Ten Strategies to Intentionally Use Group Work to Transform Hate (PDF)

The Journal for Specialists in Group Work ISSN: 0193-3922 (Print) 1549-6295 (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/usgw20 Ten Strategies to Intentionally Use Group Work to Transform Hate, Facilitate Courageous Conversations, and Enhance Community Building Lorraine J. Guth, Brittany L. Pollard, Amy Nitza, Ana Puig, Christian D. Chan, Anneliese A. Singh & Hopeton Bailey To cite this article: Lorraine J. Guth, Brittany L. Pollard, Amy Nitza, Ana Puig, Christian D. Chan, Anneliese A. Singh & Hopeton Bailey (2019) Ten Strategies to Intentionally Use Group Work to Transform Hate, Facilitate Courageous Conversations, and Enhance Community Building, The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 44:1, 3-24, DOI: 10.1080/01933922.2018.1561778 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2018.1561778 Published online: 31 Jan 2019. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 12926 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 18 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=usgw20 THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 2019, VOL. 44, NO. 1, 3–24 https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2018.1561778 PRACTICE Ten Strategies to Intentionally Use Group Work to Transform Hate, Facilitate Courageous Conversations, and Enhance Community Building Lorraine J. Gutha, Brittany L. Pollarda, Amy Nitzab, Ana Puigc, Christian D. Chan d , Anneliese A. Singhe, and Hopeton Baileya a Indiana University of Pennsylvania; bSUNY New Paltz; cUniversity of Florida; dIdaho State University; e University of Georgia ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY The Association for Specialists in Group Work’s (ASGW) Special Received November 13, 2018 Initiatives Committee created a document oﬀering 10 strategies for Accepted November 14, 2018 intentionally using group work to transform hate, facilitate courageous KEYWORDS conversations, and enhance community building. Group workers can Community building; utilize these methods and resources to promote diversity, equity, and courageous conversations; inclusion among group members in all types of groups and in various group work strategies; settings. These strategies provide a road map for group workers to use multicultural counseling; in navigating the complex process of unifying diverse individuals in social justice a way that celebrates their commonalities and diﬀerences, while fos- tering diﬃcult conversations in various group settings. Given the current sociopolitical climate in the United States, it is more critical than ever for helping professionals to advocate, foster, and support the promotion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and acceptance. Group workers, in particular, have a unique opportunity to facilitate these eﬀorts with group members, colleagues, and communities to implement culturally responsive practices, increase cultural sensitivity and humility, and enact points of activism, community organizing, and social action. The evolution of an agenda of social justice, speciﬁcally within group work, has involved a long-standing history to ultimately interrupt social conditions producing barriers, disenfranchisement, and marginalization. As Singh and Salazar (2010) described, some of the earliest group modalities were driven by social justice change such as immigrant healthcare and support groups (e.g., Hull House) and consciousness-raising groups (e.g., feminist and civil rights groups). Group work integrates an environment for praxis slanted towards both reﬂection and action for the goal of humanizing communities. Group work converges upon multiple helping professions, most prominently within the realm of counseling. Opportunities for facilitating various types of groups within helping professions and other disciplines are boundless, necessitating a need for training that spans the breadth of multicultural sensitivity and competence, social justice, advocacy, and the facilitative skill set required for eﬀectively fostering challen- ging conversations and culturally responsive practices. Although group work operates as a transdisciplinary practice, the established methods emanate from a strong CONTACT Lorraine J. Guth [email protected] Department of Counseling, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 1175 Maple Street, 206 Stouﬀer Hall, Indiana, PA 15705. © 2019 ASGW 4 L. J. GUTH ET AL. foundation in the counseling profession. The practice of group work institutes a systematic set of principles heavily inﬂuenced by guiding documents encompassing standards and competencies. These guiding documents are steeped in best practices, contemporary critical thinking, professional values, and state-of-the-art research. Standards generate a baseline set of guidelines for practitioners to follow, and compe- tencies fulﬁll the goal of best practices and aspirational ethics to ensure practitioners and group workers aim for standards of excellence. Recently, a wide body of con- ceptual and empirical literature has continued to broaden the implications of guiding documents to formulate points of departure for practitioners, educators, and research- ers. This movement also meets the ﬁerce urgency to revolutionize and bridge values and principles of multiculturalism and social justice with the intention of amplifying the voices of historically marginalized communities. Purpose In alignment with the development and expansion of the guiding principles, the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) oﬀers “Ten Strategies to Intentionally Use Group Work to Transform Hate, Facilitate Courageous Conversations, and Enhance Community Building.” These ten strategies provide a platform dedicated to equity, multiculturalism, and social justice. Group workers can utilize these methods and resources as they strive to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion among group members. The ten strategies can be integrated into all facets of group work practice and customized to a speciﬁc group, member, and setting. The techniques can be applied to a single homogeneous/heterogeneous group or to a broader systemic level involving multiple groups/systems. Additionally, the ten strategies provide a road map for group workers to navigate the complex process of unifying diverse individuals in a way that celebrates their commonalities as well as their diﬀerences while fostering sometimes diﬃcult con- versations in group settings. To increase its accessibility, this document provides a conglomeration of fundamental inﬂuences, explanations of guiding principles, and examples to incorporate into the practice of group work. Guiding Principles The ten strategies for using group work to transform hate, facilitate courageous conversa- tions, and enhance community building emerge primarily from the guiding principles set forth in the following documents: American Counseling Association 2014 ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014); ACA Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (Ratts, Singh, Nassar-McMillan, Butler, & McCullough, 2015); and ASGW Multicultural and Social Justice Competence Principles for Group Workers (Singh, Merchant, Skudrzyk, & Ingene, 2012). Further, the ten strategies may be most eﬀectively utilized in clinical and academic arenas in conjunction with additional guiding documents such as the ACA Advocacy Competencies (Lewis, Arnold, House, & Toporek, 2003); ACA Competencies for Counseling the Multiracial Population (Kenney et al., 2015); ASGW Best Practice Guidelines 2007 Revisions (Thomas & Pender, 2008); and ASGW Professional Standards for the Training of Group Workers (Wilson, Rapin, & Haley-Bañez, 2000). THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 5 ACA Code of Ethics The foundation of the ten strategies was shaped ﬁrst by the 2014 ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014). The ACA Code of Ethics provides a set of core professional values and principles for the practice of counseling and counselor education. These values are useful in helping to solve ethical dilemmas and assisting in the process of training and supervision. The ACA Code of Ethics addresses nine main areas: (a) the counseling relationship; (b) conﬁdentiality and privacy; (c) professional responsibility; (d) relationships with other professionals; (e) evaluation, assessment, and interpretation; (f) supervision, training, and teaching; (g) research and publication; (h) distance counseling, technology, and social media; and (i) resolving ethical issues. Together with the ACA Code of Ethics, the ACA and its divisions have developed additional counseling competency guidelines that inform the practice of group work. Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies Other guiding principles inﬂuencing the design of the ten strategies include the ACA Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC; Ratts et al., 2015) framework. The developmental domains within this framework illustrate the various layers leading to multicultural and social justice competence: (a) counselor self-awareness, (b) client worldview, (c) counseling relationship, and (d) counseling and advocacy interventions. Within the ﬁrst three are the aspirational competencies of attitudes and beliefs, knowledge, skills, and action serving as the impetus for practitioners to develop and maintain cultural sensitivity across practices and work settings. The ten strategies in this document aim to simultaneously foster the self-awareness of group workers through their introspection, their consideration of the multiple worldviews present in any group setting, and their ability to consider the impact of the intersections across their own social positioning, location, and identities. More distinctly, the MSJCC centers a deeper reﬂection on privilege and oppression, where both statuses can simultaneously coexist across individuals and groups. Additionally, the ten strategies relate heavily to the fourth and newest domain in the MSJCC framework on counseling and advocacy interventions. Under this domain, group workers will identify, develop, and implement interventions designed to help diverse members reﬂect internally on their own personal identities, connect interpersonally by identifying commonalities and celebrating diﬀerences, and apply their new understanding of diversity in their own communities. Multicultural and Social Justice Competence Principles for Group Workers Another guiding document that shaped the development of the ten strategies is the ASGW Multicultural and Social Justice Competence Principles for Group Workers (Singh et al., 2012). These principles provide foundational deﬁnitions for many of the constructs described in the ten strategies, including diversity, social justice, multiculturalism, social privilege, oppression, and taking action. Aligned closely with those published by the ACA, the principles embedded within the ASGW competencies provide a road map designed to help group workers to (a) increase awareness of self and their group members; (b) eﬀectively plan, perform, and process culturally relevant approaches and skills; and (c) successfully promote and engage in social justice advocacy through their work. The ten strategies similarly oﬀer an avenue for group 6 L. J. GUTH ET AL. workers to consider in eﬀectively preparing for, facilitating, and reﬂecting on collective experiences in which diverse groups of individual members participate. Other Relevant Guiding Principles Numerous entities and communities in the counseling profession have formed a variety of guiding documents synthesizing relevant practices for group work in conjunction with diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice. Recently, the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) has instituted two new groups of standards pivotal to understanding the variability and diversity inherent in sexual, aﬀectional, and gender identities. The ALGBTIC Standards of Care in Assessment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Gender Expansive, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTGEQ+) Persons (Goodrich et al., 2017) and the ALGBTIC Standards of Care for Research with Participants Who Identify as LGBTQ+ (Griﬃth et al., 2017) both signify the complexity of social identities bridged across a diversity of communities including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, aﬀectional identity, social class, ability status, spirituality, and regional identity. Additional documents developed and disseminated within the past ten years continue to incorporate the movements of multiculturalism and social justice as foundational layers to counseling and group work practice. These documents include ALGBTIC Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients (Burnes et al., 2009); ALGBTIC Competencies for Counseling LGBQIQA (Harper et al., 2012); American Psychological Association (APA) Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity, and Intersectionality (APA, 2017); Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) Multicultural Counseling Competencies (AMCD, 2015); Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) Competencies for Addressing Spiritual and Religious Issues in Counseling (ASERVIC, 2009); and National Career Development Association (NCDA) Minimum Competencies for Multicultural Career Counseling and Development (NCDA, 2009). The history of the guiding documents continues to trace principles of practice dedicated to aﬃrming and humanizing communities in an authentic and culturally responsive manner. Many of the guiding documents relevant to group work also emphasize the current nature of personal, political, and systemic inﬂuences integrated into the group process, while interac- tions between group members reﬂect a signiﬁcant microcosm of social and political interac- tions. As a result, principles grounded in each of the guiding documents point towards an increasing attention to advocacy, changing policies and barriers, and considering power, privilege, and oppression in relationships. Synthesizing the values embedded within a group of guiding documents, including standards and competencies, brings signiﬁcant attention to multiculturalism and social justice as ingrained movements in the practice of group work. Group work is especially relevant within the systemic nature of community involved in a group and interactions resembling challenging dialogues, social location, and relation- ships organized into privilege and oppression. Similarly, framing multiculturalism and social justice into the praxis of group work does not exclusively consider the act of reﬂection and intercultural discourse, but rather, highlights the possibilities for action, bridging communities, and systemic change. Given the complex challenge of diﬃcult conversations, group work transcends diﬀerences; leans into diﬃcult dialogues; transforms individual, community, and political systems; and initiates community organizing, engagement, collaboration, and social action. THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 7 Though the structure of this ten strategies document diﬀers from the guiding docu- ments, each of the ten strategies builds upon the guiding principles. The ten strategies are speciﬁcally designed to foster in group workers an increased cultural awareness of self and others; an enhanced ability to attend to the cultural nuances inherent in any group experience at the planning, performing, and processing stages; and a foundation from which to intentionally use group work to transform hate, facilitate courageous conversa- tions, and enhance community building. Resource Links ACA Guiding Documents 2014 ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014) https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf ACA Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (Ratts et al., 2015) https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/multicultural-and- social-justice-counseling-competencies.pdf?sfvrsn=8573422c_20 ACA Advocacy Competencies (Lewis et al., 