This paper will require you to apply concepts from this course in analyzing a group that you have observed or participated in since the beginning of this semester. You will need to select a task oriented or therapeutic group to analyze that is facilitated at your agency or in your community. You might select from the following types of groups:
Self-help group (e.g. AA/NA, Alanon, NAMI)
Support group (e.g. for cancer patients and/or family members)
Educational group (e.g. anger management, stress management)
Faith based group (e.g. church group for singles)
Wraparound or family team decision-making group
Supervision group for clinicians
Interdisciplinary treatment team
Committee focused on program planning
Community coalition
* *Make sure you inform the group as to the reason for your attendance and ensure that they are comfortable with you being there for this purpose. You will need to attend at least 2 meetings of the same group between the dates of 9/1 and 10/5. If possible, schedule your second observation in the first week in October, after we have covered course material that will form the basis of your analysis. Talk to the group facilitator or a long term member to gather information about the group’s development (how did it start, how long has it been meeting, how it has evolved, etc.)
Your paper will need to be 6-7 pages of content, with one reference page. APA format for citations is required. Use the headings below and respond to the following questions and prompts.
Introduction (1 page or less)
• What type of group did you observe or participate in (task or therapeutic; if therapeutic is it self-help, support, educational)?
• Who attends and how often?
• How did the group get started? How long has it been meeting? How has it evolved?
• What is the focus or intended purpose of the group?
Group Work Analysis (4 pages)
• What theory is most useful in understanding the group’s purpose (systems, psychodynamic, social learning, field theory)? How so?
• What are the norms that guide the group (e.g. formal vs. informal, prescriptive, proscriptive, injunctive)?
• What are the roles of group participants? (task, relationship, individual, as discussed in reading). Give examples of how members carried out their role.
• To what extent is the group cohesive and/or productive?
• What type of leadership is required for the group to function optimally?
• Based on your limited observation, is the group effective in achieving its purpose? Why or why not?
Literature Review (find two scholarly articles focused on the type of group that you observed or participated in; 1-2 pages)
• Provide a brief overview of the type of group discussed in each article.
• If the article is conceptual, what theory is applied and how? If the article is based on research what was the methodology used, results of the study?
• What did you learn from the articles that could be applied in your field setting or community?
Comments: Please use hypothetical information or just pretend that you observe the group
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