The social worker in support groups

Abstract

Groups have always dominated the lives of human beings: groups have always existed within families, then growing into peer groups, organisations or communities. To cope with a crisis in life some people may need the help of specialised groups usually termed support groups. The use of support groups in social work is a recent phenomenon. It can be traced back to around the 1950s. This long essay investigates the role of a social worker in support groups within the framework of the function of support groups in social work. To further investigate the situation in Malta, a field study as well as a case study were carried out. The field study showed that much work is being done by such groups in the country; however, support group facilitators feel the need for further training and support. The case study showed that although there was little group cohesion, the group members were able to reach a self-healing level as well as learn from each other. Finally, after viewing all these results, it can be safely concluded and recommended that group work within social work is a growing area which needs to be promoted, supported and nurtured. To encourage more social workers to take up this tool in their normal practice, practical group work courses need to be introduced.