An innovative approach to support social groupwork
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1921/gpwk.v19i3.685Keywords:
Social groupwork club, AASWG, groupwork, diversity, groupsAbstract
This article discusses a creative endeavor to establish a university social groupwork club affiliated with the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, an international professional association. The club’s purposes were: 1) to nurture social groupwork; 2) to engage students, practitioners and academics in a collaborative groupwork experience, and; 3) to link members to an international social work organization that supports all aspects of groupwork. The planning, stages, mutual aid and evaluation of the club are described. A longitudinal survey design was used to evaluate members’ perceptions of the club. Feedback questionnaires (N = 129) were analyzed for a one-year period. Results indicated that club members benefited from mutual aid and experienced professional growth.