2003) https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/aca-advocacy- competencies.pdf?sfvrsn=d177522c_4 ACA Competencies for Counseling the Multiracial Population (Kenney et al., 2015) https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/competencies-for- counseling-the-multiracial-population-2-2-15-ﬁnal.pdf?sfvrsn=c7ba412c_14 ASGW Guiding Documents ASGW Multicultural and Social Justice Competence Principles for Group Workers (Singh et al., 2012) https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/513c96_617884bﬀ48f45b2827c7afc4e4e5b12.pdf ASGW Best Practice Guidelines 2007 Revisions (Thomas & Pender, 2008) https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/513c96_93df348d51134a08b789df5374b6dfb7.pdf ASGW Professional Standards for the Training of Group Workers (Wilson et al., 2000) https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/513c96_af51b0b1fa894b19a9f62bd8826e71c3.pdf Other Relevant Guiding Documents ALGBTIC Standards of Care in Assessment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Gender Expansive, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTGEQ+) Persons (Goodrich et al., 2017) http://www.algbtic.org/standards-of-care.html ALGBTIC Standards of Care for Research with Participants Who Identify as LGBTQ + (Griﬃth et al., 2017) http://www.algbtic.org/standards-of-care.html ALGBTIC Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients (Burnes et al., 2009) https://www.counseling.org/Resources/Competencies/ALGBTIC_Competencies.pdf 8 L. J. GUTH ET AL. ALGBTIC Competencies for Counseling LGBQIQA (Harper et al., 2012) https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/algbtic-competencies- for-counseling-lgbqiqa.pdf?sfvrsn=1c9c89e_14 APA Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity, and Intersectionality (APA, 2017) http://www.apa.org/about/policy/multicultural-guidelines.PDF AMCD Multicultural Counseling Competencies (AMCD, 2015) https://www.counseling.org/resources/competencies/multcultural_competencies.pdf ASERVIC Competencies for Addressing Spiritual and Religious Issues in Counseling (ASERVIC, 2009) https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/competencies-for- addressing-spiritual-and-religious-issues-in-counseling.pdf?sfvrsn=aad7c2c_8 NCDA Minimum Competencies for Multicultural Career Counseling and Development (NCDA, 2009) https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/multi-cultural-career- counseling-competencies-august-2009.pdf?sfvrsn=727f422c_4 Ten Strategies This section oﬀers ten strategies to intentionally use group work to transform hate, facilitate courageous conversations, and enhance community building. The rationale, application, and resource links for each strategy are shared. (1) Acknowledge That Culture and Power Are Always Present Rationale Among the myriad of responsibilities group workers must carefully manage is the ongoing task of acknowledging that dynamics of both culture and power are inherent in any group setting. Within this responsibility lie the functions of not only identifying these dynamics, but also accepting them, exploring them, and engaging group members in interactions that feel simultaneously challenging and safe. This inclusive recognition of culture and power must attend to the dynamics existing both among and between individual group facilitators and individual group members as well as within the group as a collective whole. Application Acknowledging the presence of culture and power is a process that begins during the early planning stages of a group experience. Group workers must ﬁrst identify and consider the ways in which their own cultures and positions of power will impact the group experience, with regard to content, process, safety, and interpersonal dynamics. Group workers should be mindful that upon ﬁrst contact they enter into a relationship with group members that is nestled within the constructs of co-mingling cultural identities and power structures. As this is characteristic of encounters between group members, as well, facilitators must take care to ensure that the acknowledgement of and attention to these dynamics are established and nurtured as a consistent group norm. It is critical that facilitators engage in concerted, ongoing eﬀorts to foster a group environment sensitive to culture and power in which members feel challenged to take appropriate risks and are protected in doing so. Below is a collection of THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 9 resources designed to support group workers in their eﬀorts to explore their own cultural identities and positions of power, as well as to facilitate culturally attentive and respectful interactions among members throughout the duration of the group process. Resource Links Bemak, F., & Chung, R. C-Y. (2015). Critical issues in international group counsel- ing. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 40(1), 6–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2014.992507 Burnes, T. R., & Ross, K. L. (2010). Applying social justice to oppression and marginalization in group process: Interventions and strategies for group counselors. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35(2), 169–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933921003706014 Chen, E. C., Kakkad, D., & Balzano, J. (2008). Multicultural competence and evi- dence-based practice in group therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64(11), 1261–1278. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20533 Cornish, M. A., Wade, N. G., Tucker, J. R., & Post, B. C. (2014). When religion enters the counseling group: Multiculturalism, group processes, and social justice. The Counseling Psychologist, 42(5), 578–600. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014527001 Jones, S. R. (2016). Authenticity in leadership: Intersectionality of identities. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2016(152), 23–34. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20206 Kivlighan, D. M., III., & Chapman, N. A. (2018). Extending the multicultural orientation (MCO) framework to group psychotherapy: A clinical illustration. Psychotherapy, 55(1), 39–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pst0000142 Ortega, C., & Barkil-Oteo, A. (2013). Introduction to culturally competent group therapy: A community mental health curriculum for medical students. Retrieved from https://www.pcpcc.org/sites/default/ﬁles/training-programs/Group%20Txt% 20Curriculum.pdf Singh, A. A., & Salazar, C. F. (2010). Process and action in social justice group work: Introduction to the Special Issue. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35(2), 93–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933921003706030 Smith, L. C., & Shin, R. Q. (2008). Social privilege, social justice, and group counsel- ing: An inquiry. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33(4), 351–366. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933920802424415 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Improving cultural competence. A treatment improvement protocol (TIP) series: TIP 59. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK248428/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK248428.pdf Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2015). Multicultural counseling competence for counselors and therapists of marginalized groups. In Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (7th ed., pp. 71–104). