Briefly describe the history of group work in the United States.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Group work emerged in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Early group work took place within the settlement houses, YMCA/YWCA, Jewish community centers, and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. These groups focused primarily on recreation, social integration, immigration issues, character building, and social reform. By the 1930s and 1940s, formal organizations were promoting group work. In 1935, the Group Work Section of the National Conference on Social Work emerged, and in 1937, the American Association for the Study of Group Work formed. The American Association of Group Workers, which started in 1946, later merged with other organizations to become the National Association of Social Workers. During World War II, group work became popular in hospitals and other clinical settings in the United States, resulting in some tension between group workers and caseworkers. Following the war, the philosophy of group work shifted from a strengths focus to a more problem-focused orientation. Nevertheless, group workers continued to attempt to influence the social work profession as a whole. During the 1960s and 1970s, social work education included courses on group work, and some students majored in group work. But then group work content declined as social work education shifted its focus to individuals and families. Ironically, at the same time, joining groups became more common in the United States. The 1980s and 1990s saw the rise of mutual aid groups, today a popular type of social work group.