Working with Groups ● 93and purpose of the group and ensuring that group processes are adhered to
(Healy 2012).
The final group work stage is termination. This should be a gradual process,
and group facilitators should ensure that group members are aware from the
outset that groups will eventually cease. Termination is often reached when
the purpose of the group is attained (Garrett 2004), but it can sometimes
“be imposed on the group due to external events, such as the loss of funding
for the programme in which the group is embedded” (Healy 2012, 147). A
group’s ending, regardless of the reason, should be viewed as an opportunity
for members to evaluate their learning and experiences and to consider how
these can be transferred to other life settings and experiences (Garrett 2004).
Members should also be offered the opportunity to evaluate the group’s pro-
cesses, including its facilitation (Association for the Advancement of Social
Work with Groups, Inc. 2013; Healy 2012).
Facilitating Group Work
This description of group work stages has the potential of giving the impression
that group work is a straightforward, uncomplicated process. In reality, those new
to group work may find the task of facilitating group sessions daunting. Becom-
ing an effective group work facilitator requires students to confront significant
personal and professional challenges. Naturally those students or workers who are
comfortable with group work will gravitate toward it, whereas others who are
less comfortable might avoid it. In some instances, however, they will have no
choice but to work with groups. This is particularly true for those working in
the human service sector. The author concurs with Kurland’s (2007, 14) belief
that “group work can be taught and learned.” Kurland illustrated this by quot-
ing a former student who wrote to her following graduation, “Thanks for your
part in turning me from someone who started out terrified of groups to where
I am now looking for potential for group work in any job description I read”
(Kurland 2007, 14). This is the spirit in which it is suggested that sociology
students should consider group work, with an open and inquiring mind.
Helpful literature is available to assist with the facilitation of group work
and involvement of group participants; examples are Middleman and Wood
(1990) and Northen and Kurland (2001). Garrett (2004) and Healy (2012)
emphasized that any group activity must reflect the group’s purpose, goals,
and developmental stage. Healy (2012) identified six useful activities that can
serve as an introduction to group work facilitation:
● (^) Icebreakers or getting-to-know-you exercises are useful at the beginning
stages of the group, as a way of introducing and familiarizing members