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 10 L. J. GUTH ET AL. ISBN: 978-1-119-08430-3 (2) Develop Multicultural and Social Justice Competencies Rationale Group workers have the opportunity to engage in lifelong development of multicultural and social justice counseling competencies. Group workers seek to increase their awareness, knowl- edge, and skills of the cultural backgrounds of the people with whom they work, and they have reﬂected on how their own cultural background shapes their worldviews. This strong multi- cultural foundation is connected to a social justice framework, where group workers understand the connection of multicultural competence to social justice change. Application Group workers understand the history of the multicultural and social justice competency movement from the principles set forth in the guiding documents (see Guiding Principles Resource Links). Group workers embed attention to not only the cultural worldviews of group members and themselves, but also to how their combined privilege and oppression experiences drive group cohesion, group member roles and sharing, group planning and design, and group processing. Group workers explicitly explore cultural worldviews and multiple social identities that group members have related to privilege and oppression. Group workers are familiar with and use the existing multicultural and social justice competency guiding documents as well as the resources listed below to identify how they can engage in micro-, meso-, and macro-level social justice change. Resource Links Counselors for Social Justice. (n.d.). Resources. Retrieved from https://counseling-csj.org/resources/ Ratts, M. J., Singh, A. A., Butler, S. K., Nassar-McMillan, S. & McCullough, J. R. (2016, January 27). Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies: Practical applications in counseling. Counseling Today. Retrieved from https://ct.counseling.org/2016/01/multicultural-and-social-justice-counseling- competencies-practical-applications-in-counseling/ (3) Create Brave, Aﬃrming, and Humanizing Spaces Rationale Group workers create environments where courageous conversations about issues of injustice, inequity, and social change are encouraged to occur and thrive. Sometimes called brave, aﬃrming, and humanizing spaces, or intergroup and diﬃcult dialogues, group workers facilitate needed discussions for social justice change that challenge the status quo of complicity, inaction, and silence about injustice. THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 11 Application Group workers are familiar with the various terms that refer to the speciﬁc facilitation of courageous conversations about social justice and inequities. When selecting a dialogue model to use, group workers consider whether the courageous conversation will be a one- time brave space or a series of ongoing conversations. They understand the importance of setting group agreements speciﬁc to the type of brave space they are seeking to establish with a group and the importance of setting goals for the purpose, process, and outcome of the courageous conversation. Group workers clearly communicate the necessary bound- aries of the humanizing space through integrating the group agreements throughout the dialogue and returning to them at the end of the dialogue. In any aﬃrming space, group workers consider how to connect courageous conversations about injustice and inequity to social justice change and action. Group workers can seek ongoing training by reviewing the conﬂict resolution and diﬃcult dialogue models listed below. Resource Links Ali, D. (2017). NASPA policy and practice series—Safe spaces and brave spaces: Historical context and recommendations for student aﬀairs professionals. Retrieved from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators website: https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/Policy_and_Practice_No_2_Safe_ Brave_Spaces_DOWNLOAD.pdf Diﬃcult Dialogues National Resource Center https://www.diﬃcultdialogues.org/ Gass, R. (2013). The fabulous POP model. Retrieved from the Social Transformation Project website: http://stproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/the-fabulous-pop-model.pdf Rosenberg, M. (2000, April). Nonviolent communication workshop [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LuPCAh9FCc StirFry Seminars and Consulting. (2005–2011). Innovative tools for diversity training. Retrieved from http://www.stirfryseminars.com/resources/pdfs/FreeResources_02.24.15.pdf (Reprinted from The art of mindful facilitation, by Lee Mun Wah, 2004, Berkeley, CA: StirFry Seminars and Consulting) Zúñiga, X., Nagda, B. A., Chesler, M., & Cytron-Walker, A. (2007). Intergroup dialogue in higher education: Meaningful learning about social justice. ASHE Higher Education Report, 32(4), 1–128. https://doi.org/10.1002/aehe.3204 (4) Process Group Experience With Purpose Rationale Groups represent a social microcosm of the larger world around them. That is, diﬀerences that exist within a society, including those related to race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, religion, and political aﬃliation, among many others, will be represented among members of a group. Members’ social identities and their related preconceptions, 12 L. J. GUTH ET AL. stereotypes, intergroup conﬂicts, and other points of disagreement then play out within the group context. When not eﬀectively attended to, they can recreate dynamics of privilege and oppression that exist in the larger society, and create barriers to the overall success of the group. However, these diﬀerences also represent an important opportunity to promote unity. When group workers notice important issues of privilege and oppres- sion or intergroup conﬂict arise, they can intentionally process these experiences in the safety of the group setting in order to help members explore and learn from them. One of the major goals of all groups is for members to generalize their learning to the broader context of their lives. In this way, when members encounter those they view as diﬀerent from themselves and have the opportunity to process and explore those diﬀerences, they can generalize this learning beyond the group to promote unity on a larger scale. Application Group facilitators can capitalize on opportunities to promote unity through intentional processing of group experiences related to diﬀerences. Processing involves helping group members to make meaning from signiﬁcant events that occur in the group. Regardless of whether the content goals of a group (the “what” that gets discussed) are related to diversity, the process of a group (the “how” the group occurs) creates opportunities for exploring diﬀerences. When issues related to social identities, power, privilege, or oppres- sion arise, group workers can use these moments as learning opportunities by highlighting them using process comments, and then facilitating a discussion that allows members to reﬂect on and make meaning from them. Group workers should pay careful attention to the here-and-now process of the group, make note of critical incidents such as micro- aggressions, and then draw members’ attention to critical incidents as they occur. Sample questions that can be used to eﬀectively process signiﬁcant group experiences are as follows: “What did you notice about what just occurred?” “What were your own thoughts and feelings about it?” “What similarities and diﬀerences did you notice between your own reactions and the reactions of others?” “What might these similarities and diﬀerences mean?” “What impact did this have on our group?” “How will this impact how we work together as a group?” “How did this incident relate to your experiences outside the group?” “What, if anything, do you want to do diﬀerently as a result of this incident?” Resource Links Conyne, R. K. (1997). A developing framework for processing experiences and events in group work. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 22(3), 167–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933929708414378 Stockton, R., Morran, D. K., & Nitza, A. G. (2000). Processing group events: A conceptual map for leaders. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 25(4), 343–355. THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 13 https://doi.org/10.1080/01933920008411678 Ward, D. E. (2014). Eﬀective processing in groups. In J. L. DeLucia-Waack, C. R. Kalodner, & M. T. Riva (Eds.), Handbook of group counseling and psychotherapy (2nd ed., pp. 84–94). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. ISBN: 978–1452217611 (5) Cultivate Cultural Humility Rationale Group workers must continually strive to practice cultural humility by adopting an interpersonal approach that seeks to humbly understand how cultural identity shapes the worldview and experiences of others. This other-oriented concept is characterized by a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation, desire to bridge or eliminate imbalances of power, and commitment to systemi- cally advocate for others. Application When practicing cultural humility, group facilitators can strive for an accurate understanding of themselves and their limitations; maintain an other-oriented stance that includes respect, openness, and humility; show openness towards the cultural identity and experiences of group members; demonstrate empathy and explore if group member(s) perceive them to be practicing cultural humility; demonstrate skills in welcoming diversity of thought and expression in groups; maintain an open mind and heart; allow group members to teach them; frame the possibilities for group members to gain useful perspectives and experiences from other members; acknowledge explicitly that particular relationships and interactions resemble the diﬀerences between privilege and oppression; recognize explicit and implicit mistakes and harm to others; use mistakes as teachable moments; appreciate diﬃcult, enlightening, and inspiring moments shared with group members; and understand that practicing cultural humility is a lifelong process. When applied to group settings, cultural humility exercises help group members learn about themselves and others through an intersectional cultural lens. Many of these activities are designed in a progressive manner, so as group members move through each one with the facilitator, the risk level of disclosure increases as does the potential for greater group cohesion and discussion of cultural identity. Several resources, such as the toolkits and workbooks listed below, are comprehensive and provide activities that can be adapted to the needs of members and to varying stages of the group. The following resources are designed to enhance cultural humility by empowering group members to openly discuss diversity and unpack culture in an authentic and relatable way. 14 L. J. GUTH ET AL. Resource Links Association of Science-Technology Centers. (2018). Resources for action: Group activities. Retrieved from http://community.astc.org/ccli/resources-for-action/group-activities Goldbach, J. (2017, October 25). Diversity toolkit: A guide to discussing identity, power and privilege [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://msw.usc.edu/mswusc-blog/diversity-workshop-guide-to-discussing-identity- power-and-privilege/ Hays, P. A. (2013). Your culture sketch. Retrieved from http://division45.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/CulturalPsychology.pdf (Reprinted from Connecting across cultures: The helper’s toolkit, pp. 15–16, by P. A. Hayes, 2013, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE) Hook, J. N., Davis, D., Owen, J., & DeBlaere, C. (2017). Cultural humility: Engaging diverse identities in therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1-4338-2777-8 North Carolina New Teacher Support Program. (2012). Cultural and linguistic competence icebreakers, exercises, videos and movies: Cultural and linguistic compe- tence community of practice. Retrieved from https://ncntsp.northcarolina.edu/sites/lea.com/ﬁles/Establish%20Authentic% 20Relationships%20Handouts.pdf Shaw, S. (2016). Practicing cultural humility. Counseling Today. Retrieved from https://ct.counseling.org/2016/12/practicing-cultural-humility/ University of Houston, Center for Diversity and Inclusion. (n.d.). Diversity activities resource guide. Retrieved from https://www.uh.edu/cdi/diversity_education/resources/activities/pdf/diversity% 20activities-resource-guide.pdf University of Michigan, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. (2017–2018). Inclusive teaching: Sample activities and templates for exploring privilege, power, and oppression. Retrieved from https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching/sample-activities-templates/ University of Michigan, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. (2017, July 10). Inclusive teaching: Sample activities and templates for exploring privilege, power, and oppression. Group development: Barnga activity. Retrieved from https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching/2017/07/10/barnga/ (6) Engage in Intentional Unity Building Rationale Groups can be designed and implemented with the explicit goal of promoting unity across diﬀerences. As described in Strategy 3 (i.e., Create brave, aﬃrming, and humanizing spaces), group workers can create spaces in which to facilitate the often diﬃcult dialogues that are necessary to promote genuine understanding. Several good models exist for promoting unity by engaging in group dialogues regarding diﬃcult issues that often divide people along social identity lines. These models are purposeful attempts to create opportunities for sustained face- to-face interactions across diﬀerent social identity groups. While the models vary, they each use THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 15 small groups as the format in which a trained leader facilitates an intentional dialogue process that examines the impact of power, privilege, and inequality on intergroup relations. These groups oﬀer opportunities for sustained communication and involvement while focusing on relationships at both individual and group levels. Application As an example, Intergroup Dialogue is one model that promotes engagement across cultural and social divides. The goal is for group members to understand each other’s perspectives and to develop shared meaning, but not necessarily to come to agreement. It is acknowledged that, in an eﬀort to engage in honest dialogue, there will be moments of conﬂict and discomfort. Group facilitators thus begin by working with members to develop norms regarding how they are going to work together as a group and stay engaged when the dialogue becomes diﬃcult. Facilitators then slowly guide the discussion from lower risk to higher risk topics, and from individual to social or systemic conﬂicts. The last stage of the Intergroup Dialogue model involves assisting group members in developing a social action plan: How do they move forward? What is next? What if anything, do they want to do as a result of their experiences in the dialogue? Group workers who want to facilitate a group dialogue process are encouraged to carefully review available models and seek training in one that is of interest. The links below oﬀer helpful resources on several prominent models. Resource Links American Psychological Association: Facing the Divide https://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/diversity/default.aspx Essential Partners: The Public Conversation Project https://www.whatisessential.org/resources Everyday Democracy: Ideas & Tools for Community Change https://www.everyday-democracy.org/resources Intergroup Resources http://www.intergroupresources.com/ Sustained Dialogue Institute http://sustaineddialogue.org/ University of Michigan Program on Intergroup Relations https://igr.umich.edu/ (7) Practice Mindful and Reﬂexive Group Facilitation Rationale Kabat-Zinn (2005) deﬁned mindfulness as follows: “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (p. 4). Mindfulness has gained popularity recently in the West, though it is an ancient practice from Eastern contemplative traditions. Group work closely aligns with the practice of mindfulness since 16 L. J. GUTH ET AL. group work involves engagement and interaction among people in the present moment, with full awareness and intention. The group process, like mindfulness, focuses in the here and now. Current research by group workers has made a concerted eﬀort to integrate multicultural competence with mindfulness in the course of conducting group work studies. Several resource links are listed below for the application of culturally responsive group knowledge and skills. Application One of the most eﬀective and impactful ways to engage in mindful and reﬂexive group facilitation