Study Guide: The Helping Process in Social Work with

Groups (Planning, Assessment, and Action-Planning)

I. Planning Stage Overview

Planning is a comprehensive stage in group work that includes nine specific steps:

1. Establishment of the group’s purpose.

2. Assessing the potential sponsorship and membership of the group.
3. Recruiting members.
4. Composing the group.
5. Orienting members to the group.
6. Contracting.
7. Preparing the group’s environment.
8. Securing financial arrangements.
9. Preparing a written proposal.

II. Conceptualizing the Group Service and Establishing Purpose

Conceptualization begins with the worker suggesting the need for a group program and preparing
a program proposal.

A. The Group’s Purpose

Establishing the group’s purpose is the most important aspect of the conceptualization
effort.

 Requirements for the Statement of Purpose: It should be broad enough to encompass

different individual goals, yet specific enough to define the common nature of the group’s
purpose.
 Source of Purpose: The purpose must emanate from the agency’s function or mission.
 Brief Statement of Purpose Includes:
o Information on the problems or issues the group is designed to address.
o The range of individual and group goals to be accomplished.
o How individual members and the group as a whole might work together.
 Examples of statements of purpose include: providing a forum for discussing parenting
skills, or studying domestic violence to contribute to a final task force report.
B. The Group Proposal

The worker prepares a concept paper or program proposal. This proposal answers the questions
of what, why, who, when, and where.

Proposal
Required Information Source(s)
Component
The purpose of the group program and the need/problem to be
Rationale/Purpose
addressed.
Target Client
The client sector to be served (e.g., children, adolescents).
Membership
Criteria Stated in specific or general terms.

Resource
Requirement Staff, space, equipment.

Time
Procedures for setting up the program, time frame, number,
Frame/Contact
frequency, length, and time of meetings.
Agency Sponsorship Agency name and mission, physical facilities, staff,
geographic, and demographic data of agency.
Criteria for member inclusion/exclusion, size (e.g., 6–8 boys),
Composition
open or closed group status, and demographic characteristics.
Physical arrangements (room, space, materials), financial
Environment arrangements (budget, expense, income), and special
arrangements (child care, transportation).
Abstract
A short statement summarizing the major points of the group.

C. Recruitment and Logistics

Once the proposal is approved, the plan moves to announcing the program, recruiting members,
preparing logistics, and enlisting community support.

 Publicizing the Program:

o Written announcements should be brief, clear, and mention the purpose, who may
apply, and where to make inquiries.
o Visits can be made to concerned people to explain the program.
o Coordination with other professionals is essential to assist in identifying
prospective members through referrals based on membership criteria.
  Logistical Support: May include personnel (a regular worker assigned, administrative
staff on call), facilities (regular venue, use of other agency facilities when needed), and
materials (play therapy items, audio-visual aids, reporting forms).
 Community Support: There is a need to identify and cultivate a network of resources
and community sectors whose support is essential for program success.

III. Assessment (Social Study/Diagnosis)

Assessment, also termed 'social study' or traditionally 'diagnosis,' involves information-gathering

and analysis aimed at achieving an understanding that leads to the definition of the client's need
or problem.

A. Intake Process

In social work with groups, assessment is generally undertaken first with prospective members
individually, and then with the group as a whole.

 Primary Purpose of Intake (Individual or Group):

1. To establish the person’s eligibility for the group service.
2. To obtain information that will help the worker with the task of group
formation.
 Pre-Group Interviews: The worker usually interviews prospective members (either a
private, one-to-one meeting, or with a group of participants). Treatment-oriented
programs typically involve individual interviews to gather the comprehensive
information needed for individual case assessments.
 Group Intake Advantages: It is less time and effort saving (e.g., open forum style).
Seeing and hearing other members can reinforce the desire to join, and attendees can
motivate others and help interpret the agency program in the community.


B. Content of Pre-Group Interviews

The following topics are usually discussed during pre-group formation interviews:

 The agency and its services.

 The agency purpose for the group program.
 Agency expectations regarding attendance and participation.
 Activities likely to be undertaken (discussion of this helps increase motivation and
discourage those who are not serious).
 Duration of the group program.
 The basis for termination of membership (explaining that group membership is not
permanent).
 Workers should encourage members to raise questions and explore their interests and
concerns.
C. Individual Client Profile

A written individual client profile is a minimum requirement for both task and treatment groups.
The profile should contain:

1. Name and other basic identifying information.

2. Needs/concerns/problems relevant to the group program.
3. Strengths/resources and limitations, if any.
4. Worker’s observation/comments.

