Assignment: Ethical and Cultural Issues in Group Work

As a human and social services professional, it is likely that you will often be called upon to work within a group. Whether in your organization or within your community, the ability to successfully work within a group setting and to navigate group dynamics is essential to providing services to your clients.

For this Assignment, you consider ethical and cultural issues that may present when working with groups, such as pre-existing relationships within the group, hierarchy or seniority of members, and traditional roles and expectations of inclusion in the process.

To Prepare:

•Choose a specific group work scenario that you either encounter regularly or that is of particular professional interest to you (e.g., group social work within hospitals, youth groups in schools, substance abuse co-led groups in prisons).

•Review Chapter 12, "Ethical Issues in Group Work," in the Corey course text, and reflect on the guidelines related to your chosen scenario.

The Assignment (3 page):

•Briefly describe the group scenario that you are using for the Assignment.

•Explain the skills necessary to be a successful group facilitator for this population and/or issue type and within your chosen setting.

•Explain the ethical and cultural issues that must be addressed before you can begin a group in this scenario.

•Identify the three most important guidelines for multicultural and social justice competence that would guide you professionally and ethically once the group was underway. Explain why you selected these guidelines in particular.

•Of the three guidelines you described, explain which one(s) you believe you need to develop additional knowledge or experience with as part of your professional development and why.