is to use experiential group activities. By inviting group members to explore diﬃcult topics, emotions, and beliefs, nonjudgmentally (toward self and others), group workers can create and guide experiences that elicit safe yet deep exploration of challenging topics. Group workers can model moment-to-moment, mindful presence in such a way that members feel they too can take risks within the group process. Being authentic and congruent are critical aspects of facilitating diﬃcult conversations in culturally competent, responsive, and mindful ways. Suspending judgment of another person, even when in disagreement with the person, can help build connection where divisions exist. Focusing on salient feelings, thoughts, and beha- viors in the moment helps to clarify communication among group members. Group workers can invite members to explore whatever emerges with mindful awareness before group discus- sions begin. Guiding members in select experiential meditation practices can help set the stage for meaningful and reﬂexive dialogue; even challenging and seemingly divisive topics can be broached and bridges among members built. Group workers and members can explore the resources below to ﬁnd out how. Resource Links Ivers, N. N., Johnson, D. A., Clarke, P. B., Newsome, D. W., & Berry, R. A. (2016). The relationship between mindfulness and multicultural counseling competence. Journal of Counseling & Development, 94(1), 72–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12063 Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York, NY: Hachette Books. ISBN: 9781401307783 Masuda, A. (Ed.). (2014). Mindfulness & acceptance in multicultural competency: A contextual approach to sociocultural diversity in theory & practice. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger. ISBN: 9781608827466 Mindfulness4u. (2017, December 9). Fun mindfulness exercises for groups. Retrieved from http://mindfulness4u.org/fun-mindfulness-exercises-groups/ Newsome, S., Waldo, M., & Gruszka, C. (2012). Mindfulness group work: Preventing stress and increasing self-compassion among helping professional in training. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 37(4), 297–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2012.690832 Positive Psychology Program. (2017, January 18). 22 mindfulness exercises, techni- ques, & activities for adults. Retrieved from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/mindfulness-exercises-techniques-activities/ THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 17 (8) Lean in and Keep Going Rationale The crossroads of group work, multiculturalism, and social justice reﬂect the complexities in framing intersectional approaches, interactions, and diﬃculties within the group pro- cess. Group work invites particular complications and challenges within groups due to the sheer number of individuals involved in a group, thereby increasing the number of interactions, diﬀerences in values and worldviews, and social positioning (i.e., privilege and oppression, advantaged and disadvantaged). Similarly, values and approaches inte- grated into multiculturalism and social justice bridge the connection between the personal and the political. Although these diﬀerences can create complex divisions, once group members with marginalized identities begin to interact, they often become more aware of their similarities rather than their diﬀerences. Consequently, dialogues and interactions in group work, given the social identities of group members and sparked discussions on issues of marginalization, may breed an emotionality for group members, especially when discussion of painful or conﬂicting experiences becomes intensely personal. For group facilitators and members, navigating these issues necessitates resilience and grit to stay in the midst of group conﬂict and diﬀerences. Group conﬂict creates a possibility of chaos and diﬀerences, which is, sometimes, most frightening to enter into a group format, especially about divisive political issues surrounding multiculturalism, equity, and social justice. Group facilitators and members may sometimes attempt to avoid dialogues in fear of creating signiﬁcant conﬂict with other individuals in a group. Although divisions, dynamics, and conﬂicts in groups often resemble the storming stage of the group process, such interactions represent opportunities for individual, group, community, and systemic change. Leaning into a conﬂict, discomfort, and vulnerability in a group represent launching points for group members to discuss their areas for growth while transcending diﬃculties to ultimately gain a better understanding of other group members. Application Broaching politically divisive topics, uncomfortable conversations, and explicit discussion on social identities, privilege, and oppression elicits possibilities for growth. Developing an increased ability to stay immersed in group conﬂict, particularly concerning diﬀerences in political and inclusion issues, requires resilience, courage, and empathy. Empathy is especially challenging in the scope of diﬃcult dialogues that challenge ingrained belief systems, vulnerability, and lack of awareness about social conditions, disenfranchisement, and marginalization. Leaning in also requires cultural humility to appreciate the challen- ging moments often connected to the group process. This process of leaning into a group conﬂict invites more discussion to consider and understand perspectives of other group members. Group workers and members can use the following action items as methods to continue immersing in challenging group moments to initiate growth: Present an open-ended question to inﬂect the perspective of another person(s) in the disagreement, conﬂict, or diﬀerence. Initiate the action of pausing to invite more reﬂection and intentionality. Indicate what was uncomfortable or painful in the moment. 18 L. J. GUTH ET AL. Group workers and members can also invite each other to speak speciﬁcally about factors inﬂuencing interactions and relationships (e.g., social identities, personal histories, and experiences). Reﬂecting on these factors can allow for group members to speak more openly about where their diﬀerences originate and how the members are positioned in spaces of privilege and oppression. As a result, group workers can provide a holding environment for emotions and critical thinking while highlighting how these interactions symbolize relationships within society. Resource Links Bemak, F., & Chung, R. C. (2008). New professional roles and advocacy strategies for school counselors: A multicultural/social justice perspective to move beyond the nice counselor syndrome. Journal of Counseling & Development, 86(3), 372–381. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2008.tb00522.x Bolgatz, J. (2009, September 22). Talking race in the classroom [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8h-jLsvObg Burton, S., & Furr, S. (2014). Conﬂict in multicultural classes: Approaches to resol- ving diﬃcult dialogues. Counselor Education and Supervision, 53(2), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2014.00051.x Chan, C. D., Cor, D. N., & Band, M. P. (2018). Privilege and oppression in counselor education: An intersectionality framework. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 46(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12092 Chung, R. C., Bemak, F., Talleyrand, R. M., & Williams, J. M. (2018). Challenges in promoting race dialogues in psychology training: Race and gender perspectives. The Counseling Psychologist, 46(2), 213–240. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018758262 Davis, D. E., DeBlaere, C., Brubaker, K., Owen, J., Jordan, T. A., Hook, J. N., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2016). Microaggressions and perceptions of cultural humility in counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 94(4), 483–493. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12107 Day-Vines, N. L., Ammah, B. B., Steen, S., & Arnold, K. M. (2018). Getting comfor- table with discomfort: Preparing counselor trainees to broach racial, ethnic, and cultural factors with clients during counseling. