Spring 2026 SOWK 487w Week 10 - Facilitating Social Work Groups

Spring 2026 SOWK 487w Week 10 - Facilitating Social Work Groups

title: Spring 2026 SOWK 487w Week 10 - Facilitating Social Work Groups date: 2026-03-25 10:23:13 location: Heritage University tags:

• Heritage University
• BASW Program
• SOWK 487w presentation_video: > “” description: >

Social work groups require the consideration of the dynamics of group development, intervention strategies, and ethics, which are all the focus of week eight. Students will read Hepworth et al. (2023) and their chapter regarding facilitating social work groups, which provides insight into stages of group development. During class we will make further connections to group dynamics and interventions in group work. Students will present their elevator pitch for the community group facilitation activity. We will have an example of an empowerment group and some small group discussions on how to understand ethical decisions in group work and planning. The agenda for class is as follows:

• Group Intervention Pitch
• Group dynamics in social work facilitation
• Empowerment groups
• Ethics in group work
• Planning and implementing of social work groups

Learning Objectives this week include:

• Describe the stages of group development and identify examples of group dynamics within each stage.
• Analyze group norms through the lenses of orienting perspectives of social work.
• Define empowerment and articulate the core principles of empowerment theory as applied to group work.
• Identify ethical dilemmas that arise in group work and apply a structured decision-making process to navigate them.
• Plan a social work group for a specific population.

The plan for Week 10

Agenda

• Group Intervention Pitch
• Group dynamics in social work facilitation
• Empowerment groups
• Ethics in group work
• Planning and implementing social work groups

Learning Objectives

• Describe the stages of group development and identify examples of group dynamics within each stage.
• Analyze group norms through the lenses of orienting perspectives of social work.
• Define empowerment and articulate the core principles of empowerment theory as applied to group work.
• Identify ethical dilemmas that arise in group work and apply a structured decision-making process to navigate them.
• Plan a social work group for a specific population.

Midcourse Feedback

Thank you. I had half of you (8) people who completed their midterm feedback.

Going Well:

• Teaching Presence & Care: This is the strongest theme across the responses. Multiple students highlighted your genuineness, enthusiasm, and attentiveness. One student described it as making “all the difference in the world,” and several others echoed that your effort and care are clearly visible in your lectures, slides, and videos. Even a student who relayed peers’ complaints about over-explaining explicitly framed it as a strength — “I see the effort.” This kind of relational trust is a real asset, especially in a practice-oriented course.
• Interactive, Engaging Class Sessions: Several students noted a marked improvement from the previous semester, specifically citing more interactive lectures, in-class activities, and guest speakers. Students connected this directly to better engagement and retention. The hands-on practice element.
• Well-Organized Course Infrastructure: The course page, posted lecture recordings, weekly readings, videos, and reading engagement questions were consistently praised. Students described the materials as detailed, organized, and easy to follow. This infrastructure clearly supports students who miss class or need to review.

Negatives:

• Group Work Frustrations: This is the clearest area of tension. Multiple students expressed difficulty with assigned group projects — challenges with coordination, uneven participation, and a preference for choosing their own partners or working independently. A couple of students specifically requested the option for individual alternatives or clearer group checkpoints. (Group work class. Comments about selecting own group… I did have you select your own groups)
• Desire for Cultural Breadth: One student raised a substantive point about the Eurocentric framing of therapeutic models and asked for more inclusion of non-Western approaches. This student is clearly motivated — they’ve done their own reading on international social work — and this could represent an opportunity to incorporate broader perspectives. (added note to consider changing one of the sessions)
• Forums: A couple of people talked about the forums for this class. Too many replies and that they were too redudnat (one week, when we didn’t have class, and three replies)

I reviewed feedback, Claude drew up themes. I reviewed and adapted.

Assignment 04a: Group Intervention Pitch

Each group will make a short informal pitch for the group they plan to facilitate. As a group, students will share with their classmates their plan to implement their group (i.e., when and where) and the content they will do for their groups. These presentations should not be longer than five minutes.

[Whole Group Activity] Have each group complete a their pitch.

Conceptual Frameworks: Group Dynamics

Scholars have used several models to attempt to provide context to the flow of what happens as a general process for group work.

