Groupwork: A Handbook of Effective Skills and Interventions

The book is clearly grounded in the practice wisdom and knowledge base of the author, providing a strong reflective and analytical element, often missing in other more purely theoretical or practice based publications. The text looks at the creative and innovative use of basic groupwork skills and the ways that a knowledge of groupwork theory and practice can inform different areas of human service delivery, particularly in relation to health, education and welfare contexts. The book takes as its starting point the view that groupwork is a skilled activity. However, it is also an intellectual activity because to be an effective groupworker, practitioners need to have a sound knowledge base and to be able to translate that understanding in ways that underpin the skills and interventions that are applied in practice. This theoretical framework includes an analysis of the advantages and limitations of groupwork as a practice method. It also includes an account of the strengths and weaknesses of different groupwork approaches (e.g. cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic, person-centred groupwork approaches), particularly when working with certain groups of people (e.g. with young people, women’s groups), specific dilemmas (e.g. bereavement groups), social problems (e.g. groups for ‘offenders’) or certain contexts (e.g. work with families and communities).