Exercises in Group Work

Welcome toExercises in Group Work.This workbook is a study guide designed to accompany Gladding'sGroup Work: A Counseling Specialty(4th ed.). It also is designed to extend your learning through knowledge checks (mini quizzes), application and reflection (scenarios and vignettes to consider and respond to), individual and small group activities (reflecting on your classroom experiences, community opportunities, and others), a space to formalize reflections on any out-of-class group participation, and a variety of other opportunities to better develop your understanding of the complexities of group work. This workbook offers students examples, vignettes, and scenarios pertaining to the diverse sphere of settings where groups happen, from classrooms with young children, adolescents, and adults to' an assortment of meetings, to counseling and psychotherapy groups in school counseling offices, outpatient mental health centers, and hospital settings. The format mirrors Gladding's textGroup Work: A Counseling Specialty(4th Ed.) and hopefully will parallel the life experiences of many students who are utilizing this workbook as a way to learn about groups. I ask students to consider examples from culturally diverse populations throughout. I encourage you not to see the world as an extension of yourselves, rather see where you are unique among so many others. So numerous are the variations of human experience it is likely some will be disappointed by my neglecting to mention one or many important differences; I promise such omissions are not intentional. You will notice that ample writing space (lined sections and blank spaces) is provided where you are encouraged to keep notes, enter reflections, journal, and otherwise strengthen your personal growth and learning as you focus on the world of group work. I believe that this reflecting process will aid immeasurably in your continued group membership and eventual practice as a group leader, and as you continue your academic journey. Answers to multiple choice and true and false questions are provided at the end of this book; however, much of what is asked of you throughout this workbook has many possible answers. Hence, I encourage working with partners, in small groups, and with your instructors in determining good, better, and best answers. Your course instructor will direct how she or he feels the use of this workbook will benefit you most. If you are completing this workbook as a self-directed learning experience, I trust you will chart an interesting course. Note that the pages of this workbook are perforated, thus allowing you to share your responses to some prompts and questions with other students, while keeping your more personal reflections private. The process of learning about group work can be divided into several, rather overlapping segments: textknowledge,where you learn of history and trends, pioneers, concepts, theories, methods, and research;application,where you practice putting text knowledge into guided practice; andexperiential,where students transition into actual demonstration and participation by being an observer, member, coleader, leader, and perhaps supervisor and teacher. This workbook is designed to guide learning opportunities in each of these three areas. ORGANIZATION This workbook design parallelsGroup Work: A Counseling Specialty(4th Ed.) by Samuel T. Gladding, chapter by chapter. However, students or their course instructors may wish to select in what order this material is covered, the time spent in each of the 3 parts of the text, and what learning strategies will be utilized and when. Students may find that the sequence of some writing activities or the need to clarify text content is best accomplished by flipping back and forth, skipping sections altogether, or returning to material a second time. Chapters in this Workbook have several common elements, which I outlinKraus, Kurt L. is the author of 'Exercises in Group Work' with ISBN 9780130981882 and ISBN 0130981885.