Part 2: Activities

There are many group work modalities. A group can be a single session, such as an educational group on signs of dementia during carers’ week, or multi-sessional, such as an after-school social group for children in out-of-home care (Bundey et al., 1988). Groups can be open, allowing new members to join at any stage of the group, such as a community art group for people living with mental illness or closed, with fixed membership and allowing people to join only at the beginning of the group, such as a therapeutic counselling group for adolescents who have experienced trauma (Bundey et al., 1988).

Approximately a month before starting a group, it can be helpful to book the group meeting room and send people an invitation flyer with information about the group – such as the name of group, date, time, venue, parking, the program and what to bring. Please see Appendix 1 for an example of a simple flyer.

We suggest beginning a group with: an Acknowledgment of Country or similar depending where in the world you are located; a comment about confidentiality and privacy and reporting processes; an explanation of the boundaries of the activity; and a group discussion about how information can be shared to create a safe space. It is recommended ending the group with an evaluation activity. Please see Appendix 2 for a copy of a simple generic evaluation form.

Chapters 2 to 4 present different components of social work group work sessions. Group work practitioners can mix and match activities from these chapters according to need.

• Chapter 2 shares four examples of icebreakers that can be used to support a group’s forming phase.
• Chapter 3 presents three getting-to-know-you activities that can be used to support a group’s forming, norming and/or storming phases, ease tension; and build social cohesion.
• Chapter 4 outlines the steps for conducting five therapeutic groups, three educational groups, three social groups, a research group, and an advocacy group.

Reference list

Bundey, C., Cullen, J., Denshire, L., Grant, J., Norfor, J., & Nove, T. (1988). A manual about group leadership and a resource for group leaders. Western Sydney Area Health Promotion Centre.