NETAJI SUBHASH COLLEGE OF NURSING

PREPARATION
OF
GROUP WORK

SUBJECT- NURSING EDUCATION

SUBMITTED TO SUBMITTED BY
MRS.KANCHAN SHARMA INDU BALA

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR M.SC(N) 2ND YEAR

MENTAL HEALTH NURSING MEDICAL SURGICAL NURSING

SUBMITTED ON-:
GROUP WORK

INTRODUCTION
Group work creates an atmosphere that encourages successful behavior. Working in group
engages students / other workers with others who may have different sets of language and social
skills. Using smaller groups to meet goals allow the people to develop skills that are valuable in
life and work such as talking about the ideas, develop new skills etc.

DEFINITION
According to oxford dictionary ‘A number of people or things that are located ,gathered or
classed together.’

Group work define as ‘as a method of social work which help individual to enhance purposeful
group experience and to cope more effectively with their personal, group and community
problems. --- Giselle konopka

Group work is a technique within the field of social work wherein various groups are guided by
an agency leader to more effective personal adjustment and community participation.

BENEFITS OF GROUP WORK

 Personality develop gradually through interaction with different people

 Helpful in decision making
 New ideas will flow
 Work load will be distributed among members
 Promotes democracy .
 Improve the coomunication skills
 Develop ‘we’ feelings
 Development of confidence
 Help to solve the problem

NEED OF GROUP WORK

 There is requirement of holistic approach to make people responsible human apart from
being qualified
 To develop coping skills with the present days stress
 To overcome stress recreation along with purposeful and meaningful message is
necessary.
AIM OF GROUP WORK

 Sensitizing the leader to understand the common emotional problems of the people
 Training leader is basic counseling skills.
 Imparting life skills education.
 Promoting conducive environment and to eliminate problems like ragging , teasing
and bullying
 Help people to cope with work stress
 Train to adopt no aggressive style of promoting discipline .

PRINCIPLE TO BE FOLLOWED WHILE WORKING IN GROUP

 To maintain confidentiality
 A group worker should not be baised
 Purpose and goals should be described
 Listen to the opinions of the group members whether agree or disagree
 Choose those activities which are useful and enjoyable for the members
 Start preparing for the termination process before the worker start showing the sign of
dependency on the group worker.
 Homogeneity in terms age , sex, and class is prerequisite for the success of group work
in group.

TYPES OF GROUP WORK IN HEALTH CARE SETTING

 Mutual aid/empowerment
 Biopsychosocial
 Psychoeducational group
 Therapy group
 Single session group

1.Mutual aid/empowerment

Mutual aid groups are described as “an alliance of individuals who need each other, in
varying degrees, to work on certain common problems” . Mutual aid is also seen as a
process whereby group members help themselves through helping one another and derive
empowerment through the process . The processes of mutual aid help group members
experience the universal nature of their problems, reduce isolation and stigma associated
with these struggles, and hear perspectives, challenges, and solutions from other members .

2. Biopsychosocial
The biopsychosocial model of health recognizes that an individual’s health and well-being
are impacted by the interaction among a number of factors. These include biological
factors, psychological factors (i.e. emotions, mental health status), social factors (i.e.
support from family/ friends) and environmental factors (i.e. the social determinants of
health--i.e. finances/housing,). Group work hospital care settings is an ideal approach to
incorporate these factors into a program of support.

3. Psychoeducational groups

In health-care settings, which operate under a medical model of care, patients may struggle
with the sequelae of their medical conditions, such as anxiety, depression and difficulties
adhering to treatment. As well, patients also may need support understanding their medical
conditions and the lifestyle changes needed to manage them. Psychoeducational groups are
often delivered to individuals with medical needs, to educate patients and/or their families
about medical conditions and to teach skills required to help manage the conditions and the
stress that often accompanies them. The psychoeducational offered in the groups may be
informed by already developed treatment manuals or by materials developed by facilitators
specifically for the group.

