More handpicked essays just for you.
The advantages and disadvantages of working in groups
Importance of group work in modern times
Critical analysis of group work
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Social group work is an integral part of the effective functioning of social service agencies and by extension provides practice that becomes invaluable to every social worker (UWI Open Campus, 2014). Social workers, through group work, are able to assist individual members by indenting of the collective strengths of other members in the helping and supporting process of all concerned. This paper will seek to highlight the importance and some advantages and disadvantages of group work, along with group dynamics, with direct focus on the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill (CUMI), which is a mental health rehabilitation agency. CUMI partners with the regional psychiatric department, community clinics, mental health officers and other health professionals who provide the foundation for mental health care. This facility is situated in Montego Bay, Jamaica and provides a rehabilitation day centre programme which focuses on the re-structuring of the individuals lives via daily activities inclusive of group work, which is aimed at helping these persons in learning how to cope with managing their mental health challenges (CUMI, n.d). A group is a “collection of individuals who have regular contact and frequent interaction, mutual influence, common feelings of camaraderie and who work together to achieve a common set of goals” (Business dictionary.com).There are two types of groups within the social work profession, namely task and treatment groups, and they are classified based on their purpose. According to Toseland and Rivas (2005) as cited by UWI Open Campus (2014, p. 98) a task group is “one in which the overriding purpose is to accomplish a goal that is neither intrinsically nor immediately linked to the needs of the me... ... middle of paper ... ...ally Ill (CUMI). Retrieved from http://www.cumimobay.org/ Kongvongxay, M. & Chatillion, R. (2013). Tuckman’s Five Stages of Group Development. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/perspectum/5-stages-of-group-development-norms-tuckman-16474067 Kokemuller, N. (2013). Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Work in a Classroom Situation | Education - Seattle PI. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://education.seattlepi.com/advantages-disadvantages-group-work-classroom-situation-1333.html Toseland, R.W. & Rivas, R.F. (2005). An Introduction to Group Work Practice, 5/e. Chapter 3. Understanding Group Dynamics. Retrieved from http://centreofthepsyclone.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/group-work-practice.pdf UWI Open Campus. (2014). Fundamentals Principles and Practices of Social Work 1. Unit 3. Retrieved from http://courses.open.uwi.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=63242