Evidence-Based Group Work Research Articles

Group programs in corrections. Best practice meets real world

The past decade has seen a very significant cultural shift in how group programs are delivered in prisons and in probation and parole settings in New South Wales, Australia. The agency responsible for custodial and community corrections services, Corrective Services New South Wales (CSNSW) is making its way from a culture of considerable autonomy, where staff largely wrote and ran group programs in the way that seemed best to them, to an organisation where systems exist for accreditation, training, supervision and systematic data collection. The transformation to model agency is not complete, but considerable progress has been made and this is borne out by the preparation and publication of a number of significant papers describing the outcomes of program interventions. This paper appraises the progress so far in the introduction of evidence-based group work and offers some reflections on the challenges faced in moving a large organisation concerned with security and offender supervision towards best practice in group rehabilitative programs.

Group programs in corrections. Best practice meets real world

The past decade has seen a very significant cultural shift in how group programs are delivered in prisons and in probation and parole settings in New South Wales, Australia. The agency responsible for custodial and community corrections services, Corrective Services New South Wales (CSNSW) is making its way from a culture of considerable autonomy, where staff largely wrote and ran group programs in the way that seemed best to them, to an organisation where systems exist for accreditation, training, supervision and systematic data collection. The transformation to model agency is not complete, but considerable progress has been made and this is borne out by the preparation and publication of a number of significant papers describing the outcomes of program interventions. This paper appraises the progress so far in the introduction of evidence-based group work and offers some reflections on the challenges faced in moving a large organisation concerned with security and offender supervision towards best practice in group rehabilitative programs.

Evidence-based practice in the real world:

Evidence-based groupwork is becoming essential but is difficult to implement in the real world of competing priorities, time and resource constraints. This paper discusses a collaborative pilot-project, in which a scholar-practitioner team adapted evidence-based principles to develop and evaluate an innovative group. As research and practice evidence indicate mothers of children with invisible disabilities have unique, unmet needs, a short-term support-education group was set up. Using a single-case design, intervention was documented, mutual helping was observed and outcome (goal attainment, empowerment, satisfaction) was evaluated. Findings suggest this group was relevant and responsive to these mothers’ needs, despite member diversity and a short time frame. Sharing experiences, strategies and resources was seen as especially beneficial. Factors contributing to the outcome may include appropriate groupwork models, members’ strengths and motivation, as well as the collaborative team approach. While this pilot-project allowed innovation while ensuring outcome was monitored, replication is needed to verify outcome, identify influential factors and continue to develop evidencebased practices which reflect the realities of groupwork.

A Review of “A Guide to Evidence-Based Group Work”

A Guide to Evidence-Based Group Work, by Mark J. Macgowan, Ph.D., LCSW, is a scholarly work. This book is written as a guide to assist the reader in understanding and developing evidence-based grou...

Finding and Integrating the Best Available Evidence into the Group Work Field Practicum: Examples and Experiences from MSW Students

Evidence-based practice has been widely discussed in the literature, but little has been said about how it is taught in courses on group work. This article describes how evidence-based group work (EBGW) has been taught in a master's level course on group work and includes examples of students' efforts at utilizing EBGW in their field placements, and their comments about the experience. Utilizing a four-stage process model of EBGW, students posed a clinical question, systematically searched for evidence to answer the question, critically reviewed the evidence, and applied it into practice. The examples illustrate the stages of EBGW and highlight the strengths and limitations of the approach. The written comments provide generally positive feedback and some suggestions for improvement. Ideas to strengthen the experience are presented.

“We may not like it but we guess we have to do it:” Bringing Agency-Based Staff on Board with Evidence-Based Group Work

In this article the authors describe our experience of developing a manualized model of group treatment for early adolescents with learning disabilities. We review the process of developing and piloting the manual as part of a school-based intervention research project, and the process and complexities in using this model in a community agency with a long history of conducting groups. The authors provide the leaders' feedback on their experience of co-leading a manualized group approach. They conclude with practice principles and recommendations based on the staff's feedback, with respect to bringing agency-based workers on board with an evidence-based approach to group work practice.

