This article explores the application of the Mutual Aid model in group work to support disadvantaged women in accessing formal microcredit services in Ward X, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The integration of the Mutual Aid, Feminist Relational Model, and the Life Model of Social Work Practice addresses multi-layered challenges facing women in near-poor households. A short group-based intervention program fostered a sense of peer support, empowerment, and collective problem-solving. Eventually, participants were enabled to build confidence and expand their access to formal credit policies. Positive feedback from participants included strengthened capacity to mutually learn and navigate complex credit systems, and women were able to see themselves as active agents of change and mutual support, rather than as passive recipients of development. This case study affirms the practical relevance of Mutual Aid in the Vietnamese context and implies scaling for broader policy interventions to promote community-based empowerment for vulnerable populations.
This paper explores the implementation of a group work intervention for students with disabilities currently enrolled at a Vietnamese university. Within the evolving landscape of Vietnamese social work, the intervention serves as an experimental antidote to the cultural and historical context that hinders the students' abilities to claim their agency and prosper further at the university. The cultural and historical ground revealed the perception of disability and highlighted how recent developments and international collaboration of Vietnamese social work can offer new possibilities and perspectives to approach disability. By integrating Dr Charles Garvin's (2014) group developmental stages with trauma-informed principles, the Well-being Circle brought a sense of safety, belonging, and empowerment to the space with active participation among students. The paper vividly illustrated the progression of the Circle, named "Tr & abreve;ng Khuyet" (Crescent Moon) as the symbol for their resilience, from hesitant and passive engagement to group potency. Significantly, the current results have shown great potential to maintain the Well-being Circle as the space for future generations of students and students with different cohorts. Therefore, the discussion of the model's strengths and limitations leads to detailed implications for inclusive social work in Vietnam and potential field education opportunities for social work students. The paper achieved its goal of leaving a practical insight into resourced-limited settings and highlighting the potential of group work to empower and advocate in Vietnam.
Disaster relief professionals face intense psychological demands, including repeated traumatic exposure, high workload, and limited resources, placing them at elevated risk for primary and secondary traumatic stress. This mixed-methods study evaluated the feasibility and effects of the EMDR Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (G-TEP) among relief workers deployed after the February 2023 earthquakes in T & uuml;rkiye. A total of 125 workers completed baseline assessments, and 8 participants exhibiting PTSD symptoms attended three 90-minute G-TEP sessions. Pre- and post-intervention measurements (PCL-5) demonstrated significant reductions in PTSD symptoms across all clusters. Qualitative analysis using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed themes related to trauma experience, the G-TEP process, and empowerment. Participants reported symptom relief, strengthened professional identity, improved self-care behaviors, and post-traumatic growth. Findings indicate that G-TEP is a feasible, structured, and resource-efficient intervention for high-risk disaster settings, offering both immediate stabilization and longer-term resilience building.
Youth who experience interpersonal violence often struggle to access timely and culturally relevant mental health support. Group-based mental health interventions may expand access to care and enhance relevance of services. However, participants' perspectives are needed to understand how group-based, peer-supported models may facilitate healing. Our objective was to describe recovery experiences of youth who engaged in a group-based, peer-supported mental health intervention after experiences of violence. We interviewed five youth about their experiences and perceived outcomes participating in and serving as peer mentors in a peer-supported group model embedded within a pediatric hospital-based violence intervention program. Using a modified grounded theory approach, we inductively coded interviews and generated themes. We constructed a phased model of resilience comprising healing after trauma, cultivating self-efficacy and developmental assets, and realizing empowerment. By centering experiences of youth, this study illustrates how group-based, peer-supported interventions can foster recovery, growth, and resilience after violence.
This study explored therapists' experiences of working in an Israeli therapeutic community treating military-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), focusing on how therapeutic work is understood and enacted beyond the formal therapy room. Utilizing a qualitative-phenomenological approach, we examined the experiences of 14 therapists)social workers and psychotherapists), six men and eight women. Data were collected in semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted between June 2025 and August 2025. We used thematic analysis to analyze the data. Therapists described the community as a continuous therapeutic milieu in which "being with" clients through everyday presence, informal conversations, shared meals, and spontaneous encounters was clinically meaningful to them. At the same time, they highlighted ongoing boundary negotiations (closeness vs. professionalism), substantial emotional labor, and the need to manage visibility and authenticity ("leaving the mask outside"). Team cohesion and reflective spaces were portrayed as essential resources for sustaining work and processing ethical and emotional dilemmas. Findings suggest that in communal models treating military PTSD, therapists understand change as emerging from relational continuity and everyday interactions as much as from structured interventions. Services adopting community-based approaches should prioritize training and supervision focused on boundary management, support, and clinical use of informal contact.
Social movements have sought to harness collective action to respond to domestic and sexual violence (DSV) and address the oppressive structures and systems in and through which violence occurs. Although group-based mutual support has long been treated as a critical component of activism and programming to address DSV, more needs to be understood about the processes and outcomes that are meaningful to group members and facilitators. This qualitative scoping review presents analysis of 24 research articles across diverse settings and types of groups. Through an iterative process of reading, summarizing, and coding articles to identify emerging themes, domains, and change pathways across diverse research sites, findings highlight the ways in which effective group processes support healing and collective power. The processes and outcomes highlighted through this review could inform program design, practice, and evaluation related to the role of groupwork to address DSV.
