TREATMENT & TASK GROUP

Treatment and Task Group for War Widows aged 55 and above in Australia

[Name of the institute]

Treatment and Task Group for War Widows aged 55 and above in Australia

Introduction

Gisela Konopka (1963) defines group performance with respect to social science as: “Social group work is a method of social work which helps individuals to enhance their social functioning through purposeful group experiences, and to cope more effectively with their personal, group or community problems.” In expressions of social science, the term group has more meaning than its traditional one. A group is not just a number of people congregated together, but it is a group of people congregated for a shared goal.

Social group work: Classification

Working in a group is a delicate matter in itself. It involves a number of people accepting each other and their ideas. The familiarity of social group workers with the type of people around them and their circumstances is essential. There is a variety of social group work and these types are discussed in Charles Zastrow's book (2008) on social work dynamics. Conversation groups are a kind of therapy groups; protect people from consequences of being on their own for too long. Entertaining groups are founded by people with same leisure time activities; help these people unwind and get geared up for their routines.

Education groups are for training people within a social group. Task groups are functional for a particular objective; assist in resolving hurdles during a situation. Self-help and mutual-aid groups are created by people in the same boat; support each other reaching the shore safely (McDemott, 2002, electronic version). There are some organizations which help people getting acquainted with community around them. People who are suffering from a long-term illness join a group of people with the same condition so as to share the pain and experience and while away their time. Spiritual groups are also abundant in society; support people to gain experience and practice their faith.

Figure 1 Three foci of working in a group. Image retrieved from http://infed.org/mobi/group-work/

The essay is about a task group and a treatment group for the war widows aged 55 or above. The war has many impacts on human lives, but the worst of them is for soldiers' families. The hardships continue to haunt families whose loved ones have failed to survive the war. Widowhood is a difficult phase of a woman's life. The period is tougher for women in old age than in young age. Family, friends and relatives play a supportive role in widowed women' lives, but the support is very seldom life-long.

A woman, who has lost her husband and the father of her children to war, needs more than just the temporary care and support. Every widow is a different person and needs a different kind of care. Some may need financial help while others may long for moral support. The department of veterans' affairs (DVA) provides support to war widows on government behalf. Many non-government organizations (NGO) are also working for the war ...