The Andragogy of Evidence-Based Group Work: An Integrated Educational Model

Despite advances in group work education and in teaching about evidence-based practice (EBP), there has been little discussion about how to integrate EBP into existing educational models and how education about EBP can add to the effectiveness of group work practice. This article advances instruction in group work through articulating EBP within integrated instructional models. Each model consists of five elements—theory, evidence, group models, practice situation, and supervision—woven together in two ways. In one, EBP is conceptualized within an integrated instructional model that suggests that all elements are essential in education to advancing effective group work. In the second, a developmental instructional model articulates how these elements are delivered in teaching, which may be differentially applied based on the level of knowledge, skill, and experience of the learner. Through these models, the authors demonstrate how evidence-based group work principles integrate with skill development in the classroom, and how both can help to improve practice behaviors in group.

Mutual Aid: A Contribution to Best-Practice Social Work

This keynote speech, delivered in French and translated to English with minor adjustments for publication, presents some of the author's ideas about mutual-aid practice as best-practice social work. The author discusses the etiology and centrality of mutual aid in social work with groups, presents five characteristics of mutual-aid practice that reflect best-practice social work and identifies four key characteristics—joy in sharing, faith, courage, and curiosity—of mutual-aid practitioners. Similarities between mutual-aid practice and evidence-based group work, practice evaluation and participatory-action research are discussed as well. The author presents group work as inherently evidence based and challenges the idea that subjective measures alone may not be valid in reaching this determination.

Measuring and Increasing Engagement in Substance Abuse Treatment Groups

Abstract Engaging group members is important in the treatment of alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems. Although there has been discussion about engagement in AOD treatment in the literature, there has not been a measure of engagement specifically for group work until recently. This article briefly describes the multidimensional Group Engagement Measure (GEM) and discusses the utility of the GEM for increasing engagement in AOD treatment groups. This paper provides group leaders with ideas for improving their practice, within a framework of evidence-based group work.

Evidence-Based Group Work

Significant advances have been made in conceptualizing Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) for social work but there has been little discussion about an EBP perspective for group work. Demands of accountability, the values, and ethics of social group work, and the expanding and deepening evidence base for group work require a conceptualization and application of EBP for group work. Building on recent advances in EBP and the tradition of research and practice in group work, this paper describes an Evidence-Based Group Work (EBGW) framework for practice. Implications for advancing EBGW in practice and in group work education are discussed.

Evidence-based practice in the real world:

Evidence-based groupwork is becoming essential but is diffi cult to implement in the real world of competing priorities, time and resource constraints. This paper discusses a collaborative pilot-project, in which a scholar-practitioner team adapted evidence-based principles to develop and evaluate an innovative group. As research and practice evidence indicate mothers of children with invisible disabilities have unique, unmet needs, a short-term support-education group was set up. Using a single-case design, intervention was documented, mutual helping was observed and outcome (goal attainment, empowerment, satisfaction) was evaluated. Findings suggest this group was relevant and responsive to these mothers' needs, despite member diversity and a short time frame. Sharing experiences, strategies and resources was seen as especially benefi cial. Factors contributing to the outcome may include appropriate groupwork models, members' strengths and motivation, as well as the collaborative team approach. While this pilot-project allowed innovation while ensuring outcome was monitored, replication is needed to verify outcome, identify infl uential factors and continue to develop evidence- based practices which refl ect the realities of groupwork.

The Evidence-Based Group Worker

ABSTRACT This essay reflects on recent practice and educational trends contributing to the current impetus for consistent incorporation of evidence into practice. Evidence-based group work is defined as the conscientious and judicious use of evidence in current best practice. In operationalizing this definition, the evidence-based group worker (a) appraises critically systematically-collected evidence from all sources; (b) acquires knowledge through reading professional journals, attending conferences and presentations, and writing/presenting knowledge that he/she develops; (c) evaluates the outcomes of practice, using consistent methods; (d) implements models, either existing or developed by the practitioner, consistently and rationally; (e) attends to the impact of individual differences in making evidence-based practice decisions; and (f) incorporates evidence in understanding group process, leadership, and development. These principles lead to four behaviors associated with being an evidence-based group worker: (1) willingness to communicate evidence behind treatment decisions and techniques chosen with group members; (2) building consistently into practice time to learn; (3) practicing from a developmental perspective, building knowledge through incorporating outside learning and results of his/her own practice evaluations; (4) adapting existing evidence to each practice situation. Implications for teaching group work are discussed.