Sexual trauma profoundly disrupts embodiment, identity, and agency. While garments carry cultural, symbolic, and emotional meanings, their clinical application in trauma recovery remains underexplored. This article presents a feminist, trauma-informed group intervention that uses clothing as a symbolic and reflective medium in therapeutic work with women survivors. Conducted across 12 cycles in a day-treatment setting, the group integrated psychoeducation, experiential exercises, and guided reflection. Drawing on six years of clinical documentation, thematic analysis identified four core processes: concealment and expression; autonomy and constraint; shame and guilt; and femininity and longing. These themes illustrate how garments can support emotional regulation, self-expression, and the reclamation of power through resistance to objectification. The findings highlight the symbolic and sensory functions of clothing in trauma recovery and offer a novel framework for social work with groups.
This article analyzes Jirsong, the traditional youth group of the Karbis in Northeast India, as a self-contained and culture-embedded system of group life. Employing an Indigenous Participatory Approach along with the Two-Eyed Seeing framework, we analyze the function of Jirsong as an Indigenous Knowledge System and a practice consistent with Western theories of group work, mutual aid and empowerment. Based on ethnographic engagement with youth and elders in two Karbi villages, the evaluation indicates that Jirsong continues to be an efficacious source of moral and psychosocial support, cultivating leadership, belonging, and collective effectiveness amidst social disconnection and digital alienation. Synthesizing Indigenous and Western theoretical traditions, we argue that Jirsong is not merely a cultural tradition but a dynamic decolonial practice. We urge social work scholars and practitioners to recognize Indigenous group systems as significant paradigms that can enrich global theories and practices of group work.
Virtual support groups have emerged as a crucial modality for individuals seeking psychosocial support, connection, and assistance, especially during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the provision of mental healthcare. The present study investigates the effectiveness of a virtual support group specifically designed for clients experiencing memory impairment following acquired brain injury (ABI), facilitated by the Memory Link (R) program. To explore clients' experiences, nine eligible members of the Memory Link virtual support group volunteered to participate in individual semi-structured videoconference interviews. The interviews examined participants' perceptions of the virtual group format and its role in supporting adjustment and connection following ABI. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in participants' experiences. Given the increased reliance on virtual formats for communication, this research explores the quality of relationships formed within the support group, the accessibility and convenience of the virtual format, and participants' overall satisfaction with and suggestions for improving the support provided. By addressing these themes, the study contributes to the growing body of literature on virtual health interventions and offers insights into how such groups can be optimized to better meet the needs of participants, particularly members of the acquired brain injury rehabilitation community.
A partnership between Catholic schools and a university in Western Sydney, Australia, focused on a group skills development program for social workers and wellbeing staff, based on mutual aid and experiential learning. In a shortage of literature on this issue, this article reports on the design, implementation and evaluation of the program, referred to as the Group Skills Lab. The article seeks to contribute to knowledge and learning about best practices for social workers engaged in group work in schools in Australia, highlighting the unique contribution of social group work (rather than classroom teaching), the application of in-the-moment group dynamics (rather than prepackaged programs) and the role of a facilitated mutual aid approach in group worker training. The impact and process evaluation of the lab points to benchmarks for the design and delivery of future programs and sets a collaborative research agenda for social group workers in schools.
Recent U.S. presidential elections have deepened political polarization and fueled rising reports of election-related stress and trauma. In 2024, 69% of Americans viewed the election as a significant source of stress and 62% cited politics in general, while 12.5% reported symptoms consistent with election-related PTSD - far above the typical 3.5% annual prevalence (APA, 2024;). These experiences disrupted social bonds, undermined personal security, and heightened hostility across political lines. Strife emerged among neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family with opposing viewpoints, leaving shattered support systems, compromised attachments, and weakened trust. For many, this destabilizing climate generated fear, vulnerability, isolation, loss of control, emotional distress, and helplessness, while reinforcing tribalism and negative sentiment toward other affiliations. Despite increasing clinical presentations of election-related trauma, there has been no formal recognition of the phenomenon and no established trauma-informed treatment framework. This article addresses that gap by examining the psychosocial impact of polarization and election-related distress on mental health, relationships, and communities. It introduces an innovative trauma-informed group therapy model integrating psychoeducation and structured dialogue. By fostering understanding rather than debate, the model aims to reduce distress, strengthen attachments, and build resilience within a polarized sociopolitical climate.
This study examines the impact of an empowerment-based online group intervention on social workers' professional satisfaction and interest using a mixed-method, quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest control groups. The seven-session online intervention integrated psychodrama techniques and interaction-based activities. Qualitatively, sessions were transcribed and analyzed via thematic analysis using MAXQDA 2020, identifying five themes: "Exploration of professional self and solidarity," "From alienation to professional belonging," "Empowerment," "Social work as meaning-making," and "Developing a future-oriented professional vision." Quantitative data analyzed with SPSS 22.0 showed statistically significant improvements in overall scores and select subscales on the Professional Satisfaction and Interest Scales in the experimental group. The findings underscore the importance of innovative, culturally responsive online interventions for enhancing social workers' professional satisfaction, identity, and motivation.
