SWK 679 - e-Social Work Practice with Groups

This course follows the Foundations of Telebehavioral Health in Social Work Practice with a focus on telebehavioral health services delivery to groups. Asynchronous and synchronous modes of delivery are analyzed to evaluate their uses with a range of client system groups and mental health issues. Like telehealth services delivery to individuals, the need for telehealth services delivery to groups is partially in response to the problem of services scarcity in the United States, particularly, due to limited physical access. Rural populations experience the greatest scarcity of accessible mental health resources, however, meeting these needs through telehealth delivery contains risks and drawbacks. Students will analyze best practices and policies for technology-mediated group work to address these risks. And, because groups are often used to complement primary treatments for purposes of providing informational and emotional support, students will develop a practice model for delivery to a population with whom they work or plan to work. Additionally, students will evaluate best practices for engagement, devise assessment protocols, and determine how to facilitate interventions that develop mutual aid in online groups, as well as synergize individual and group components of practice.