Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 9th edition
- Samuel T. Gladding |
- Nathaniel N. Ivers |
Title overview
For courses in Group Counseling.
Fosters the knowledge and skills needed to lead effective groups
Groups have the power to help, heal, direct, and support. Groups: A Counseling Specialty is a comprehensive exploration of the history of group work along with group dynamics, leadership, ethical issues, stages of group development, groups across the life span, and the theoretical basis for working with groups.
Updated with the latest research, the 9th Edition modifies, revises, or replaces all brief cases and in-body group scenario examples. New and updated references are incorporated throughout; group theories chapters are reorganized based on similarities among theoretical approaches, and much more.
Hallmark features of this title
- Comprehensive coverage incorporates all aspects of working with groups: the 5 basic types of groups, the history of group work, the dynamics of groups, leadership in groups, ethics, legal issues, and more.
- The clear, unified, and well-organized presentation introduces key concepts in an easy-to-understand way without sacrificing academic rigor.
- Both up to date and classic, the text presents the best new research as well as the essential findings that form the backbone of the discipline.
- Brief introductory stories catch readers' attention and transition them into the material of the chapter.
- Chapter overviews and summaries help readers pinpoint the main takeaways from each chapter.
New and updated features of this title
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy approaches have been added to Chapter 16. The text now covers 13 theories for working with groups, as opposed to 10 in the previous edition.
- Reorganized group theories chapters are based on similarities among theoretical approaches. Ch. 16 now covers theories that stem from cognitive and behavioral tradition, Ch. 17 covers theories that have humanistic and/or existential emphases, and Ch. 18 covers postmodern, psychodynamic, and psychodrama approaches.
- Approximately 143 new and updated references have been added to the narrative; 82 were published in 2018 or later, making the text more current and evidence based.
Key features
Features of Pearson+ eTextbook for the 9th Edition
- Video Examples in each chapter illustrate principles or concepts reflecting the material discussed.
- These demonstrate what experts do when they are leading groups, and include captions that ask students to consider how they would respond to situations depicted in the video. Videos encourage self-reflection and development of future group leadership skills.
- Topics covered include 3.1 Dealing with Judgmental Behavior in a Group; 4.4 Drawing Out a “Silent” Member in a Group; 5.7 Using the Linking Skill; 7.1 Depicting the Multidimensional Nature of Self-Care; 9.1 Experiencing How Cultural Factors Influence Group Participation; 14.1 Exploring Family-of-Issues; 17.1 Receiving Feedback in a Person-Centered Group.
- LMS-Compatible Assessment Bank: All assessment types (quizzes, application exercises, and chapter tests) are included in LMS-compatible banks for Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, and Moodle. These packaged files give instructors maximum flexibility in importing, assigning, and grading. Assessment types include:
- Chapter Review Quizzes that contain higher-order multiple-choice questions to measure understanding of chapter content. Each multiple-choice question includes feedback for the correct answer and for each distractor to help guide students’ learning.
- Application Exercises in each chapter that enable students to apply what they have learned. They are short-answer format and can be based on Pearson eTextbook Video Examples, written cases, or scenarios modeled by text features. A model response written by experts is provided.
- Chapter Tests: Suggested test items are provided for each chapter and include questions in multiple choice and short answer/essay formats.
Table of contents
- 1. History of Group Work
- 2. Types of Groups and Group Work
- 3. Group Dynamics
- 4. Effective Group Leadership
- 5. Forming a Group
- 6. The Transition Period in a Group
- 7. The Working Stage in a Group: Performing
- 8. Adjourning or Closing a Group
- 9. Diversity, Multiculturalism, and Social Justice in Group Work
- 10. Specialty Groups and Creativity in Groups
- 11. Ethical and Legal Aspects of Working with Groups
- 12. Groups for Children
- 13. Groups for Adolescents
- 14. Groups for Adults
- 15. Groups for Older Adults
- 16. Cognitive and Behavioral Groups
- 17. Person-Centered, Existential, Gestalt, and Reality Therapy Groups
- 18. Solution-Focused, Narrative Therapy, Psychodrama, and Transactional Analysis Groups
Author bios
About our authors
Samuel T. Gladding, Ph.D. is a professor emeritus in the Department of Counseling at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was a practicing counselor in both public and private agencies. His leadership in the field of counseling includes service as president of the American Counseling Association (ACA), the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW), the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC), the American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB), and Chi Sigma Iota (international academic and professional counseling honor society). He has also been the chair of the American Counseling Association Foundation (ACAF).