This article explores the role of social group work in providing relief to tribal communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the Baiga tribes, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in the Maikal region of Central India. The project documents the experiences of a volunteer group that mobilized community resources to address the urgent needs of these vulnerable populations during the initial lockdown phase (March to June 2020). Drawing on qualitative data collected over 45 days, the project highlights the fundraising processes, community mobilization, and interaction with tribal households. It throws light on the grassroots-level interventions, challenges, and community responses encountered in 43 tribal habitations stretched across the Maikal region of the Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh. Findings indicate that the relief effort, which distributed pandemic relief kits to 1950 households, significantly alleviated food insecurity and provided vital support during the lockdown. The IASWG Standards/Framework are adopted while carrying out the project. This project contributes to the literature on social group work in emergency contexts, illustrating how small-scale initiatives can impact marginalized tribal communities during health crises.
This quantitative study examines how culturally grounded, group-based engagement through the Korean American Association of Greater Philadelphia (KAAGP) influenced COVID-19 vaccine confidence among Korean Americans. Integrating the Health Belief Model (HBM) with Tuckman's group development theory, the study reframes cues to action as relational processes that emerge within cohesive and trusting group environments. Analysis of survey data from 313 participants identified a pathway to vaccine confidence: community engagement operated by fostering relational cues to action. These cues, in turn, served as the strongest direct predictor of vaccine confidence, demonstrating how group cohesion transforms information into collective efficacy. The study underscores the relational construction of health beliefs within mature group functioning and highlights the performing stage of group development as a mechanism for health behavior change. By demonstrating how culturally embedded communication fosters trust, accountability, and empowerment, this research contributes to social work with groups.
In the field of mental health and substance use community-services, the recovery phenomenon has gained increasingly focus, in which peer-support plays an essential role. To explore the translation and implementation of the peer-led intervention "Recovery is up to you" from Dutch to Norwegian regarding attendance, acceptability, in this case meaning completion and drop-out, and impact. Background information on participants, attendance rate and validated measures assessing hope (HHI), quality of life (MANSA), confidence (MHCS), loneliness (LS) and empowerment (NEL) were used. Descriptive analysis, t-test for the comparison of means (except for age where z-test was used) and chi-square statistics for the categorical variables were conducted. The sample constituted 89 participants (65.2% male, 34.8% female). Most had substance use issues. There was a significantly positive impact regarding hope. Participants differed from those in the Dutch RCT-study regarding age, gender and reason for participating. The Norwegian group had a weaker connection to the labor market but a stronger connection to health and social services. Over half of the attendees completed the course. Drop-out was within the normal range and implied acceptability. The results are promising regarding the usefulness and further implementation of the course in a Norwegian setting. This knowledge supports the positive results from the Dutch studies.
This study examined the effects of a Solution-Focused Social Work Intervention Program on the self-esteem and social adjustment of refugee high school students in Istanbul. The intervention was implemented through a groupwork approach. Data were collected using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Social Adjustment Self-Assessment Scale. An experimental pretest-posttest control group design with follow-up was used. The study included 32 students, with 16 in the experimental group and 16 in the control group. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0. Results showed that the intervention significantly improved the self-esteem and social adjustment levels of students in the experimental group. These gains were maintained at follow-up. The findings highlight the effectiveness of solution-focused approaches in supporting refugee adolescents' psychosocial well-being. The study offers practical implications for school social workers, counselors, psychologists, and teachers working with refugee populations in educational settings.
Study abroad and other international group experiences with immersion components are rapidly growing in higher education. They provide opportunities for cultural learning and curricular enrichment as well as a rich relational opportunity for participants to experience the journey as part of a group. This article uses collaborative writing methods to scrutinize an international case study to illustrate how the theoretical group work lens of mutual aid groups can offer insights into study abroad programs and similar experiences. Recommendations are offered for leading international learning groups, including how to address sensitive topics, such as race, conflict, communication, fostering mutual aid, and positionality.
Support groups are commonly accessed for substance use issues, but primarily discourage or disallow active substance use during the group process. Employing community-based participatory research, we offered a low-barrier support group for people who use drugs, where sobriety was neither mandated nor encouraged, from a liberatory harm reduction and dislocation theory perspective. Facilitator session reports and participant artwork were analyzed to derive three themes and six sub-themes. Storytelling as a Site of Healing and Resistance explores subthemes of voicing lived experience and bearing witness to one’s story. Peer-Led Learning explores the subthemes of collective knowledge sharing and consciousness-raising process. Environmental and Bodily Safety explores subthemes of flexible engagement and art as a tool for grounding. By exploring the dynamics of a low-barrier, harm reduction support group for people who use drugs, this article offers a rare empirical contribution to an area that remains otherwise underexplored.
