Coming Together: Factors that Connect Social Workers to Group Work Practice

ABSTRACT

Group work is an effective method to intervene with various populations in multiple settings. However, research has demonstrated that social workers are often not prepared for the realities of group work practice. In this study, the lens is turned on professional social workers that identify as group workers about the motivations and factors that contributed to their practice of group work. The goal of this research is to provide data and related insights that will enhance the preparation of social workers for the realities of contemporary group work practice. The study also identified factors that would enhance group work education in both the classroom and field education settings.

KEYWORDS:

• group work
• classroom learning
• field education
• learning group work
• teaching group work
• field placement
• teaching methods
• group facilitation
• group work challenges