Curriculum and Psychoeducational Groups: Opportunities and Challenges

Curriculum and psychoeducational groups have become increasingly popular because of their strong evidence base and presumed ease of implementation. The curriculum provides a valuable guide to social workers leading groups as they decide on topics for discussion. Typically, the literature emphasizes the content—the material being presented—over the process: the ways in which members interact with one another and with the leader. The authors of this article contend that when the social worker adheres too rigidly to the content, members' ability to make meaning of and internalize the information being presented is compromised. They advocate for an approach to group facilitation that emphasizes flexible presentation of curriculum topics. The benefits of group participation are maximized when collaborative learning, which involves members' interactions with one another and the leader, is encouraged. The article includes a summary of the theoretical foundation and evidence base of psychoeducational and curriculum groups and presents strategies to promote collaborative learning using case examples.