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
It is essential that all members of a group participate in group activities as this makes the group effective. Non-participation of members or their withdrawal from the group might result in the creation of a monopoly whereby only one person participates in group discussion or activities. This can be solved by encouraging other group members to get involved in group activities. Involuntary members can also choose to place blame on one individual or the members of the group who are participating in the group activities voluntarily. This is likely to affect the members participating willing fully, and some of them might choose to withdraw from the group which will affect the operation of the group. Establishing trust with such members might be futile. Trust is a crucial component in ensuring that a group is effective and thus, failure to establish trust means that the group objectives in respect to the involuntary members may not be achieved.
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