Tuckman (1965) offers a foundational perspective that heavily influenced the model presented by Hepworth (2023). He describes his proposed developmental sequence as including:

1. Forming—Group members test behaviors to understand the boundaries of acceptable behavior. They tend to depend on a leader or established norms to provide structure and direction.
2. Storming – Conflict and polarization arise around interpersonal issues as group members resist group influence and task demands. Emotional responses become prevalent, and there is often a struggle for leadership and influence.
3. Norming – The group develops cohesion, with roles and norms emerging. There is increased collaboration, and members express more intimate, personal opinions, strengthening group identity.
4. Performing – The group becomes a functional unit where structure supports task completion. Roles are flexible, and the focus shifts entirely to achieving goals effectively.

This model was later expanded in 1977 (with Jensen) to include a fifth stage:

1. Adjourning – Groups disband after achieving their goals, experiencing closure, and reflection on accomplishments.

Your Hepworth uses these five stages to describe group work:

1. Preaffiliation: Approach and Avoidance Behavior
   • Group coming together
   • Forming stage
2. Power and Control: A Time of Transition
   • Shift concerns to matters related to autonomy, power, and control
   • Storming stage
3. Intimacy: Developing a Familial Frame of Reference
   • Develop close, deeper ties…
   • Norming stage
4. Differentiation: Developing Group Identity and an Internal Frame of Reference
   • cohesion and harmony
   • Performing stage
5. Separation: Breaking Away
   • Adjournment phase

I like the simplicity of groups having…

• Beginning
• Middle
• End

Examples of Dynamics From Groups

[Small Group Activity] Examples of Group Dynamics

In small groups, review pp. 373-374 in your textbooks. For each stage, have some discussion regarding group members’ experiences in groups. Share stories and examples of what you have seen happen that would demonstrate the various DYNAMICS listed.

Stages include:

• Preaffiliation
• Power and control
• Intimacy
• Differentiation
• Separation

Group Norms and Social Worker Values

Among the critical activities of group facilitation is related to group norms. Facilitators often call attention to group norms, reinforce group norms, or seek to influence norms to ensure that they support the purposes of the group.

[Small Group Activity] Relating values and norms

• Using groups that students have experienced, ask students to analyze norms through the lenses of the orienting frameworks that underlie this text—ecological systems theory, strengths perspective, cultural humility, anti-oppressive practice, trauma-informed practice, and evidence-informed practice.
• Identify norms that students may want to influence based on their analysis.

Conflict Resolution for Task and Treatment Groups

Conflict is a fact of life. It occurs routinely within relationships and can have positive or negative consequences depending upon how it is handled. There are four steps to the problem-solving framework of managing conflict.

1. Recognition
   • Recognizing conflict is easy when people do not talk to one another and are openly hostile, impolite, or outright rude.
   • Ideas by one side may be routinely rejected by the other.
2. Asses
   • Conflict usually requires talking directly to the parties involved.
   • Why is there the conflict, and what does it entail?
3. Choose
   • Choosing a strategy and intervening in identifying the source of conflict is an essential step in resolving it.
   • Once identified, appropriate strategies can be considered or devised.
4. Resolve
   • One way we can avoid becoming involved in conflicts is to recognize when a win-lose situation is developing. When you feel yourself lining up on one side or the other, you are probably becoming involved in a win-lose incident.
   • Strategies are often successful in resolving to avoid win-lose situations and seek to find a win-win solution.

Modeling and Coaching

A group facilitator can use two main methods to evoke change among group members’ behaviors.

• Modeling
  • Social workers may find modeling helpful in several situations. Teaching new skills Showing clients alternative methods for resolving problems Helping clients develop several responses to problematic situations.
  • Conditions that increase the likelihood that a modeled behavior will be copied.
    1. The observer’s attention level or awareness of the model.
    2. The observer’s retention of the modeled behavior.
    3. The observer’s ability to perform modeled behavior.
    4. The observer’s motivation to perform the behavior.
• Coaching
  • Coaching is a skill that includes giving the client-specific information and corrective feedback.
  • This can be done through role-playing.
  • Coaching also involves encouraging members to try new behavior.