Groups are generally facilitated in a structured manner, such that material is presented by
the leaders, skills are taught and practiced and members are encouraged to talk about what
they have learned and how they will apply it outside the group. Leaders must be well-
prepared ahead of time with content developed in advance, and also be skilled in facilitating
group processes. Typically skill building groups have 10-12 sessions and educational
groups tend to be shorter-from 3-5 sessions. Evaluation in these groups tends to examine
acquisition of knowledge and/or skills.

4. Therapy and support groups

Therapy and support groups provide members with opportunities to address behavior
change through cognitive behavioral techniques. For example, a facilitator might work with
a group in early recovery from heroin on challenging negative and faulty thinking around
methadone maintenance treatment. Therapy groups also provide members with
opportunities to explore personal issues through process-oriented techniques, such as
working with trans youth as they navigate negative family reactions to their decision to
begin hormone treatment. Support groups help members identify coping strategies for
dealing with stressful life events, often in a caring and empathetic environment, such as a
support group for people living with a chronic illness.

Self-help groups offer a similarly supportive environment without formally trained

facilitators. Examples of this include Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and
several other 12-step fellowships. These various types of treatment groups offer members
 important opportunities to experience all the benefits groups have to offer, including
empathy, feedback, mutual aid, and support.

5. Single session groups

Single-session group practice has been seen as a source of significant benefits, both for
participants and for the delivery of social work service. These groups are a venue for the
provision of information, connection, social support and the sharing of experience. They
create a feeling of inclusion in a community of people who are “in the same boat”
(Steinberg, 2004). Single-session groups can also be models of anti-oppressive practice
based on social justice, social action, advocacy, community and diversity.

As a strengths-based practice that utilizes purposeful activity and mutual aid, single-session
groups are particularly useful in healthcare and can fulfill important needs for patients,
families, staff and the organization. Single-session groups are suited to today’s fast-paced
hospital environments and are commonly delivered in hospital settings.

They include groups operated in clinics, in hospital units and in weekend family days.
These groups are either newly formed each session or have an open format, with new
members joining and/or attending each session. They tend to maintain an agenda and
include all stages of groups within a single session, with the exception of the conflict stage.

They are often used to impart information related to the health issue, or to bring people
together who share a health issue to offer one another support, insights into coping
strategies, and resources available outside the hospital.

They require organized facilitators who must engage with members quickly, allow for
maximal participation, keep the agenda moving, and terminate the group with the minimal
unresolved matters. Evaluation of these groups is rare, but quick feedback surveys after
each session are recommended.

DISADVANTAGES OF GROUP WORK

Some personalities strongly influence others. While leadership is a valuable career skill, strong
personalities can make it challenging for others to contribute feedback and can affect the
cohesiveness of the team.

There may be an unequal division of labor. Group work can make uneven contributions seem
the same. In some scenarios, one or two team members may be responsible for most of the work
and the entire team may still receive credit. This can affect a team’s unity and purpose.
Groups could encounter scheduling conflicts. Even with technology, it can be challenging to
schedule time in which all members of the group can attend a meeting. It is important to
determine whether the complications of scheduling group work are as valuable as assigning tasks
to individuals.

People may feel undervalued. Some participants may feel like their team doesn’t value their
suggestions as much as others’ if their ideas aren’t used as frequently. They may participate less
in the group and experience decreased creativity and passion for their work.

There may be more competition. Natural competitiveness can improve motivation, but if the
competition becomes the focus of the group, the work quality may decline. If the
competitiveness of a group increases to an unhealthy level, it may be better to try independent
work instead.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP WORK

You can experience successful outcomes if you use these tips to organize groups:

Consider personalities and work styles. Try to assign people to a project who have similar
working styles and work schedules. For example, two employees who work in the same office
may have an easier time coordinating meetings than members of a group who work remotely.
Creating a group with similarities can increase collaboration and productivity.

Assign each person a role. A group can function smoothly when each person’s responsibilities
are clear. When creating a group, make sure each team member receives a role that entails
specific duties. For example, you can assign someone to be the group coordinator who would be
responsible for creating a meeting schedule and ensuring that the team completes tasks on time.

Use groups for training. New employees can benefit from the expertise and work experience of
long-term members of the company. Assigning new or younger employees to groups where they
will feel valued and encouraged can be a great way to train them. The company’s work
environment and mission can become clearer to them through participation in collaborative
work.