Group social intervention by social workers: Challenges and issues

Social work with groups is one of the social work intervention methods, and describes an approach directed at individuals, families, and communities. Most articles discussing this intervention method result from research conducted in larger urban centers. This research is based on the training and needs of social workers doing group work; specifically, qualitative research on social workers practising group intervention work in northern Quebec (Canada). The results indicate social workers' satisfaction with training that simultaneously integrates practical work and group theory in a university setting. Group intervention work in rural areas has certain advantages over social work in large urban centers (sharing and understanding of a shared reality, breaking down isolation barriers), but social workers also have to face certain challenges specific to their region, such as confidentiality, a lack of public transit for users, and the lack of importance placed by the health network on this type of intervention work.