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 40(2), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-017-9308-9 García, J. D. (2016). A review of race talk and the conspiracy of silence: Understanding and facilitating diﬃcult dialogues on race. Multicultural Perspectives, 18(1), 48–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/15210960.2016.1125273 Griggs, T., & Tidwell, D. (2015). Learning to teach mindfully: Examining the self in the context of multicultural education. Teacher Education Quarterly, 42(2), 87–104. https://www.jstor.org/stable/teaceducquar.42.2.87 Indiana University, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (2018). Managing diﬃcult classroom discussions. Retrieved from https://citl.indiana.edu/teaching-resources/diversity-inclusion/managing-diﬃcult- classroom-discussions/ THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 19 Love, J. M., Gaynor, T. S., & Blessett, B. (2016). Facilitating diﬃcult dialogues in the classroom: A pedagogical imperative. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 38(4), 227–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/10841806.2016.1237839 The Ohio State University, Oﬃce of Human Resources. (n.d.). Diﬃcult conversations: How to discuss what matters most—A high-level summary of the book by Stone, Patton and Heen. Retrieved from http://www.fscanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Diﬃcult-Conversations- Summary.pdf Ramasubramanian, S., Sousa, A. N., & Gonlin, V. (2017). Facilitated diﬃcult dialo- gues on racism: A goal-based approach. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 45(5), 537–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2017.1382706 Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions in everyday life: Race, gender, and sexual orientation. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 9780470491409 Sue, D. W., Torino, G. C., Capodilupo, C. M., Rivera, D. P., & Lin, A. I. (2009). How white faculty perceive and react to diﬃcult dialogues on race: Implications for education and training. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(8), 1090–1115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000009340443 Teaching Tolerance. (n.d.). Let’s talk: Discussing race, racism and other diﬃcult topics with students. Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/ﬁles/general/TT%20Diﬃcult% 20Conversations%20web.pdf Toporek, R. L., & Worthington, R. L. (2014). Integrating service learning and diﬃcult dialogues pedagogy to advance social justice training. The Counseling Psychologist, 42 (7), 919–945. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014545090 Tupper, J. A. (2014). The possibilities for reconciliation through diﬃcult dialogues: Treaty education as peacebuilding. Curriculum Inquiry, 44(4), 469–488. https://doi.org/10.1111/curi.12060 Yoon, E., Jérémie-Brink, G., & Kordesh, K. (2014). Critical issues in teaching a multicultural counseling course. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 36(4), 359–371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-014-9212-5 (9) Consider Possibilities of Action Rationale Steeped in the multiculturalism and social justice movements, group work has been driven notably by action leading to systematic and strategized eﬀorts. Group work has a long- standing history intertwined with advocacy and activism. Noting the guiding documents utilized in group work (e.g., MSJCC), group work has become increasingly concerned not only with reﬂection and awareness, but also with social action. It also centers a primacy on action-oriented methods to empower group members to create change across 20 L. J. GUTH ET AL. communities and bridge diﬀerences through community organizing. Although group work characteristically emphasizes individual and group change within a single group, groups also carry the capacity to create impactful possibilities external to the group. Reﬂecting on systemic change outside of the group, groups mirror a microcosm of society as considerable moments to increase critical consciousness and institute opportunities for group members to take part in movements of advocacy and activism. As a result, group work institutes an emphasis to break inequitable systems of power within and outside group membership. Additionally, group work is concerned with what group members can gain from the group in association with how they implement reﬂections from the group. Application Group facilitators and members may likely consider multiple points of the group process to formulate changes to critical thinking while substantiating platforms for advocacy and social action. Although reﬂection and considering take-aways from groups are frequently a function of group work, it is important for group workers and members to determine launching points and systematic courses of action to initiate policy-based, community, and political change. Such direction initiates acti- vism and community organizing, where groups and communities angle towards disrupting social inequities and problematic relationships of power. Group workers and members can consider the following sample questions to begin a foundational discussion on action-oriented methods: “Now that we have reﬂected on your experience with the group, what might you do with this information?” “How can you implement some of the reﬂections discussed in this group?” “What might you change about your approach as you have involved yourself in this group?” “How might you change inequities in your communities and institutions?” “How might you use your privilege to take action against marginalization?” Resource Links Bemak, F. (2005). Reﬂections on multiculturalism, social justice, and empowerment groups for academic success: A critical discourse for contemporary schools. Professional School Counseling, 8(5), 401–406. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42732481 Bemak, F., & Chung, R. C. (2011). Applications in social justice counselor training: Classroom without walls. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 50(2), 204–219. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1939.2011.tb00119.x Cook, A. L., & Krueger-Henney, P. (2017). Group work that examines systems of power with young people: Youth participatory action research. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 42(2), 176–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2017.1282570 Malott, K. M., Schaeﬂe, S., Conwill, W., Cates, J., Daniels, J. A., & D’Andrea, M. (2010). Using group work strategies to continue the national THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 21 discussion on race, justice, and peace. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35 (3), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2010.492902 Singh, A. A., Merchant, N., Skudrzyk, B., & Ingene, D. (2012). Association for Specialists in Group Work: Multicultural and social justice competence principles for group workers. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 37(4), 312–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2012.721482 Singh, A. A., & Salazar, C. F. (2010a). Six considerations for social justice group work. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35(3), 308–319. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2010.492908 Singh, A. A., & Salazar, C. F. (2010b). The roots of social justice in group work. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35(2), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933921003706048 Schaeﬂe, S., Cates, J., Malott, K., Conwill, W., & Daniels, J. (2011). Implementing a community intervention to promote social justice and advocacy: Analysis of a town hall meeting on race, justice, and peace. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 50(2), 192–203. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1939.2011.tb00118.x Smith, L. C., & Shin, R. Q. (2008). Social privilege, social justice, and group counsel- ing: An inquiry. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33(4), 351–366. