By Jane F. Gilgun and Samantha Hirschey, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA

In the previous blog, we discussed principles of relationship-based practice and relational interviews as preparation for young people to transition into group work. In this blog, we propose an approach to group work that builds on relationship-based practice and relational interviews. Through effective group work, young people widen their circles of trust and develop relationship skills and skills in executive function and self-regulation. They become more aware of the effects of their behaviors on others and develop mindfulness.

Group Work

Once professionals have developed relationships of trust with young people, they can begin to invite girls to participate in group work. The group would be composed of five to six girls and two adults, at least one of whom has participated in relational interviews with each girl. One or both of the leaders would be knowledgeable about methods of self-regulation, such as guided imagery, breathing exercises along the lines of “smell the rose and blow out the candle,” meditation, yoga, tai chi, and other relaxation practices. If those who conducted the relational interviews don’t have this kind of training, they can invite a person who does to co-lead or teach the skills on an as-needed basis.  The group would be time-limited with four sessions and the option to renew participation for another four weeks.

Goals

The goals of the group are to grow relationships of trust and to develop skills in self-regulation. Given the limited time that professionals often have for group work, these goals may have to be enough. Service providers can hope and work toward other goals. These goals include

  • to go beyond individualized methods of self-regulation such as breathing exercises, and to develop capacities to seek trusted others in times of stress to avert engaging in aggressive or other harmful behaviors;
  • to enhance executive function, such as anticipation of consequences, planning for the future, self-organization, understanding social norms, and following rules;
  • to repair relationships harmed by their aggression;
  • to develop compassion for self and others through relationships; and
  • to develop mindfulness so that they have capacities to be attuned to their own inner states and the inner states of others and to act with respect toward self and others.

These goals provide a vision for best possible outcomes. In practice, service providers know that reaching even some of these goals would mark success. In school settings and in situations where child welfare social workers have long-term relationships, these goals can provide guidelines for everyday interactions with clients in order to foster the development of prosocial behaviors. When they interact with young people, these goals can help them decide what to say and do.

The four-week group experience may be the foundation for further participation in group work and other interventions, such as those based on the principles of restorative justice. We will discuss specific programs in the final blog.

Voluntary Participation

Participation in the group is voluntary. Groups would be about an hour long. Each session would open with a check in and a brief guided mediation on something pleasant, such as going for a massage or a swim in a warm lagoon loaded with colorful fish. If the girls are anxious or dysregulated at check-in, the guided imagery may help the girls to re-regulate.

In the group, the girls share with each other the kinds of issues they discussed in the relational interviews. This discussion will be wide-ranging because aggression has multiple meanings and sources. Group facilitators will notice when girls become emotional and appear to be on the verge of dysregulation. They will then lead groups into exercises helpful for re-regulation.

Guided meditation, guided imagery, naming a quality they admire in a person they know, sharing a time when they had done something that others appreciated, or when someone had done something they appreciated are ways to help young people re-regulate. Something as simple as breathing exercises taught with the guideline of “Smell the rose, and put out the candle” is helpful to many (Danette Jones, personal communication, February 2015).

Homework assignments would include practicing what they learn in their group work at least one time per week and be prepared to report on how they did at check-in at the beginning of the next group. Facilitators would not pressure the girls into doing these assignments. They would simply make suggestions and at the next group inquire about whether they got to doing the assignment.

Self-Determination

Sometimes facilitators guide the discussion with questions based on principles of repair of relationships that their aggression has harmed. A question that might open up this possibility is “Would you like to make it right?” Some girls may not think they do. Instead, they might launch into a justification of their violence. Group facilitators would view a pro-violence stance as the girls’ right to choose, or their right to self-determination. They might even be encouraged that the girls are putting their beliefs out in the open. When this happens, group leaders would give the young person the time and space to hear her own beliefs in a safe environment. In the best case, the group work would result in young people hearing many points of view about violence. They may begin to want to chose other ways of dealing with troublesome situations.

The only way they will change is when they are ready and willing. They may want to learn how to repair relationships. This includes taking responsibility for the actions, understanding what was going on for themselves at the time, understanding the effects of their behaviors on others, and wanting to engage in prosocial behaviors. They would be willing to meet with the person or persons they’ve harmed, be willing to listen to what others say is the effects of their aggression, and be willing to apologize.

Apologies take time to compose and practice. Preparation for repair may not be possible in a four-week group and not even in an eight-week group. The repair of specific relationships may take place after the group experience and in a restorative justice program that we discuss in the final blog.

