Group Work: A Practical Guide to Developing Groups in Agency Settings

433 Pages·2009·1.79 MB·English

by  Lupe Alle-Corliss

Alle-Corliss
Group
Thorough, hands-on guidance for conducting group work Alle-Corliss
in nonprofit, public, and for-profit agency settings
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Because it improves access, is cost-effective, and can be modified to conform to evidence-
based practice, group work has become the treatment approach of choice in a broad r
range of human service agencies. Written in an approachable manner that allows for
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direct translation of concepts into practice, Group Work: A Practical Guide to Developing Groups
in Agency Settings provides a dual emphasis on clinical group skills along with a thorough under- u Work
standing of agency systems that is necessary to meet the demands of today’s practice settings.
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Written by two experts in the field, this book offers:
■ Practical, detailed, ready-to-use group treatment plans, including group objectives, weekly
session guidelines, discussion topics, activities, relevant research, and other essential tools W A Practical Guide
■ Coverage of the three major types of agencies—nonprofit, public, and for-profit—supported
by research and evidence-based treatments that reflect practitioners’ actual experiences o to Developing Groups
■ A unique agency perspective that includes coverage of agency structure, policies,
history, staff, politics, informal and formal norms, and diverse client populations r in Agency Settings
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Group Work also contains a resourceful CD-ROM with over fifty different Group Profiles
that can be customized to suit clients’ unique styles and needs. Addressing a wide variety of
psychological issues frequently encountered in therapy work with groups, the Group Profiles
cover a range of clients across the lifespan—children, adolescents, adults, older adults, and GA
the medically ill. Topics covered in these Group Profiles include anxiety, depression, divorce r
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adjustment, substance abuse, foster care, trauma, chronic pain, anger management, hospice, ur
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weight management/obesity prevention, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and many more. p
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Clear, concise, and current, Group Work: A Practical Guide to Developing Groups in Agency Settings intic
is a useful resource from which professionals will gain the knowledge, skills, and awareness a

of the many intricacies involved in working with diverse groups within different agency Al
settings. Its easy-to-follow presentation will enable all mental health professionals to successfully gG
eu
apply a variety of concepts, ideas, and skills into their group work practice. ni
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LUPE ALLE-CORLISS is a bilingual licensed clinical social worker with experience in a broad ye

range of mental health agencies. She is an instructor in the Human Services program at California Sto
State University, Fullerton, where she helped develop the curriculum for a new MSW pro- e
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gram. Experienced in program development, she also provides in-service training on a variety t
ie
of mental health topics to practitioners, educators, and students. nv
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RANDALL ALLE-CORLISS is a licensed clinical social worker with rich experience in a sl
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variety of community agencies and with myriad client populations. He teaches in the
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Human Services program and has served as the field coordinator at California State University, i
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Fullerton. He currently manages the Psychiatric Department for Kaiser-Permanente in
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Fontana, California.
Lupe Alle-Corliss
Randall Alle-Corliss
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E1FFIRS 03/20/2009 14:51:52 1
Group Work
E1FFIRS 03/20/2009 14:51:52 2
E1FFIRS 03/20/2009 14:51:52 3
Group Work
A Practical Guide to Developing Groups
in Agency Settings
Lupe Alle-Corliss
Randall Alle-Corliss

JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.
E1FFIRS 03/20/2009 14:51:53 4
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Alle-Corliss,Lupe,1956-
Groupwork:apracticalguidetodevelopinggroupsinagencysettings/byLupe
Alle-CorlissandRandall Alle-Corliss.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-470-28896-2(pbk.)
1. Socialgroupwork. 2. Socialgroups. 3. Socialservice. I. Alle-Corliss,Randy,
1953- II. Title.
HV45.A452009
361.4--dc22
2008044680
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To Jessica and Justin—our wonderful children.
We are so proud of the young adults you have come to be.
May you continue to grow spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally.
We appreciate your accepting attitudes as they have allowed us to
persevere in our professional endeavors.
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E1FTOC 03/20/2009 14:54:8 7
CONTENTS
About the Authors ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Part I
Introduction 1
Chapter 1
Introduction to Group Practice 3
Part II
Developing Group Skills 33
Chapter 2
Fundamentals of Group Work 35
Chapter 3
Understanding Group Development 63
Chapter 4
Theory and Practice of Group Work 99
Part III
Developing Agency Skills 161
Chapter 5
Understanding Agency Systems
and Diverse Client Populations 163
vii
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viii Contents
Chapter 6
Ethical and Legal Issues of Group Work
in Agency Settings 215
Chapter 7
How to Engage in Successful Group
Practice within an Agency 259
Part IV
Applying Group and Agency Skills 295
Chapter 8
Application of Skills:
A Lifespan Approach 297
References 357
Author Index 387
Subject Index 397
About the CD-ROM 411