Confrontation

• Confrontation within a group tends to be more discomforting than confronting individuals on a one-on-one basis.
• [co-leading] A worker that determines that a member has engaged in behavior warranting confrontation has a responsibility to follow through and confront that individual.
• This situation provides a good opportunity to model appropriate confrontation for other members by:
  • The worker engaging in a nonblaming type of confrontation
  • Pointing out the discrepancy
  • How does it affect the worker? For example, using “I” statements.
• Another way is for a worker to involve the whole group and ask the entire group to take responsibility for problem-solving.
• As always, confrontation should be used judiciously and tactfully. One should have empathy and respect for the sensitivities of the person being confronted.

Introduction

[Whole Class Activity] Watch the Pinky and the Brain video clip.

The readings this week is focused on group facilitation skills, but fits with the framework of empowerment-based advocacy. I want spend some time sharing what empowerment theory looks like, how it works with individuals and in a group. Whenever I think about those subjects I also get the feeling that we have to find ways to take over the world.

Empowerment Activity

Description: In this activity, approximately 1/3 of the participants will be given a lollipop. Each participant with a lollipop can voice their ideas and are “empowered,” while people without lollipops do not have a voice and are seen as tokens.

Purpose: This activity can demonstrate the importance of empowerment and ensure that everyone is self-determined and has a voice.

Recommended Group Size: any size of group Estimated time: 15-20 minutes

Activity Summary: As participants are seated (or before the activity), hand out lollipops to every third or fourth person (after the activity, others can also have the lollipops). Participants must be informed that the lollipops are for an activity and must wait to eat them. In this activity, participants with lollipops are people with a voice, who are empowered, and whose ideas are seen as valuable; In contrast, the participants without lollipops are seen as tokens who are not seen as having valuable ideas. This activity will demonstrate the importance of empowerment and establishing your voice.

Leader Instructions with a Draft Script of Directions:

• Below are keywords that should be included in the introduction and conclusion.

Key Points

• Give lollipops to every third to fourth participant
• Clearly state that the lollipops will be used for the activity and that people can get lollipops after the activity
• Throughout the activity, emphasize how brilliant, fabulous, beautiful, etc. the group with the lollipops is while exaggerating how much the people without lollipops are not.
• Introduce the icebreaker

State that you will be discussing how to best assist youth with disabilities with $1 million and want ideas from everyone

• As you get responses, emphasize how amazing the ideas are from the people with lollipops and how much “better” they are than the others
• The importance here is not the ideas or ways to spend money but rather to clearly show a bias for people with lollipops

Concluding Points and Discussion Questions

• After a few minutes of discussing ways to spend money, end the discussion
• This activity wasn’t about deciding on money; it was about biases and not having your voice heard
• Who did we listen to? (Answer: people with lollipops).
• We used a wholly subjective and irrelevant quality to determine who we would listen to.
• Often, people with disabilities may be seen as not having a lollipop and are therefore not listened to.
• What did it feel not to be listened to?
• How did you feel about the people who do have lollipops? Were you mad at them? Did you feel betrayed? Did you feel separated from them or connected to other people who did or did not have a lollipop like you?

Reference:

This activity is Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership Activity 1, taken from (http://berkstransition.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/activity1.pdf). It is no longer available on their website.

What is Empowerment?

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will” – Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

So what is empowerment, what does it mean?

[Small Group Activity] Have class break up into small groups (partners or trios) and come up with a definition for what empowerment

• What is it?
• Why it’s important?
• How we do it?

Principals of Empowerment Theory (1 of 2)

Empowerment theory has some primary principles in general, not just as it relates to working with groups.

1. All oppression should be fought
2. A systematic understanding of oppression must be maintained
3. People are capable of empowering themselves
4. People need to connect with others to work on empowerment
5. Clinician and the client share power

(Robbins et al., 2006)

Principals of Empowerment Theory (2 of 2)

1. Client centered with the client being encouraged to tell own story & develop own goals
2. Client as “victor not victim”
3. Social change is goal, not symptom reduction.
4. Clinicians must examine how their practice may disempower clients
5. Clinician may need to be socially and politically active to address meso and macro needs [local, national, global issues]

Step 1: Self-efficacy

The first step in empowerment theory is empowering the client. This means helping them to gain self-efficacy. This can be done by the following:

• Skill building
• Gaining self-awareness
• Learning to navigate systems

Step 2: Critical Consciousness

The second step in empowerment theory is connecting the client to the “bigger picture.” This means helping them to gain a critical consciousness about oppression and obstacles. Some examples of this are as follows:

• Identifying barriers
• Defining power
• Connecting the client to a group
• Letting them know they aren’t alone

Step 3: Social Change

The third step in empowerment theory is creating more significant social change. The following are some possible ideas:

• Creating policy and or legal changes
• Have the client act as a mentor
• Connect to another activity that allows them to make social change

Intervention/Collaborative action (1 of 5)

The following parts of doing empowerment theory with groups or in mezzo practice. It closely aligns with steps two and three of the micro practice.

