SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS AND THE COMMUNITY

             


The baccalaureate [BSW] social worker development beginnig compertency in working with groups and the community as partr of the BSW educaltional program. Accredited BSW programs require coursework in both theory and practice in working with groups and in the community. Many opportunities exist for work with groups and the community exist fro work wht group and the community at the BSW level. Agencies such as family services, hostital, correctional centers, mental health agencies, program that work with disabled persons, schoold social services, youth organizations, and a variety of related service delivery organization use group and community practice methodlogies . It should also be nothed that social workers with MSW degrees are also often employed as community organization workers, sometimes specializing in that area as a field of practice. At this level they mau serve as asministrators of state or federal programs, department heads in a city’s human services division or directors of agencies.
Social work with groups and social work with the community are social work methods that promote the personal growth of individual members group work and enhance the capacity of the community to better serve the needs of its diverse members community practice. Goups may be indentified by their purpose recreational recreation skill educational socialization encounter, self-help and therapy. Community change efforts are facilitated  through social action social palnning and community development approaches. In all the these members of the group or community establish goal and objectives and the facilitator helps the memebers achieve and the facilitator helps the members achieve their goals. Democratic decision making is important to the process. Monitoring and evaluation are major activites used to help the group and community achieve their goals and to enrich practice mehtod
KEY TERMS
Broker     : natural group
Community       : recreation group
Community       : recreation skill group
Development     : self-help group
Educationla group enable    :   social action social palnning
Encounter group     : socialization group
Group       : therapeutic group
Group work
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1 Discuss the similarities and dissimilarties of natureal and organized groups.  The continual reform of state hospitals and the development of alternative systems of care.
THE INTRODUCTION OF PSYCHOALALYSIS
What had been described as the second revolution in the mental health field occurred in the early 1900s with the writings of sigmund  Freud and introduction of psychoanalysis in the United States. Professional metal health workers trained in Freud’s techniques attempted to gain cooperation communication wit patients, seeing them at regular intervals over long periods of time.