Group Work in Social Work Education: What Is Being Taught?

This study of 51 syllabi from group work courses in 32 graduate social work programs across the United States found that a variety of teaching methods are being utilized, including small-group experiential exercises, group analysis, and group journals, as well as the more traditional methods of lectures and discussion. More than half of the courses included content on different kinds of groups (e.g., open versus closed, task versus therapeutic), leadership issues, and developmental stages of groups. It is of concern that relatively few syllabi reported major discussions of Ethics/ Values or Oppression.