Inside Group Work by Fiona Mcdermott

Inside Group Work by Fiona Mcdermott

A valuable guide to working with groups for a variety of purposes in the human services. Its distinctive strength is the focus on 'thinking group' and on theory informed reflective practice. Grounded throughout in the rich experiences of 'group insiders', the book is both engaging and informative. Definitely a recommended resource for practitioners, students and educators.

Ros Thorpe, Professor of Social Work and Community Welfare, James Cook University

Group facilitation is a core skill for social workers, community workers, youth workers, health workers and psychologists. Inside Group Work offers a guide to group work theory and practice in a variety of human service settings.

Drawing on thought-provoking contributions from experienced group leaders and participants, Fiona McDermott outlines the various ways in which group work can be used. Focusing particularly on psychoeducation groups, psychotherapy groups, mutual aid groups and social action groups, she explains that the purpose of the group should determine the form it takes.

The key facilitation skills of listening, observing, intervening and responding under pressure are outlined. But McDermott argues these skills by themselves are not sufficient. Rather, facilitators need to 'think group' in order to be most effective.

McDermott also explains the various stages groups go through, and looks at ways in which group facilitators can handle typical problems. She explores issues of power and leadership, and also the influence of gender, sexuality, ethnicity and age.

NADINE CAMERON is completing her PhD on the relevance of neuroscience to social work interventions with depression sufferers. She is actively engaged in theatre and the arts, drawing on these sources to enrich her theoretical and practice knowledge within social work.

Dr FIONA McDERMOTT is Senior Lecturer at the School of Social Work, The University of Melbourne, Australia. Her teaching, research interests and ongoing practice are in the areas of groupwork and mental health where she has published widely.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781865088921
ISBN 10	1865088927
Title	Inside Group Work
Author	Fiona Mcdermott
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
Year published	2003-02-01
Number of pages	232
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.