Involuntary members have been ordered to attend a group in exchange for some reward. Many times, this is a result of judicial system intervention. Often, these members are not interested in participating and getting to know others. The clinical social worker must understand the potential issues or problems that arise within a group of involuntary members and ways to address these issues. It can be especially difficult to create a sense of empowerment when these members have been mandated to attend.

For this Discussion, pay particular attention to the Schimmel & Jacobs (2011) piece.

Post your description of the strategies for working with involuntary group members presented in the Schimmel & Jacobs (2011) article. Describe ways you agree and/or disagree with their strategies. How might you handle the situations presented in the article differently? Explain ways these strategies promote empowerment.

Then to a colleague who presents a different point of view on these strategies than you.I WILL PROVIDE LATER

Please use these references:

Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F. (2017). An introduction to group work practice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Chapter 7, “The Group Begins” (pp. 197–230)

Chapter 8, “Assessment” (pp. 230-263)

Schimmel, C. J., & Jacobs, E. (2011). When leaders are challenged: Dealing with involuntary members in groups. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 36(2), 144–158.

Holosko, M. J., Dulmus, C. N., & Sowers, K. M. (2013). Social work practice with individuals and families: Evidence-informed assessments and interventions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

• Chapter 3 “Assessment of Adolescents”
• Chapter 4 “Intervention with Adolescents

Answer preview

Leading a group of people can be quite a challenge. However, leading a group of involuntary members ceases to be a challenge and become what can be termed as an impossibility as the group fails to be effective.  Involuntary members are likely to get into unwarranted conflicts with other members of the group and withdraw from group activities or fail to take part in group activities among others. Conflict arises in instances where the involuntary members choose to challenge the instructions of the group leader. Such scenarios need to be addressed immediately. The group leader should not assume the existence or rather the occurrence of the conflict as doing so gives leeway for bigger problems…