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933920802424415 (10) Assess the Impact Rationale Although acknowledging culture and power within group dynamics should begin prior to the initial stages of the group, assessing the impact of a group experience on individual members, the collective whole, and surrounding communities is a process that extends long beyond the group’s termination. Group work represents a microcosm of individual and communities embedded within interactions and connections in a group. Inherent in the ongoing cycle of preparing for, facilitating, and evaluating group experiences situated in various multicultural contexts is a responsibility to critically assess the nuances of the group process, including both successes and challenges. Group work also provides a foundation for individuals, groups, communities, and programs to initiate methods for action, community engagement, and the praxis of multiculturalism and social justice. Contingent with community engagement and collaboration in association with aspects of program evaluation, assessing, and evaluating, the impact of groups more closely targets the needs of communities and produces systemic change (e.g., policy). As a result, engaging in assessment of this type not only provides the opportunity for group facilitators and members to reﬂect on personal and collective experiences and observations, but also to dialogue about and further reﬁne elements designed to foster the liberating and aﬃrming group spaces as described in the previous nine strategies. 22 L. J. GUTH ET AL. Application Engaging in assessment requires that group workers facilitate continued personal reﬂec- tion at the individual level, as well as shared dialogue among relevant members. Evaluation may range from informal conversations to formal assessments among group facilitators, members, consultants, and/or supervisors. It is important for group facilitators and members to include an evaluation of what worked for the group and how it worked for the group. Consequently, group facilitators and members emphasize praxis, compo- nents of groups, approaches used in the group, and the group process. Elements to be considered for assessment may include the overall perceived climate of the group experi- ence; the reported cultural experiences of members both independently and collectively; measures enacted by facilitators to both acknowledge and address elements of culture, power, and privilege within the group setting; issues of both abstract and literal accessi- bility; opportunities provided for vulnerability and growth; and growth edges identiﬁed for planning subsequent group experiences. Group facilitators and members can also consider the following sample questions as part of their reﬂections: “What processes and interactions helped to deepen reﬂections within the group?” “How did the group achieve more empathy and a better understanding of other group members’ cultural worldviews and social identities?” “Which interactions silenced group members? Which interactions gave voice to group members?” “What were barriers to the group moving forward?” “How did the group transcend barriers, diﬃculties, and diﬀerences in worldviews and social identities within the group?” “What action items and approaches will each member take away from the group?” Beyond the group experience itself, group workers should also assess the transferability and contextualization of the personal and collective growth of group members and attend carefully to the process for transferring relevant lessons and experiences within the group microcosm to external communities on a more global scale. In this way, group workers can intentionally assess the value of eﬀorts driven by attention to and respect for cultural group processes and can help to ensure that successes and instances of growth manifest beyond the conﬁnes of the group setting. Resource Links Arczynski, A. V. (2017). Multicultural social justice group psychotherapy training: Curriculum development and pilot. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 11(4), 227–234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tep0000161 Astramovich, R. L., Chan, C. D., & Marasco, V. M. (2017). Advocacy evaluation for counselors serving LGBTQ populations. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 11(4), 319–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2017.1380553 Barrio Minton, C. A., Gibson, D. M., & Wachter Morris, C. A. (2016). Evaluating student learning outcomes in counselor education. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association. THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK 23 ISBN: 9781556203374 Coﬀman, J. (2007). What’s diﬀerent about evaluating advocacy and policy change? The Evaluation Exchange, 13(1), 2–4. http://www.advocacyinitiative.ie/ﬁle/97/download?token=Rp4J7oCM Dessel, A. B., & Rodenborg, N. (2017). An evaluation of intergroup dialogue peda- gogy: Addressing segregation and developing cultural competency. Journal of Social Work Education, 53(2), 222–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2016.1246269 Fulton, C. L., & Shannonhouse, L. A. (2014). Developing servant leadership through counselor community engagement: A case example. Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, 1(1), 98–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/2326716X.2014.886978 Hanberger, A. (2010). Multicultural awareness in evaluation: Dilemmas and chal- lenges. Evaluation, 16(2), 177–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356389010361561 Lu, J. (2017). Multicultural counseling knowledge and awareness scale: Re-exploration and reﬁnement. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 39(1), 14–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-016-9279-2 Ratts, M. J. (2017). Charting the center and the margins: Addressing identity, marginalization, and privilege in counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 39(2), 87–103. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.39.2.01 Ratts, M. J., Anthony, L., & Santos, K. N. T. (2010). The dimensions of social justice model: Transforming traditional group work into a socially just framework. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35(2), 160–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933921003705974 Reid, R., & Garson, K. (2017). Rethinking multicultural group work as intercultural learning. Journal of Studies in International Education, 21(3), 195–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315316662981 Conclusion This ASGW publication “Ten Strategies to Intentionally Use Group Work to Transform Hate, Facilitate Courageous Conversations, and Enhance Community Building” aims to provide a series of strategies that can be used by group workers in a myriad of settings. It is hoped that these strategies serve to encourage meaningful dialogue among diverse individuals with diﬀering perspectives. ASGW welcomes feed- back. Visit us as at www.asgw.org. Notes on Contributors Lorraine J. Guth, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Counseling at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Brittany L. Pollard, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 24 L. J. GUTH ET AL. Amy Nitza, Ph.D., is the director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Ana Puig, Ph.D., is a scholar and research director in the Oﬃce of Educational Research and Aﬃliate Faculty in Counselor Education at the University of Florida. Christian D. Chan, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Counseling at Idaho State University. Anneliese A. Singh, Ph.D., is the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and professor of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia. Hopeton Bailey, M.S., is currently a clinical mental health counseling student and graduate assistant at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. ORCID Christian D. Chan http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7307-5757

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