• Planning
• Consciousness Raising / Conscientiazation
• Social / Collective action
• Embeddedness in the community

(Breton, 2017)

Intervention/Collaborative action (2 of 5) - Planning

Planning is the basis of any process. Some criteria are essential to consider when planning.

• Inclusive to all participants
• Important that participants understand purpose of the group
• Focus is on both personal and social change
• Involves risk (i.e. doing social change and challenges)
• Takes time

(Breton, 2017)

Intervention/Collaborative action (3 of 5) - Consciousness Raising / Conscientization

The consciousness-raising stage is when collaborative action starts.

• Start of collaborative action
• Mutual aid model
• Developing actions to address needs expressed

(Breton, 2017)

Intervention/Collaborative action (4 of 5) - Social / Collective action

When we move on to the actual implementation and making changes in the community or other locations is where things get exciting.

• Implement the actions to address expressed needs

(Breton, 2017)

Intervention/Collaborative action (5 of 5) - Embeddedness in the community

The final stage is around embeddeness and is the post-action stage.

• Poststage portion of the group
• What does it look like when you are finished or end
• How do we consolidate changes made

Tasks In the Event of an Ethical Dilemmas

Ethical dilemmas are common in group work.

[Whole Group Activity] Gather examples of potential ethical dilemmas

What are some potential ethical dilemmas that could come up in relationship to groups.

The following are the tasks to do in the event of an ethical dilemma is to:

• Identify ethical issues
• Determining appropriate help
• Thinking critically
• Managing conflict
• Planning and implementing decisions
• Evaluating and follow-up

Break Out Groups: Work with Groups Case Examples

I’m going to break you all out into three groups. I have three different sets of case examples for working in groups that I am going to provide all of you.

[Small Group Activity] Ethical Dilemma Small Group Discussions

Group 1:
Pawlukewicz and Ondrus (2013) have a journal article, Ethical dilemmas: The use of applied scenarios in the helping professions. Appendix A (at the end) has a set of numbered scenarios. Talk about the following: 3, 7, 9, 11, 17, 22, and 25. IF you finish talking through each of these sections, it might be helpful to go back through article and read through it.

Group 2:
Garland (2010) in her book, The Groups Book Psychoanalytic Group Therapy: Principles and Practice, has a number of vignettes. I’ve provided Vignette D: Verbal abuse. Read through the example and the discussion. What are thoughts that it brings up and considerations we should have?

Group 3:
Goodrich and Luke (2015) in their book, Group Counseling with LGBTQI Persons provide a number of great case examples and discussions. An example about starting an empowerment group. Read through the example and the discussion. What are thoughts that it brings up and considerations we should have?

[Whole Group Activity] Bring groups back together and to provide a brief overview of the article as well as some of their discussions and questions they might have or want to pose to their classmates.

Bring Materials for Week 08:

• Print six copies of Pawlukewicz and Ondrus (2013)
• Print six copies of Garland (2010)
• Print six copies Goodrich and Luke (2015)

Practice Planning A Group

Imagine that you are planning a group to assist one of the following populations:

• People charged with domestic violence
• Middle school students with diabetes
• Teenage fathers
• Families of people with schizophrenia
• Elementary school children who have been exposed to family or community violence
• Parents and community members who wish to change a school policy on suspensions
• People newly admitted to an assisted living facility
• Seventh and eighth graders who have no friends
• Teens who want to start a Gay-Straight Alliance in their high school
• Premarital couples
• Widowers
• People concerned about bullying in a school

Using the guidelines in this chapter, determine:

1. The name you will give the group
2. The type of group
3. A one-sentence statement of purpose
4. The size of the group
5. The length, structure, and format
6. The location where you will meet
7. Important factors in group composition
8. How you will recruit and screen members