The analysis of information gathered is crucial because an accurate definition of the client’s
concern or problem serves as the basis for goal-formulation and intervention planning.

IV. Action-Planning

Action-planning is based on assessment and is the direct outcome of assessment. It involves

making rational choices and judgments about the wide range of possibilities for helping.

A. Formulating Goals

 Ultimate Goal: The enhancement or improvement of the client’s social functioning.

 The worker must be clear about the specific ends, outcomes, or results desired and
expected from the helping relationship.

B. Establishing Specific Helping Plans (Interventive Plans)

These plans are the means to achieve the formulated goals. They are also called intermediate
goals, objectives, or interventive plans.

 These are specific statements of what will be done to achieve the defined goals.
 In group work, it is helpful to separate the helping plans that are pursued through
appropriate group experiences from the helping plans the worker will attend to
outside the group.
This study guide summarizes the key concepts, tasks, phases, and considerations involved in The
Helping Process in Social Work With Groups, drawing exclusively from the provided source
material.

Study Guide: The Helping Process in Social Work With

Groups

I. Initial Assessment and Planning (Pre-Convening Phase)

The helping process starts even before the group is convened. During individual pre-group
interviews, the worker is already 'processing' information and thinking about:

 Who will be in the group.

 What concerns or problems the group will likely address.
 What activities may have to be undertaken.

Task 1: Group Composition

Group composition refers to the selection of group members and deciding the size of the
group. There is no "magic formula" for creating the perfect group.

Selection
Description/Guidance
Factor

General
The agency’s purpose for group service.
Guide

Client
Age, interest, interaction style, maturity, and personality characteristics.
Attributes

Compatibility or complementarity and not identity (Vinter). This includes compatibility of

Rule for
needs and behaviors, similarity of problems, cultural and other characteristics, and skills
Cohesion
related to the purpose.

Goal (Sue To assemble a configuration of persons with the potential to coalesce and function as an
Henry) entity.

No hard-and-fast rule. The purpose of the group acts as a general guide. For example,
about 7 members is common for a treatment group, and about 15 for a task group. The
Size
use of odd numbers is helpful when the group is divided on an issue and must take a vote
to resolve a tie.

Task 2: Group Formation

Group formation is the process of getting a group organized so it can start functioning and move
toward the attainment of its planned goals.
A common practice during the organizational meeting is to conduct one or two appropriate
‘unfreezing’ or getting-to-know-you exercises.

Key Matters for Discussion and Agreement:

The organizational meeting typically includes a review of:

1. The agency’s overall goal or mission.

2. Its purpose for the group program.
3. The worker’s role in relation to the program.

The group must discuss and agree on:

 Common group concern/problem: Focuses on problems in social functioning and factors

relating to role performance problems, resources they have, and resources they need.
 Norms and rules: An agreement on standards of behavior, including conduct during and outside
sessions, attendance, punctuality, and assigned tasks.
 Schedule and venue: Sessions usually last 1 1/2 or 2 hours/week, often on the same designated
day for easy recall.
 Duration: Discussing how long group life will last (for a closed group) or how long individual
membership will be (for an open group). This prepares members for termination and minimizes
potential resistances.

Task 3: Group Goals

Group goals provide direction to all activities, including worker interventions, decisions, and
actions. Goals must be formulated in clear, specific, and realistic terms.

In the Philippines, the acronym "SMART" is often used as a guide to goal-setting:

 Specific
 Measurable
 Attainable
 Realistic
 Time-bound

Goal Perspective Description

Views about the group, perception of why the group exists, and individual
Members’ Perspective needs/motivations for membership. The "common ground" defined by the
group constitutes their purpose.

The worker’s reasons for the group’s existence, based on the agency’s societal
Worker’s Perspective purpose, goals for individual members, and composite goals for the group as a
whole.

Group System
The shared goal that guides the group system, resulting from the worker-group
Perspective (Group
interaction process, which the worker and the group have agreed to accomplish.
Goals)

Determination of Group Goals (2 Phases):

 1. Exploration: Worker and members discuss areas of mutual concern, consider means to pursue
these concerns, sort out differences, and incorporate individual interests into common group-
oriented goals.
2. Bargaining: Involves agreeing on concerns or issues confronting the group.

Task 4: Program Media

Program media refers to the activities, verbal or non-verbal, which the group engages in for
the purpose of achieving its goals. They are tools utilized to influence the behavior of individual
members and the group as a whole.

Examples of Program Media: Group discussions, role-play, group dynamics exercises, play
activities, film showing, resource persons, field trips, creative literature, and values exercises.

Uses of Program Media:

 Modify or change attitudes and behavior.