Inviting Others In

During the last 15 minutes of each group, parents, teachers, and other school staff would be invited to join the girls so that the girls could share with them what they discussed and learned in group. It is important to include as many other people in the girls’ group work so that people in the wider settings can be supportive.

Evaluation

Evaluation of the effects of the group would be on-going, beginning with group facilitators noticing how the girls interact in group, what the girls say about the effects, how the girls behave in other settings, and what others say about the girls’ behaviors in other setting. Group facilitators would meet beforehand to plan the group and would meet after each group to discuss what happened in the group and to begin to plan for the following group.

Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is a possible consequence of group work. As stated in Blog 1, persons who have self-compassion accept themselves as imperfect and hold themselves accountable for any hurt they cause. They seek to repair damage to relationship with others. If persons have self-compassion, they have compassion for others. Their compassion for others and themselves flows from an inner sense of dignity and self-worth.

Research shows that low self-compassion is associated with harsh experiences, usually in childhood and sometimes later in life, and the absence of relationships with others that provide safe havens where individuals can work through the effects of these experiences. Child abuse and neglect, rape, separations and losses, and other adverse and traumatic events are examples of harsh experiences. Girls with child protection involvement have lower self-compassion. Research shows that they are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors and to be targets of aggression than girls without child protection involvement. Research shows self-compassion can be increased through positive life experiences based on relationships of trust.

Summary

In summary, over the four sessions, participants would form relationships of trust, share beliefs and meanings about violence, learn methods of self-regulation, be exposed to ideas regarding repair of relationships, and hopefully develop self-compassion and compassion for others.

Some girls may want to continue for another four weeks. The structure of the group would remain the same. The girls would have a lot to share. Four additional weeks would deepen and broaden their capacities for relationships of trust, self-regulation, executive function, self-compassion, and compassion for others.

These are big goals that are unlikely to be achieved in four weeks or eight weeks. Relational interviews and relationship-based group work might be a solid beginning. Girls may begin to seek out people they trust, as Antonia did after developing a long-term relationship of trust with her case manager. (See Blog 8 on Antonia’s case.)

Questions to Consider

Please feel free to leave a comment on today’s blog. If you think we’ve left something out, please let us know. If this blog has given you something to think about, we’d like to know your thoughts. Please consider the following questions.

  • Group work has a long history in social work. What experiences have you had in group work? For example,
    • Have you ever participated in group work? If yes, what was your experience?
    • Have you had formal or informal training in group work? What kind of training did you have? Have you found it useful in your practice?
    • Have you ever developed a group intervention? What was your experience?
    • Have you ever facilitated a group? What was your experience?
  • How do the ideas in this blog fit with your understandings of group work with children and young people? For example, what do you think of self-compassion as a goal of group work?

Next Blog

In Blog 12, we highlight prevention and interventions programs prevention programs that have been shown to be effective and that are based on some of the principles that we have discussed in this series of blogs, such as relationship-based practices. These programs are most effective in settings where the people involved are well-trained in the programs that take place in their schools and are supportive of them. Goodness of fit between interventions and settings are pivotal for program effectiveness.

About the Authors

Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, is a professor, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA. She was a child welfare social worker for more than eight years and has taught courses and done qualitative research on high-risk children and families for many years. A special focus of her research is factors associated with good outcomes when children have experienced complex trauma. Professor Gilgun’s articles, books, and practice manuals are widely available on the internet. Many of them are free.

Samantha Hirschey is a second year master’s student at the School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, USA, and Professor Gilgun’s research assistant. She did her first year internship at the St. Paul Public Schools and her second internship will be at the Community-University Health Care Center that provides mental health services to residents of the inner city of Minneapolis. She has worked in a variety of social service agencies including with children, teens, and adults with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. She has a special interest in the promotion of integrated behavioral health in children and families.

References

Brown, Kirk Warren, Richard M. Ryan and J. David Creswell (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry 18 (4), 211-237.

Comer E, Meier, A. & Galinsky, M.J. (2004) Development of innovative group work practice using the intervention research paradigm. Social Work 49(2), 250–260.

Mullet, Judy Hostetler (2014). Restorative discipline: From getting even to getting well. Children & Schools, 36 (3), 157-162.

Moore, Monique, David Brown, Nisha b, & Mark Bates (2011). Mind body skills for regulating the autonomic nervous system. Arlington, VA: Defense centers of excellence for psychological health and traumatic brain injury.

Neff, K. D. & McGehee, P. (2010). Self-compassion and psychological resilience among adolescents and young adults. Self and Identify, 9(3), 225–240.

Pargament, Kenneth I. (2007). Spiritually integrated psychotherapy. New York: Guilford.