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1. ASSESSMENT
Prepared By Jency Shah

4. Workers begin their assessments during the planning stage and continue to
assess and reassess the group’s work until it ends. Although assessments are
made in all stages of a group’s life, the process dominates a worker’s time in
the beginning phase of group work. It is at this time that the worker is most
actively engaged in understanding the functioning of the group and its
members. It is also the time when interaction patterns of cohesion, norms, and
other group dynamics are forming. In groups, workers have the opportunity to
encourage the development of group processes that help groups accomplish
their purposes in the most effective and efficient manner. Although leaders
may be more attentive to assessment processes in early stages, assessment
continues as group work progresses.

5. Assessing the functioning of group members
During the assessment process, the worker should consider the current
functioning of the members and, whenever possible, also examine
members’ functioning from a developmental perspective. It also helps the
worker gain a greater understanding of their intensity, duration, and scope
of particular concerns. Overall, developmental assessments are more likely
to be accurate and complete.

6. A variety of methods exist to help workers assess the functioning of group
members. Among the most commonly used methods for assessing
functioning are
(1) members’ self-observations, (logbooks, timetable, etc)
(2) worker observations, (monitoring in any situation)
(3) reports by others who have seen the member function outside the group,
and

8. Assessing the functioning of the group as a whole
In most practice situations, workers limit their assessment of the
functioning of the group to simply reflecting on it during and between
meetings. They may also meet with a supervisor or a consultant to help
process their reactions to a group and to get suggestions to improve future
group meetings. Nevertheless, it can be beneficial to use more formal
structured assessments of group processes. These help workers and
members become more aware of and involved in improving whole groups’
functioning.

9. Assessing the functioning of the group as a whole
Assessing
Communication &
Interaction Patterns
Assessing Cohesion
Assessing social
integration
Assessing group
culture

10. The
Assessment
Process
• How much information?
Several issues arise when workers assess the
functioning of the group and its members. One of
the most basic issues is how much information to
collect. Although it is often recommended that
workers collect as much information as possible,
increasing information beyond a certain point may
not lead to more effective goal achievement. Also,
workers are sometimes confronted with urgent
situations that prevent extensive data collection.
In these situations, workers should be guided by
goals formulated during the planning and the
beginning stages of group work. Workers also
should be as clear as possible about the relevance
of the information being collected.

11. Some helpful
principles to
guide workers in
their data-
collection efforts
• Use more than one mode of data collection whenever
possible.
• Distinguish between the problem, concern, or task about
which information is being collected and the source of the
information.
• Obtain relevant samples of data from several sources.
• Structure data collection so that relevant information can be
obtained quickly and efficiently.
• Develop a system that will not place overwhelming demands
on persons who are collecting information or on persons who
are asked for information.
• Avoid biasing while data collection and assessment.
• Involve all group members in the assessment process so that
multiple viewpoints can help overcome limitations of the
worker’s subjectivity.
• Discuss assessment data with a co-leader or a supervisor
between meetings.

13. Diagnostic
Labels
Another issue that often arises when one makes
assessments of the members of treatment groups is the
use of diagnostic classification systems and labels.
Diagnostic classification systems can be helpful in
making differential assessments and arriving at
effective treatment plans for group members.
Classification systems such as the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) are used
in many mental health settings for assessment and
intervention purposes. Diagnostic labels can result in
social stigma. Members of a group may be at risk for
harmful stereotyping when diagnostic labels are used
without attention to confidentiality. Also, some
scholars believe that members may start to behave in
ways that are consistent with the labels ascribed to
them.

14. Assessment
Focus
A third issue that often arises in making an assessment
is how to focus data-collection efforts. Workers should
avoid becoming locked into one assessment focus.
Premature faithfulness to a particular view of a situation
can result in ignoring important data or attempting to fit
all data into a particular conceptualization of the
situation.
In focusing their assessments, workers should be
guided by the unique needs and particular
circumstances of each member and by the purposes of
the group. In one group, for example, it may be
important to focus on members’ family situations, but in
another group, it may be more beneficial to assess
members’ problem-solving skills. In other words, the
focus of assessment should change with the changing
needs of the group and its members.

