Discussion 1: Involuntary Group Members

Involuntary members have been ordered to attend a group in exchange for some reward. Many times, this is a result of judicial system intervention. Often, these members are not interested in participating and getting to know others. The clinical social worker must understand the potential issues or problems that arise within a group of involuntary members and ways to address these issues. It can be especially difficult to create a sense of empowerment when these members have been mandated to attend.

For this Discussion, pay particular attention to the Schimmel & Jacobs (2011) piece.

Post your description of the strategies for working with involuntary group members presented in the Schimmel & Jacobs (2011) article. Describe ways you agree and/or disagree with their strategies. How might you handle the situations presented in the article differently? Explain ways these strategies promote empowerment.

References (use 3 or more): Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F. (2017). An introduction to group work practice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

• "The Group Begins" (pp. 197-230)

• "Assessment" (pp. 230-263)

Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2005). Theory and practice of group psychotherapy (5th ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books.

• "Problem Group Members" (pp. 391-428)

Lietz, C. A. (2007). Strengths-based group practice: Three case studies. Social Work With Groups, 30(2), 73-87.

Schimmel, C. J., & Jacobs, E. (2011). When leaders are challenged: Dealing with involuntary members in groups. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 36(2), 144-158.

Laureate Education. (Producer). (2013a). Bradley (Episode 1) [Video file]. In Sessions. Baltimore, MD: Producer.

Discussion 2: Week 8 Blog

Refer to the topics covered in this week's resources and incorporate them into your blog.

Post a blog post that includes:

• An explanation of potential challenges for evaluation during your field education experience

• An explanation of personal action plans you might take to address evaluation in your field education experience

References (use 2 or more): Thyer, B. A. (2013). Evidence-based practice or evidence-guided practice: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet [Invited response to Gitterman & Knight's "evidence-guided practice"]. Families in Society, 94(2), 79-84.

Wharton, T. C., & Bolland, K. A. (2012). Practitioner perspectives of evidence-based practice. Families in Society, 93(3), 157-164.