Group Work Practice to Advance Social Competence: A Specialized Methodology for Social Work

By: Norma C. Lang

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Synopsis: Small social groups are fundamental to personal growth, social development, socialization, and acquiring the skills of sustaining relevance, relationships, and connections to society. Unfortunately, those who might benefit most from small groups often find themselves unable to achieve membership. Lacking the necessary social skills for entry into groups, these socially disabled individuals may never enjoy the advantages of membership. Advancing a practice methodology that specifically targets the socially unskilled, Norma Lang gives much-needed guidance to practitioners struggling to help individuals become part of group life. Grounded in extensive practice, Lang's methodology addresses the special needs and anomalous functioning of individuals who lack social skills to form and use groups. She outlines the unique pre-group processes of socially unskilled populations and provides a methodology for advancing social competence. She also identifies the professional and agency requirements for working with pre-social processes. Her method is widely applicable to practice with social work groups and greatly expands the literature on social work theory and practice with individuals and groups.