Evaluation of Group Practice - Case Study Example

Evaluation of Group Practice Introduction The prime focus of this paper is the evaluation of the group practice which was done in St. Luke’s Addiction Recovery Centre, Miami. Group practice, as we all agree, is an art that requires lots of group skills and if the needs of the practice are fulfilled intelligently, there is no doubt that the result will be of the highest quality. Groups “are ideal social environments for acquiring knowledge and skills, reducing difficulties in social relationships, coping with stress, enhancing social competence, accessing social resources, and removing environmental obstacles” (Northen & Kurland, 2001, p.353). Working in groups is, of course, much different from working alone. Skills of various types are involved in this exercise. This paper focuses on analyzing such a group activity and exploring the tensions and conflicts involved in the practice. History of the Group The group I worked with consisted of five women and six men and we practiced in the St. Lukes addiction recovery center, which is a residential social service facility affiliated with Catholic Charities that provides comprehensive treatment and prevention services to individuals and their families. The center is located in Miami and is a prestigious institute with caring professional staff, beautiful building, and spacious grounds that portray its uniqueness. The experience I gained from working in this group helped me in many respects. The addiction recovery center is renowned for its comprehensive activity schedule aimed at the physical, psychological, and the spiritual needs of the individual. Remarkable enough, the persons participating in group therapy are provided with a right platform or forum where they can express their feelings and collect the feedback from the professionals as well as the peers, thereby rebuilding their self-esteem, trust in others, and self-confidence. The center was founded by Ben Sheppard, a physician and a judge, in 1957. Working together with Father Ross Garnsey, who began the Catholic Church’s involvement in alcohol and drug treatment, he reached out to the addicted people who were often ignored by the society. The institute has been working in the field for more than 40 years now to assist thousands of recovering addicts and their families to get back to the normality of the life. The Initial Conception of Client Need and the Groups Purpose The group consisted of five women and six men and as an initial observation it may be noted that the group members were all uncomplicated and open who were of different ethnic groups. The group raised certain challenges as their needs varied. My interest in the group included empowering them to understand themselves better, finding out the ways that lead to the productive and fruitful future of the clients, and identifying and developing the right methods and strategies that worked for the best benefit of the members. As the literature on group practice suggests, the significance of relationship between group members cannot be ignored at any stage and it is of particular importance in the initial stages of the activity. Type of Group Service Offered There are many types of group service that are offered in the field, such as the cognitive/behavioral model, the methods that aim at psycho-social problem solving, and personal growth. Among them, a judicial combination of all those methods that promise the maximum benefit of the group members was adopted in the group practice. Behaviorism “seeks not merely to understand human behavior, but to predict and control it,” (DeMar, n.d) and it was found useful at certain stages of the practice. The service in the group activity aimed at the behavioral modification of the clients and so the behavioral model was much appreciated at times. The practice also concentrated on the “person’s internal representations of the world and with the internal or functional organization of the mind” (González, 1996) and the practice of the cognitive method was found very relevant in such areas. Thus, rather than sticking on to a specific type of service the judicious mixture of the most relevant models was found more effective. The Group Practice: Compositional Balance, Strategies Structural and Temporal Aspects The group practice was well planned, and the most effective member recruitment strategies were adopted. The planning aimed at the maximum benefit to the members and so the number of the group members was limited to eleven altogether to minimize the possibility of any group conflicts which is regarded inevitable (Northen & Kurland, 2001). Everything seemed to be fine at the beginning stage. The area where the meeting took place was spacious, clean, and air conditioned. The group would meet every Wednesday at 6pm for two hours in the ¾ way house family living room. The group seemed to be very open to the new members. When some one in the group shared his/her experiences in the group based on the topic provided, other members could easily understand it in their life experience. There was a specific purpose to every activity carried out in the group, but it was never agenda/workbook driven alone. All of the activities performed aimed at the complete benefit of the clients. The composition was a real challenge and the success in the composition was evident in the various results of the group activity. This was efficient enough to facilitate and enrich the development of the group members and to limit the possible external influence on the group in its practice decisions. The group contained, as mentioned before, five women and six men. Except for certain type of influence, especially on the course design and the activity or the agenda, the personal and other such influences were checked