The New Social Worker Vol. 20, No. 1, Winter 2013 | Page 13

have since learned some very effective
tools and ways to remedy situations like
this, and as a result, I have since held
some very successful groups.

One of the most helpful things is
to always include a short, educational
component with each group meeting.
This seems to serve as a fool-proof way
of initiating appropriate, topic-related conversation. It also helps keep the group on
track and on task. If things get slow or flat,
this gives me something to which I can
refer. “So and so had a great point about
XYZ. Has anyone else experienced something similar?” I prepare for each group
as if I am preparing for a mini-lecture,
complete with questions and resources, in
case anyone chooses to research the topic
further. This preparation has saved me
numerous times and has prompted more
compliments from attendees than any
other single approach I have taken.

I have also started holding my
groups in a neutral setting. Having my
groups off-site allows for fewer distractions (for example, seeing their loved
ones being cared for or escorted in
wheelchairs to dinner). This lack of
familiarity has become very conducive to
staying focused and no one person feeling overly comfortable.

Some of the most valuable things
I have learned have evolved out of
experience, trial and error, and just plain
instinct. I now understand that the group
itself is as unique as its participants. I have
learned that flexibility, on my part, is
essential. I have learned that a successful
group isn’t necessarily one in which my
goals for it have been achieved. Success is
more broadly defined by each individual
in the group. Success may be one person
befriending another as a result of the
group. For someone else, it might be that
he/she truly learned the importance of
self care and signed up for a yoga class.

I now know that I cannot take credit
for a successful group, nor should I assume full responsibility for a less than
successful one. It is all part of the process
of learning, together. We are learning
about each other’s strengths, weaknesses,
and shortcomings; in other words, our
humanness. We are learning how to best
support one another when there are no
solutions or shortcuts to healing. We are
learning that when someone cries, it’s
okay if you don’t necessarily know what
to say and choose to say nothing. The
single most important thing that I can
do and be as a facilitator is genuine. This
overrides anything else and provides

more long-lasting support than one can
imagine.

I have learned that sometimes people
demonstrate their pain in less than endearing ways. I have learned that sometimes
the least loveable/likeable/approachable
person needs support more than those who
are easier to support. I have learned that
everyone has a story, but not everyone
wants to, or needs to, tell it in order to
benefit. I have learned that some benefits
are simply immeasurable and that a group
of two or three can be as valuable and
therapeutic as a larger group.

Most importantly, I have learned
that my strength and preference for practice is still one-on-one work with clients,
but that with preparation, compassion,
structure, and flexibility, I can facilitate
an excellent support group. So can you,
with or without doughnuts!
Renee R. Zandee-Adams, MSW, LCSW,
received her MSW from Arizona State University. She has worked as a hospice social worker
for the past 12 years and previously was Social
Service Director at a skilled nursing facility. She
wrote a chapter in Days in the Lives of Gerontological Social Workers. She has also taught a
graduate course in Social Work Practice with
Elders at Arizona State University West.

The New Social Worker

Winter 2013

11