15. Relationship of
Assessment to
the Change
Process and
problem Solving
Monitoring and evaluating goal formulation was essential
to the beginning of the change process. Assessment is
also essential to the change process because it helps
members identify what individual and group goals have
been accomplished and what work remains to be done. In
early group meetings, an assessment provides a baseline
that members can use to compare their progress as the
group progresses. As the group progresses, assessments
help to identify progress and success, but they also
identify obstacles in the path of goals that remain
unachieved. In treatment groups, assessment helps
members understand their concerns and problems, and it
allows them to normalize them. For members of task
groups, assessment gives the group a conceptualization
of the problem confronting them. Facts and data that are
needed are gathered and clarified.

16. Assessing the group's environment
Levels of
Assessment
The organization
that sponsors and
sanctions the
group
The
interorganizational
environment
The community
environment

17. The organization
that sponsors
and sanctions
the group
When assessing the influence on the group of
the sponsoring organization, the worker
examines how the group’s purposes are
influenced by the agency, what resources are
allocated for the group’s efforts, what status
the worker has in relation to others who work
for the agency, and how the agency’s attitudes
about service delivery influence the group
work endeavor. Taken together, these factors
can have a profound influence on the way the
group functions.

18. The
interorganizationa
l environment
When assessing the group’s environment, it is important
for the worker to pay attention to anything happening in
other organizations that may be relevant to the group.
The worker can make an assessment of the
interorganizational environment by asking several
questions: Are other organizations offering similar
groups? Do workers in other organizations perceive
needs similar to those that formed the basis for the
worker’s own group? Do other organizations offer
services or programs that may be useful to members of
the group? Would any benefit be gained by linking with
groups in other organizations to lobby for changes in
social service benefits?

19. The community
environment
In treatment groups, if the problem is one that violates
basic community values, members of the group are likely to
be stigmatized. Lack of community acceptance and the
resulting stigma attached to the problem may have other
consequences, such as discouraging potential members
from reaching out for help. It may also increase the level of
confidentiality of group meetings and may affect
procedures used to recruit new members. For example,
because of the stigma attached to persons who abuse their
children, Parents Anonymous groups generally have
confidential meetings, and the recruitment process occurs
on a first-name basis to protect members from people who
may be more interested in finding out their identities than
in attending meetings. Similar recruitment procedures are
used in other professionally led and self-help groups that
deal with socially stigmatized problems, such as spousal
abuse, alcoholism, and compulsive gambling.

20. Conducting Effective
Assessment
• Focus on group process
• External Constituencies and Sponsorship
Workers often fail to pay sufficient attention to external constituencies and
other aspects of groups’ environments. External constituencies vary depending
on the nature of groups but may include parents, courts, teachers, and others
who have a stake in members’ lives.
Similarly, the expectations of sponsors for the conduct of groups and the
outcomes achieved are important to consider during assessments.

21. Linking assessment to intervention
In preparati on for the middle stage of treatment groups, w orkers should consider how they w ill use their assessment data
to plan effectiv e interv ention s. Few texts in group w ork or casew ork practice hav e addressed the w ay assessments are
linked to interv ention methods and treatment plans. T his may, in part, account for findings from practice studies
suggesting there is little correlation betw een w orkers’ assessments or diagnoses and the interv entions that are selected.
W ithout guidelines about the interv ention s that are most appropriat e for particular problems, w orkers w ill rely on
interv entions w ith w hich they are most familiar, regardless of their assessment of the group or its members.
M entioned figure illustrates a framew ork for dev eloping treatment plans that result from an assessment of the indiv idual
group member, the group as a w hole, and the group env ironment. Because problems are often multidimens io na l, sev eral
different interv ention s may be selected to become part of a comprehensiv e treatment plan. For example, in a couple's
group, the w orker and each member may select specific interv ention s to meet indiv idual needs. One member decides to
use a cognitiv e restructu ri ng interv ention to help her stop getting defensiv e w hen confronted by her husband. As part of
his treatment plan, another member decides to join Alco ho li cs Ano n ymo us. At the same time, the w orker helps the first
member change her interactio n patterns in the group and helps the second member to stop av oiding confronta ti on in the
group.

23. DISCUSSION
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