to a great deal. However, there were times when conflicts were so imminent. It is notable that “conflict in groups results when two or more people perceive that their individual goals are mutually exclusive; accomplishing one person’s goal keeps another’s goal from being achieved” (Northen & Kurland, 2001, p. 62) and it was right in the case of group activity we experienced. The various types of activities and sharing that were conducted all through the program suggested that the members were, in general, dissatisfied with the way they were treated and the oppression and discrimination they suffered had negative impact on them. However, there were also some who were indifferent to the type of treatment they suffered at the hands of other people. As could be gathered from their sharing about certain bitter experience, these people were much targeted in the society which had influence on the way they behaved in the program. This also affected the practice decisions as we needed to modify our programs in order to include almost all their interests. From their sharing and the way they participated in the program, it was clear that the life conditions, circumstances, and life events were far from promising. There were times when these experiences resulted in conflicts and cohesion in the group. “Group members do not always get along well with one another. Even in the most serene group one member may irritate another; with little warning the group’s atmosphere may transform from one of tranquility to one of hostility” (Forsyth, n.d). This fact about conflict was proved our group activity. The particular life experiences of the members have been crucial in this development. The performance of the members in the group practice was relative to the experience they had with their life situations. Their life experiences prompted them, at times, to be of mutual help and support. The Seating Arrangement of the Group The seating arrangement of the group is of great significance which can be crucial to the ultimate result of the group practice. In this group, the members arranged their seating in circles, so that they get a clear sight of all others in the group. “The circle de-emphasizes the importance and control of the leader and places him/her in an equal basis with the participants. This arrangement encourages participant, communication and involvement and creates an informal atmosphere” (E.topics, 2002). The result of this particular seating was spectacular as the group members had the maximum freedom in this method which encouraged them to be dynamic in the group activities. Contracting Process and the Group practice Every group activity is carried out with certain specific purposes. “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty” (National Association of Social Workers, 2007). To understand the significance of group practice and the need for better relation among its members, we need to identify the social aspects of such practices. “The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values” National Association of Social Workers, 2007) and these core values include service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. This was the same spirit that drove me forward in the group activity and I came to consensus with the members of the group, many often, in order to achieve this aspect of the practice. I realized the significance of group cooperation and committed efforts in the ultimate result of the group activity. Thus, I was ready to make any negotiable compromise in the best interest of the group activity and its results. The realization of the great role of contracting in group practice helped me develop a cordial relation with my colleagues. Thus, we came to many agreements based on the ethical responsibilities to each other for the good conduct of the practice. Our behaviors were characterized by respect for each other, confidentiality about the information, interdisciplinary collaboration, consultation, impairment of the members, and the like. On the basis of the ethical principles, I came to a consensus with the group members to aim at the development of the clients’ individuality. We arranged and managed every activity so as to help the clients to achieve their full potential. The ethical principles that helped the formulation of the practice included the following. “Social workers primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems.” “Social workers challenge social injustice.” “Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.” “Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships.” “Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner.” “Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise.” (National Association of Social Workers, 2007). Based on these principles, we formulated the various activities of the practice. The clients were provided with opportunities to present their cases and experiences which were later analyzed by the group members. According to the recommendations of the analyses the issues of the clients were addressed in the group events and on other related occasions all of which expressed the commitment of the members to the various social problems. The group activity and programs were directed towards the address of human concern for the socially affected people and their issues similar to that of our clients. Problematic Group Process and Practice: Evaluation As we all understand it right, every group activity involves various strategic difficulties in its functioning. They are the problems that every group experiences in its efforts to come together, initiate its collective work, develop cohesion, and establish a mutual aid system, etc. Remarkably, our group practice also experienced many such challenges, though were not very evident in the outcome of the