Online group work with social workers to enhance skills for working with LGBTQIA plus people

This study demonstrates that social workers who participate in online group work that utilizes LGBTQIA+ films, discussion, and didactic training on LGBGQIA+ history, term, and issues can strengthen their empathy for LGBTQIA+ people and reduce their homophobia in preparation for serving people in LGBTQIA+ communities better. A total of 24 social workers from the Istanbul Branch of the Association of Social Workers, 12 in the experimental group and 12 in the control group, participated in the research. It has been observed that online group work, which is carried out with nested design, which is one of the mixed methods, significantly reduces the homophobia levels of social workers. Workshops and group work should be carried out to reduce the LGBTQIA+phobic attitudes of social workers, and these studies should be prepared in a way that includes the life experiences of LGBTQIA+ people.