Each student will develop a proposal for a group that is appropriate for delivery in a school, college, or agency setting. It must have received approval by Dr. Todd. The group proposal will be supported by at least 5-10 current (2016-2023), scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles, and should adhere completely to APA format. The proposal should be 8-10 pages in length (not including reference page) and adhere to the format listed on page 13/below.
Each student will be required to develop a group aimed at treating a disorder or population of your choice in schools or clinics. A review of the current literature (the past 10 years) should support the use of your chosen group type with the specific population you are choosing.
You must include (and incorporate into your paper) a reference list of 5-10 articles which show research support for your proposal. These references must be from scholarly journals or other sources.
The group proposal should be typed, double-spaced, and 8-10 pages [not including reference page(s)] in length. The paper should follow correct format for APA Style. Please use the following format to write your paper.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A PROPOSAL FOR A GROUP
A clear and convincing proposal is often essential for translating a good idea for
a group into actual practice. If you are going to create a group under the auspices of your supervisors or an agency, you will probably have to explain your rationale and proposed methods. It is useful to write out your proposal, for doing so can help you conceptualize your goals, procedures, and strategies for evaluation. The following guidelines provide you with some direction in designing a group.
To gain practice in developing, writing, and presenting a proposal, think of a group that you would eventually like to organize. Once you have decided on a specific type of group (for example, a group for parents who want to learn better child-rearing skills, or a group for women having just gone through a divorce), consider the following questions in drafting your proposal. These questions are just starting points for your writing, which should be much more specific in each section.
GROUP DESCRIPTION
1. What type of group will you create? Will it be a counseling group? a therapy group? a personal-growth group? Will it be long term or short term?
2. Whom is the group for? Is it for a particular population, such as children in an elementary school? for outpatients in a community mental-health center? for substance abusers in a residential setting? for parents who are having major problems in relating to their children? for couples who hope to learn better communication skills?
3. What led you to choose this particular group for your proposal (what is your interest in the topic?)
RATIONALE
4. What are your goals for this group; that is, what will members gain from participating in the group? What are the short-term goals? Long-term goals? Are the goals and objectives specific?
How will these goals be accomplished in a group setting? How will the long-range goals be evaluated during the group and once it comes to an end?
5. Why is there a need for such a group? In what ways would a group provide definite advantages over individual counseling?
6. What is the research support for this project? Do you have a clear and convincing rationale for your group? Are you able to answer questions that might be raised? (Include your summary of relevant literature here)
GROUP LEADERS
7. Who will lead the group? What are his or her qualifications? If you will be leading the group, will you be doing so alone, or will you be working with a co-leader?
8. If working with a co-leader, describe how you plan to handle the division of responsibilities/roles/etc. between leaders.
SELECTION OF MEMBERS
9. What are some of the ways in which you will announce your group and recruit members for it? Where will you get members? What will you want to convey in any written announcements? You will need to create and attach to your paper an actual flyer type advertisement for your group.
10. What kind of screening and selection procedures will be used? What is the rationale for using these specific procedures? Whom will you include, and whom might you exclude?
11. How many members will be in the group? Where will the group meet? How often will it meet? How long will each meeting last? Will new people be allowed to join the group once it has started (will it be closed or open)?
STRUCTURE OF THE GROUP
12. What structure will the group have? Will leaders use a theoretical orientation? Explain in detail how your theoretical orientation will be demonstrated through the types of activities or approaches in this group. Will it be designed around special topics and issues? Will there be a “here and now” focus? What topics are likely to be the focus of the group?
13. How will members be prepared to derive the maximum benefit from the group? What ground rules will the group have?
14. Will you ask members to formulate contracts as a basis for structuring the sessions?
What are some advantages and disadvantages of using contracts for your particular group?
15. How will you handle the fact that people will be taking some risks by participating in the group? What will you tell them about these risks, and what will you do to safeguard them from unnecessary risks? Will you take any special precautions with minors?
16. Will your group be voluntary or mandatory? If the members are required to attend, what measures are you taking to increase the chances of gaining their cooperation? How might you deal with the resistance of members who did not want to participate?
17. What specific ethical considerations may need to be addressed in your group? Does your proposal reflect an awareness of ethical practice? What ethical guidelines will you follow? [Be sure to review “Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) Best Practice Guidelines” for this section]
18. What techniques and procedures might you employ in the group? Will there be structured exercises? Will you emphasize role-playing? Will members be expected to practice new skills outside of the group sessions?
19. To what extent will you be available for individual consultation with group members?
If the members are having difficulties resulting from the group, are you willing to meet with them privately, or do you expect them to bring up these problems in the group?
When might you suggest a referral for a member?
EVALUATION
20. What evaluation procedures do you plan? Will you evaluate each session? If so, how?
Once the group ends, what methods might you use to assess the overall effectiveness of the group?
21. What follow-up procedures might you use? Will you meet each member privately to discuss the degree to which he or she has met personal goals? Will you meet with the group one or more times for evaluation purposes?