group practice. This was mainly due to the timely intervention of the strong and influencing members and the consensus we arrived at. “Confrontation is a powerful intervention strategy within the therapeutic process. When done skillfully, it serves as a means for the members themselves and the group-as-a-whole to address inconsistencies, clarify perceptions, and to assume a proactive rather than a reactive posture. When done awkwardly, it leads to fear, anxiety, and heightened defensiveness on the part of the members” (Reid, 2004, pp.224-237). The problematic group process that the group confronted was especially made use for the benefit of the group. The problematic group process the group experienced was manifold and it happened in the efforts to work together as a group, to initiate the collective work and the group work in unity and mutual help. The Motivational Interviewing Therapy (MIT) and Solution Focused Brief Therapy were found great influence to the final result of the practice. “Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a short-term goal-focused therapeutic approach which helps clients change by constructing solutions rather than dwelling on problems” (Gingerich, 2007). In this practice the intervention of the therapist is minimal and the treatment lasts only for less than six weeks. The elements of the desired solution are found in the client’s life and it becomes the basis of the change made. (Gingerich, 2007). The problematic group practice came up as a result of the individual difference and the efforts of certain members to dominate the group activity etc. The issues related to it could be identified from the way the participants reacted to different situations. Whenever, there came up certain issues due to the various personal and premeditated efforts to control the activities, the group could not work together or establish programs accordingly. At a stage, they were not even ready to listen to the instructions made and the whole group was carried away by the particular behaviors of such members. Trusting on the effectiveness of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, I concentrated on the creation of solutions to their problems rather than focusing on the problem itself. All my activities were directed towards the members of the group, in particular to those who wanted particular solutions and were not able to find them on their own. Many aspects of the group activity, including the inconsistency of the members’ character and behavior had their impact on the group practice. There was a great degree of relation between my concerns and the group members’ actions. The focus of my consideration was to build a good rapport with the members all through the program so that the issue of confrontation is the minimum. There are a number of skills that are involved in the practice with the clients and I found the usefulness of almost all the skills that I had acquired all these years and they mainly included the skill of client understanding, the assessment of behavior and their peculiarities, the proper communication with the various elements of the practice and skill of developing personal relation with the group members and the ability to control the inner spheres of their being. Conclusion To conclude, it may be stated that a successful group practice involves various deterministic factors. There will come up a number of issues to be tacked in the course of the program. According to the way you manage these situations and your involvement in the practice, the result of the program varies. The practice was mainly concerned with the ways to tackle the difficult situations. If the activity with the group is carried on and the effect of the practice is not at the complete result in favor of the practice, there would be better result in the group activity if the techniques of the practice are carried forward. This is mainly because there is a need for more time for the best result to be gained. The members of the group need to focus more on the characteristic features of the clients in order to find the best solution to their problems in their own situations. It is also vital that more emphasis is laid on the work in groups and the effect can be made higher. References DeMar, G. (n.d.). Behaviorism. The forerunner. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://forerunner.com/forerunner/X0497_DeMar_-_Behaviorism.html E.topics. (2002). Keep your meeting moving . . . Power Seating. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www.ramsborg.com/etopic/Nov2_2002/index.html Forsyth, D. R. (n.d.). Group dynamic resource page: Conflict. Teaching Resources. University of Richmond. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www.richmond.edu/~dforsyth/gd/ Gingerich, J. W. (2007). SFBT: What is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy? Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www.gingerich.net/SFBT/Default.htm González, L. F. (1996). Glossary: Cognitivism. Cogs web Project. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/poplog/computers-and-thought/gloss/node1.html National Association of Social Workers. (2007). Code of Ethics: Preamble. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www.naswdc.org/pubs/code/code.asp Northen, H., & Kurland, R. (2001). Social work with groups (3rd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press, 353. Northen, H., & Kurland, R. (2001). Social work with groups (3rd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press, 61. Northen, H., & Kurland, R. (2001). Social work with groups (3rd ed.). New York. Columbia University Press, 62. Reid, Kenneth E. (2004, December 13). The Use of Confrontation in Group Treatment. Attack or Challenge? Clinical social work Journal (pp. 224-237). Springer Netherlands. Read More