Group work, with its long history of the use of program, has been at the forefront of incorporating the arts into clinical and community practice. This special issue provides group work practitioners, educators, students, and researchers the opportunity to share and explore the creative use of art, music, poetry, drama, literature, and other media with diverse populations in a wide range of settings.
Group workers are innovators and creative beings at heart. Through the years, as we have worked in groups and known amazing group workers, we were struck by the fact so many wonderful groups are missing from our literature. Like great storytellers, incredible group ideas and activities have been passed down from group worker to group worker with little time or opportunity to present these ideas in a formal fashion. As we came up with the idea to develop this special issue, we were thrilled to be able to highlight such a meaningful set of group work practices in the creative arts.
In this edition
We honor and celebrate the use of arts in social work practice with groups in the fields of health, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse/addiction, aging, child welfare, youth development, and more. Illustrations of the use of the arts in clinical, educational, organizational, and community settings follow. The use of the arts and social work practice with groups for individual and family development, team building, program development, community organization, and social justice abound. The authors in this edition blend theory and practice with vivid illustrations that bring practice to life for readers. Implications for practice as it relates to direct services, program design, education, research, training, continuing education, supervision, and policy are conveyed.
Lessons learned as we have edited this special issue
As we reflect back on the process of developing this special issue of group work and the creative arts, there have been a few lessons learned in the process.
Lesson 1: Group work itself is an art
As we read the incredible number of submissions that came in to be considered, we were overwhelmed by the diversity and creativity of group workers. Group workers shared activities, techniques and strategies that we had never heard of before and in some cases never even considered. It was exciting to learn about all of the wonderful work going on. We realized as we reviewed manuscripts for this special issue, that group work in itself is a creative process; the work of the group worker and the group members is really a creative dynamic process that looks and feels a lot like art.
Lesson 2: Group work has a foundation
In every submission that you read in this edition you will find that group work’s soul can be found in every author. The mutual aid, problem-solving, recreation, and empowerment roots of our profession are illustrated in every article that you read. We are lucky to have such a wonderful legacy of promoting change through collaboration!
Lesson 3: This is a sample and not the whole story
As much as we are thrilled to share with you the experiences of these group workers and artists, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Our hope is that if you are reading this and know you are one of us—a group worker with an artist’s soul, and are using creative arts in your practice, that you consider taking steps to write about and publish your work.
As guest editors, we were new to this experience. We are grateful to Andy Malekoff, the editor for Social Work with Groups for his willingness to guide and teach us along the way. As he mentored us in the process, we hope that we in some way have mentored you, the reader. Think about presenting your work in some way; for as we share our passion, we improve our social work profession a little bit more. We hope that you will keep creating!
Acknowledgments
We would like to dedicate this special edition to our fathers: John “Andy” Carpenter and Charles “Charlie” Walsh who both passed away in the past nine months. We would not be the social workers we are today without their love and guidance.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Jennifer Clements
Jennifer Clements, MSW, PhD, LCSW is a professor in the Department of Social Work and Gerontology at Shippensburg University since 2005. In addition, she is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Pennsylvania with more than 20 years of practice experience working with children and families. A strong advocate for holistic self-care and creative arts, she has incorporated art, poetry, and mindfulness into her practice and personal life. Although she teaches across the social work curriculum, group work is her passion, and she has been teaching and training in social work with groups for much of her career. Having served on the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) board of directors, as a member at large and vice president, she enjoys every opportunity to work and collaborate with group work colleagues. Recent group work publications have included coediting and authoring the book Riding the Mutual Aid Bus and authoring of a chapter in the most recent edition of the group work textbook, Group Work with Populations at Risk.
Kathleen Walsh
Kathleen (Kat) Walsh, MSW, PhD, LCSW is an associate professor and BSW program coordinator at Millersville University where she has taught since 2007. Previously, she was a visiting lecturer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work. She teaches a variety of practice courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Her enthusiasm for social work has been demonstrated in her work in public child welfare, as a community organizer, and as director of several community-based programs in predominantly urban areas. Additionally, she served as an executive director of a nonprofit emergency and homeless services agency and was the clinical director of the Pro Bono Counseling Project in Baltimore, Maryland. Whether it’s the academic classroom, or teaching an aerobics class, Kat thrives on the opportunity to connect with people and share her drive to fight for the greater good. A passionate group worker, Kat seeks to foster connection, creativity, equity, and integrity in all that she does.