The Mutual-Aid Approach to Working with Groups

Discover a unique resource on the “what,” “why,” and “how” of mutual aid in group settings!

While an impressive body of professional literature attests to the central role of mutual aid in social work practice with groups, what has been lacking is a single source that links the description of mutual aid (what it is, exactly) with practice prescriptions (how to help it come about and flourish in various settings). This book does just that.

This updated edition of the pathbreaking original contains four entirely new chapters that address:

• single-session groups
• short-term groups
• open-ended groups
• very large groups

In addition, this book will help you to better understand and make use of mutual-aid perspectives on:

• pre-group planning
• early group goals and norms
• the significance of time and place, and the role of the group worker
• individual problem-solving
• authority, conflict, and evaluation

Each chapter of The Mutual-Aid Approach to Working with Groups: Helping People Help One Another, Second Edition describes and discusses how to catalyze mutual aid in different settings and systems—including generic and specific obstacles to overcome; offers implications for practice and identifies group-specific skills for reaching each system's full mutual-aid potential.

This new edition of The Mutual-Aid Approach to Working with Groups provides a foundation for practice, examining theories, concepts, and practice principles specific to mutual aid. Readers are directed to ample study resources in key areas via recommended reading lists at the end of each chapter. Case examples are used to help bridge the gap between theory and practice in an immediately useful manner, and handy tables and figures make important points easy to access and understand.