Explain the social worker's role as an intervener throughout the lifespan of a group, and describe in detail how he or she can meaningfully intervene with the group members' roles

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Although the leader's role ebbs and flows over the life span of the group, he or she must be prepared to employ interventions to deal with overarching issues whenever they occur. These include the following:?
a) Fostering cohesion

b) Addressing group norms

c) Intervening with members' roles

d) Attending to subgroup structure

e) Using the leadership role purposefully

f) Attending to group and individual processes

Leaders must be attuned to the development of roles and address them as they arise. Constructive roles or roles that are consistent with the members' goals for the group should be noted and reinforced. Counterproductive roles also require the leader's attention. For example, a member who avoids conflict or intimacy might make jokes to keep discussion at a superficial level, or a member who struggles to be taken seriously may make distracting or ridiculous comments, thereby reinforcing this destructive role. Yalom discusses the effect of "the monopolist", who, perhaps due to anxiety, talks excessively, taking up time and turning the group mood into one of frustration. The key, when facing counterproductive roles, is to encourage members to be self-observant, assure that they do not become locked into dysfunctional roles, and empower other participants to confront the member about the role and its impact.

Dysfunctional role performance is a critical point for intervention. One means of intervening is to use a technique developed by Garvin (1986 ) to identify informal roles occupied by group participants. Leaders administer a questionnaire asking members to "vote" on who (if anyone) fulfills group roles such as referee, expert, humorist, nurturer, spokesperson, and "devil's advocate." The discussion that results from this exercise can powerfully influence both members' awareness and the group process. Another technique is to simply describe a specific role that a member seems to have assumed and to ask that member for observations regarding the accuracy of that assessment. Preface this observation by asking the member if he or she would like group feedback. Doing so reduces defensiveness and gives the member appropriate control over the situation.