Social Work Students’ Experiences With Group Work in the Field Practicum

2021

This chapter presents the histories of sociometry, psychodrama, and group psychotherapy while also outlining the history of Jacob L. Moreno, their founder. Major events from Moreno’s life are covered as they relate to the development of his philosophy and the practice of his triadic system, sociometry, psychodrama, and group psychotherapy. The popularity and decline of Moreno’s methods throughout their history are highlighted while offering insights into these historical trends in the USA and globally. Connections are drawn between Moreno’s history and the history of social work while also framing him as a social worker due to the nature of his philosophy, theory, and practice. A comprehensive timeline is offered which depicts the parallel timelines of psychodrama, social work, group therapy, psychology, and society.

Section: Group Psychotherapy Definedmentioning

confidence: 99%

History of Sociometry, Psychodrama, Group Psychotherapy, and Jacob L. Moreno

2021

“…Many social group work experts have criticized social workers for doing individual therapy or casework in a group setting instead of treating the group-as-a-whole (Bitel, 2014;Gitterman, 2004;Knight, 2017;Kurland & Salmon, 2006). "The worker who sets in motion the process of mutual aid takes into account the entire group as an entity rather than just one individual at a time" (Kurland & Salmon, 2006, p. 131).…”

Section: Group-as-a-wholementioning

confidence: 99%

Strengths-Based and Mutual Aid Approaches in Social Work and Psychodrama

2021

Social work and psychodrama are both inherently strengths-based approaches with person-centered philosophies that affirm the inherent goodness of individuals. The chapter outlines social work’s strengths-based perspective while connecting it to mutual aid, positive psychology, humanistic psychology, and Morenean philosophy. Social group work’s emphasis on mutual aid and group-as-a-whole processes is outlined with similarities to the theory and practice of psychodrama. The importance of a strengths-based approach in trauma work is affirmed and depicted through resilience theory and post-traumatic growth. Modern adaptations of classical psychodrama which emphasize strengths work are depicted, including positive psychodrama, the Therapeutic Spiral Model, and Souldrama.

“…Social workers are experiencing increased expectations to facilitate groups in their careers while receiving little to no formal education, training, or supervision specific on group work. Social work students and graduates are being placed in internships and jobs where they are expected to facilitate group psychotherapy without specialized skills training necessary to work competently in group settings (Knight, 2017). The resulting consequences limit the quality of treatment that clients receive, the preparedness of MSWs to work in their field, and social workers' feelings of competence and confidence in their professional roles (Clements, 2008;Kammerman, 2011;Yalom & Leszcz, 2005).…”

Section: Social Work With Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction to Social Work, Sociometry, and Psychodrama

2021

This introductory chapter provides context for the content covered in the rest of the book. Background on the evolution of the book and increased social work attention to psychodrama is offered while also defining the basic concepts of sociometry, psychodrama, and social work with groups. The importance of considering differences between cultures, populations, and countries is highlighted, especially as it relates to scope of practice of the social work field which varies between countries. Specifics of chapter topics are overviewed with suggestions to the reader on how to approach this book. Though the book explicitly focuses on social work, many other professionals will find this publication useful including group therapists, counselors, psychologists, creative arts therapists, psychodramatists, community workers, supervisors, and professors.