Abstract: Spousal dementia carers face loss, ambiguous grief, and guilt during their partners transition into long-term care (LTC) (Gibson et al., 2019). The Carers Transition Group is an effective group intervention for spousal dementia carers who are facing the tumultuous transition of their partners entering LTC. A support needs assessment tool based on the CSNAT (Ewing et al, 2013) was used to identify individual and group carer support needs and assure that group sessions accurately reflect the same. Mutual support with other spousal dementia carers coupled with psychoeducational and psychosocial interventions both inside and outside of group sessions led to overall positive outcomes.
Colonisation and apartheid profoundly disrupted African cultural, social, and economic systems, separating communities from indigenous identities, languages, and practices of mutuality. These historical processes entrenched inequality through economic exploitation, displacement, and the imposition of culturally inappropriate policies, while generating dependency and feelings of inferiority. Yet, African communities have demonstrated resilience, preserving traditions through the principles of Ubuntu and mutual aid. Such practices, stokvels, burial societies, and other indigenous forms of collective support, have long enabled communities to respond to crises, marginalisation, and unmet needs, fostering both individual and collective well-being. Despite their significance, these practices remain underexplored within professional social work, which continues to be dominated by Western theories and models of intervention. This article examines the role of indigenous mutual aid group practices in the South African context and considers their relationship with the African worldview of Ubuntu. It argues for the recognition of indigenous knowledge as central to indigenising social work and proposes culturally appropriate approaches that integrate mutual aid groups into a developmental welfare framework.
Teamwork is a core employability attribute for business management graduates, yet what it entails at entry level is often left unspecified. Analysis of 75 graduate job advertisements, triangulated with 11 employer interviews, yields a behaviourally specific profile of effective entry-level teamwork. Using a groupwork lens, findings cluster into three domains: task approach and completion, social interaction and collaboration, and the individual in the organisational system. The result is a behaviourally specific checklist to guide curriculum design, assessment and onboarding, aligning preparation with employer expectations.
This article introduces a treatment approach with sexual offenders that centers around groupwork. Sexual offender outcome literature is reviewed briefly and an introduction to William Glasser’s choice theory is provided, as it is the theoretical basis for this intervention. A case example is included for conceptualization and discussion. Conclusions highlight the importance of using a strengths-based, present and future-focused approach to treatment with individuals who have been convicted of a sexual offense.