 Promote individual values such as emotional and intellectual growth.
 Influence group climate.
 Promote group interaction.
 Enhance/enrich group content.
 Promote desired group values.
 Facilitate the beginning, middle, and ending stages of group life.

Factors in Selecting Program Media: Goals for the group, members’ objectives for joining,
appropriateness in terms of time and space requirements, age of members, and emotional and
social characteristics of the members.

Extra Group Activities and Interventions: Some goal-related plans for individual members
may need attention outside of the group session. These plans may require intervention
involving other agency staff, family members, the school, or community sectors like the police
or town officials. These extra-group activities must be clearly specified and presented
separately from the activities undertaken with the group-in-session.

II. Plan Implementation

Plan Implementation refers to all activities, worker intervention, and group action directed
toward the achievement of individual and group goals.

 The concern is rendering specific and interrelated services appropriate to the problem situation.
 The worker’s challenge is putting professional capability into operation—not just "deciding what
to do" but also "doing the decided".
 Since assessment and planning occur at both individual and group levels, plan implementation
is also done on these two levels.

Worker Roles and Constraints During Implementation

Element Description
 The worker must be prepared to perform different roles depending on the chosen
Interventive
helping approach or model (e.g., therapist or counselor, crisis intervenor, mobilizer,
Roles
educator, mediator, resource person, enabler and advocate).

The utilization of concrete community resources and services is always an important

Resources and
aspect of social work case management, especially where the majority of clientele are
Services
poor.

Agency social workers often face challenges such as heavy work loads, lack of funds,
Problems and
inadequate facilities and equipment, shortage of trained staff, and inadequate
Constraints
supervision.

Worker Stances During the Helping Process

1. The Direct Stance: The worker assumes major responsibility for organizing and convening the
group, and in guiding members, group process, discussion, and flow of ideas and emotion.
2. The Facilitating Stance: The worker sees himself as a member of the group, uses skills to
encourage individuals to assume responsibility, promotes the exchange of ideas and affect, and
provides support.
3. The Permissive Stance: The worker provides minimum guidance, but uses expertise in human
relations and group behavior and links with the agency to help the group when appropriate. The
worker uses non-verbal interventions and is alert to internal struggles.
4. The Flexible Stance: The worker will change his stance in the course of a session or over a series
of sessions in response to factors like the group's progress toward the objective, the needs and
capacities of members, and the level of group functioning.

III. Assessment and Evaluation (Ongoing and Final)

Ongoing Evaluation

The on-going evaluation of actions taken during implementation provides feedback and enables
the worker and client to consider progress in their efforts. This is the basis for modifying efforts
if necessary.

Worker’s Task in Ongoing Monitoring:

1. To assess or monitor the progress of both the individual member and the group as a whole,
based on the goals formulated.
2. To modify these goals when necessary.

Areas Guiding Assessment of Group-as-a-whole Processes (Group Dynamics):

1. Communication and interaction patterns.

2. Cohesion.
 3. Social integration and influence dynamics.
4. Group culture.

Levels of Assessing Group’s Environment:

1. The organization that sponsors and sanctions the group.

2. The interorganizational environment.
3. The community environment.

Final Evaluation and Termination

Final evaluation follows implementation and is done primarily to assess the outcome of the
helping efforts based on the goals set. This stage is critical for preparation for termination.

Termination is done when:

 Goals for the client have been substantially achieved.

 There is no reason to expect that any more significant gains can be achieved by extending the
relationship.
 There has been very little progress or movement toward the agreed-on goals after a reasonable
period, and the prospect for change is not likely to occur.

Parts of the Termination Phase (According to Hartford):

1. Pre-termination: This is a period of preparation for the actual ending. Activities include
acknowledging the end, working through difficulties members may feel about ending, reviewing
accomplishments and failures, planning a closing activity, and presenting post-termination plans
while eliciting ideas from the group.
2. Termination: The recognized ending, which is the last actual session of the group or of the
individual whose membership is being terminated. Whatever closing activity or program was
planned is implemented at this time. The group assumes the full responsibility for planning,
preparing, and conducting the group’s closing activity.

Records Used in the Helping Process

The sources list several types of records used in the helping process:

 Pre-group/intake interview records.

 Individual case assessments (case study).
 Statements of group concern/problems, group goals and plans (for group-in-session and extra
group, including environmental interventions).
 Attendance records.
 Process or summary recordings of group sessions.
 Records of marginal interviews (interviews with members outside group sessions).
 Records of collateral interviews/interviews with ‘significant others’.
 Evaluation records (individual, group).
 Transfer/closing summaries.