus on empowerment and diversity--this is an outstanding text for group work and direct practice courses.

Socialization is predominately an unconscious process by which a new born child learns the values, beliefs, rules and regulations of society or internalizes the culture in which it born. Social control is described in detail at the end of the book. It is intended as a book for undergraduate and postgraduate students of sociology and a reference tool to the researchers and academic professionals this comprehensive and well-structured book presents in a systematic way the Social Control and Social Change. The book is undoubtedly a valuable asset for the students, researchers as well as teachers of sociology. In addition, general readers concerned with social aspects and social progress will find it extremely informative.