Discussion Post
To prepare for this discussion, imagine that you are a middle school social worker. You have been tasked with starting a group for children who are coping with specific types of grief and loss: parental divorce, incarceration, and death. Sounds like a good idea, right? Critically consider the various issues that might arise, as well as how you might address them.
In your original post, briefly explain how you might address each of the following concerns, using evidence to justify your explanations:
1) The school principal tells you that students can't be pulled from academic class time for your group. The students you have in mind do not have overlapping elective courses (like art or music), study halls, or lunch times. Also, some students take the bus and can't stay after school. How would you address this dilemma?
2) You have strong reservations about including a student in one of your groups, even though the student heard about the group from a friend and told you she very much wants to be in the group. How would you handle this?
3) Some group leaders announce from the beginning that the group will be time-limited (for example, 15 weeks). What is the rationale for a time-limited group? Would you prefer leading a group with a predetermined termination date or a long-term group that continued indefinitely? Why?