 |
 |
 |
| Saturday, 14 January 2006: 4:00 PM-5:45 PM | |||
| Inside the Black Box: Factors Contributing to Effective Group Work | |||
| Organizer: | Mark J. Macgowan, PhD, Florida International University | ||
| Discussants: | Mark W. Fraser, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Maeda J. Galinsky, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | ||
| Impact of Group Processes on Outcomes in a Psychoeducation Group for Families Coping with Mental Illness David E. Pollio, PhD, Jennifer McClendon, MSW | |||
| Real Groups: a Culturally Grounded Approach to Enhance Prevention Flavio Francisco Marsiglia, PhD, Veronica Peña, MSW | |||
| Cultural Considerations in Developing Mutual Aid in Skill Building Groups with Urban Mexican-American Children Joan Letendre, PhD | |||
| An Examination of Factors Contributing to Helpful and Harmful Groups with Teen Substance Users Mark J. Macgowan, PhD | |||
| Abstract Text: This symposium presents empirical research that looks into the “black box” of group treatment by modeling and analyzing aspects of group structures, processes, and leadership across four NIH-funded studies. With the rise in the development and use of manualized group interventions, one challenge has been to both explicate the treatment content while paying attention to the elements and processes that define groups and make them a unique and effective context for treatment delivery. Although empirical research has shown the importance of group structures (e.g., composition), processes (e.g., cohesion), and leadership on outcomes (Burlingame, Mackenzie, & Strauss, 2004), few outcome studies examine the group context in which the treatment is delivered. Few have taken up the call to move to a clear box approach, which is the “next logical step of trying to isolate some of the more specific treatment elements that account for the variable success in group treatment results” (Bednar & Kaul, 1994, p. 633). Such research identifies the mechanisms of change within groups that positively - or negatively - affect outcomes. This symposium is important because it highlights clinically-relevant empirical research that helps improve the practice and outcomes of group work. The first presentation based on a randomized clinical trial reports on the important role that engagement and cohesion play in facilitating outcomes among groups for families with members with a mental illness in the Midwest. The second presentation offers findings about alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse prevention groups for 5th graders designed to enhance and reinforce students' abilities to use refusal skills and gain cultural identity. The third paper highlights the role of culture in developing an inclusive group where students offer each other mutual aid and problem solving help. The fourth presentation reports on a study of adolescents in AOD treatment groups in schools in south Florida and reports on the influence of group composition, disruptive behavior in group, and group leader behaviors on changes in AOD use over time. These rigorous empirical studies offer findings to improve the practice and outcomes of group work. | |||
See more of Symposium
See more of Meeting the Challenge: Research In and With Diverse Communities (January 12 - 15, 2006)