Dr. Gladding is the former editor of the Journal for Specialists in Group Work and the author of more than 7 dozen refereed articles in counseling journals, over 50 books (including revisions), and 15 counseling videos. In 1999, he was cited as being in the top 1% of contributors to the flagship journal of the American Counseling Association (Journal of Counseling and Development) for the 15-year period from 1978 to 1993. Some of Dr. Gladding’s most recent books are Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Process (7th ed., 2019), Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession (8th ed., 2018), The Counseling Dictionary (4th ed., 2017), The Creative Arts in Counseling (6th ed., 2021), Becoming a Counselor: The Light, the Bright, and the Serious (3rd ed., 2021), and this 9th Edition of Groups: A Counseling Specialty.
Dr. Gladding’s previous academic appointments have been at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Fairfield University (Connecticut), and Rockingham Community College (North Carolina). He was also Director of Children’s Services at the Rockingham County (North Carolina) Mental Health Center. Dr. Gladding served as a Fulbright Specialist in counseling to Turkey (2010) and China (2013). His books have been translated into several languages, including Turkish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Polish, and Indonesian.
Dr. Gladding received his degrees from Wake Forest University (BA, MAEd), Yale University (MAR), and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (PhD). He is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC), and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (North Carolina). Dr. Gladding is a former member of the North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (NCBLPC) and the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling.
Dr. Gladding is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Creativity in Counseling; the Eminent Career Award from the Association for Specialists in Group Work; the Thomas J. Sweeney Professional Leadership Award from Chi Sigma Iota; the Gilbert and Kathleen Wrenn Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person from the American Counseling Association; the Professional Leadership Award and Outstanding Publication Award from the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision; the Research Award from the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors; and the Ella Stephens Barrett Award for Leadership and Service to the Counseling Profession from the North Carolina Counseling Association. He is also a Fellow in the Association for Specialists in Group Work and in the American Counseling Association.
Dr. Gladding is married to the former Claire Tillson and is the father of 3 children (Ben, Nate and Tim). Outside of counseling, he enjoys long walks, swimming, writing, dogs, and humor.
Nathaniel N. Ivers, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Counseling at Wake Forest University. He is also the Chair of the Department of Counseling, a position he has held for the past 6 years. Before serving as the Chair, he served for 4 years as the Associate Chair of the Department of Counseling. Most of his counseling practice has been with the Latinx, Spanish-speaking, immigrant population. He has worked as a bilingual counselor, bilingual alcohol counselor, private practitioner, and independent contractor, providing counseling services to individuals, groups, couples, and families. His research interests and agenda are related to multicultural counseling competence, counseling with Latinx individuals, mindfulness, existentialism, grief and loss, and bilingualism.
Dr. Ivers’ previous academic appointments have been at Wake Forest University (lecturer) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (assistant professor). Dr. Ivers received his degrees from Ricks College (A.A.S. in Psychology), Brigham Young University (B.S. in Psychology), Wake Forest University (M.A. in Counseling with an emphasis in Community Counseling), and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education). He is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counseling (LCMHC) in North Carolina, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Texas, a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and a Human Services - Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP).
Dr. Ivers is the 2023 recipient of the Dr. Judy Lewis Counselors for Social Justice Award and the 2009 CSI Outstanding Doctoral Student Research Award.
Dr. Ivers is married to Tiffany Ivers and is the father of 6 children (Chelsea, Aubrianna, Nathan, Catherine, Abigail, and Chloe). In his free time, Nathaniel enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis, watching sports, gardening, reading, and hiking.