An Examination of Group Work with Old Lesbians Struggling with a Lack of Intimacy by Using a Record of Service

Abstract

SUMMARY This article portrays the struggles old lesbians face in creating intimate friendships by using a Record of Service (ROS) of a support group. Using the ROS as an analytical tool, this paper demonstrates the efficacy of group work with this client population. The article also offers an explanation of the uses and mechanisms of the Record of Service and proffers it as a tool for accountability, practice examination, and skills improvement. Two sessions of a weekly support group for lesbians over sixty-years-old, conducted at SAGE (Senior Action in a Gay Environment), are excerpted to give the reader a personal view of this unique population as well as the practice of group work and the use of ROS. In the concluding analysis, the author critiques her interventions as well as the progress of the group.