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Book review

Book review Staff Support Groups in the Helping Professions: Principles, practice and pitfalls Reviewed by: Christina Pond Standards Qualifications and Policy Development, Skills for Health Edited by Phil Hartley and David Kennard ISBN: 978 0 415 44774 4 Published by: Routledge Publication date: 2009 Pages: 216 Work-related stress and burnout in health care The second part of the book includes contributions professionals costs the NHS millions of pounds each year from experienced facilitators describing their personal and also impacts upon the quality of care offered to the experiences of facilitating staff support groups in a patient or service user. variety of environments, including psychiatric wards, Recent Department of Health initiatives have promoted therapeutic communities, social services settings and the use of staff support groups as a means to combat some schools. Through these shared experiences, the reader is of the contributory factors, by offering a forum to resolve offered an insight into the difficulties and successes of conflict, reflect on practice and strengthen emotional support groups operating in different settings. resilience. Throughout the book, the relationship between the This very accessible book explores this topic, with the group and the organisation in which it is formed is also editors and a range of contributors drawing on their own addressed. experiences of facilitating support groups in a number Although aiming to, and indeed succeeding in, of settings. They offer the reader an understanding of providing very practical advice and guidance to those the influences that help and hinder the setting up and involved in this aspect of group work, be they facilitators, running of staff support groups. participants or anyone considering setting up a staff The book is divided into two parts. The first part, support group, the authors caution against using the written by Hartley and Kennard, provides an overview book as a manual, emphasising that facilitating such a and practical guide to setting up and facilitating staff group calls for a combination of understanding, tact and support groups. This section of the book offers the reader tenacity. They conclude that the core knowledge and information on process issues, such as the range of uses for skills needed for facilitating staff support groups should the group, the role of the facilitator, keys to success, setting be treated as seriously as those required for supervision and management. up the group and, equally importantly, how to end it. It also considers some contextual issues including This is an engaging and easy-to-read book, which the differences between the staff support group and makes an excellent contribution to our understanding of other groups that may be established and why staff find this topic. It also raises a number of thought-provoking it difficult to ask for support, dealing with the paradox questions, including the need to deal with the reluctance, described by the authors of the readiness to acknowledge probably common to all of us, to ask for or accept support support needs set against the poor uptake of offers of at work, whether individually or in a group, and considers support. The final chapter in part one summarises what how this can be addressed to provide better care for staff can be learnt from the available research and evaluation and, as a consequence, for those whom they themselves into whether such groups work. provide care. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 4 Issue 4 December 2009 © Pier Professional Ltd http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Emerald Publishing

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
1755-6228
DOI
10.1108/17556228200900032
Publisher site
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Abstract

Staff Support Groups in the Helping Professions: Principles, practice and pitfalls Reviewed by: Christina Pond Standards Qualifications and Policy Development, Skills for Health Edited by Phil Hartley and David Kennard ISBN: 978 0 415 44774 4 Published by: Routledge Publication date: 2009 Pages: 216 Work-related stress and burnout in health care The second part of the book includes contributions professionals costs the NHS millions of pounds each year from experienced facilitators describing their personal and also impacts upon the quality of care offered to the experiences of facilitating staff support groups in a patient or service user. variety of environments, including psychiatric wards, Recent Department of Health initiatives have promoted therapeutic communities, social services settings and the use of staff support groups as a means to combat some schools. Through these shared experiences, the reader is of the contributory factors, by offering a forum to resolve offered an insight into the difficulties and successes of conflict, reflect on practice and strengthen emotional support groups operating in different settings. resilience. Throughout the book, the relationship between the This very accessible book explores this topic, with the group and the organisation in which it is formed is also editors and a range of contributors drawing on their own addressed. experiences of facilitating support groups in a number Although aiming to, and indeed succeeding in, of settings. They offer the reader an understanding of providing very practical advice and guidance to those the influences that help and hinder the setting up and involved in this aspect of group work, be they facilitators, running of staff support groups. participants or anyone considering setting up a staff The book is divided into two parts. The first part, support group, the authors caution against using the written by Hartley and Kennard, provides an overview book as a manual, emphasising that facilitating such a and practical guide to setting up and facilitating staff group calls for a combination of understanding, tact and support groups. This section of the book offers the reader tenacity. They conclude that the core knowledge and information on process issues, such as the range of uses for skills needed for facilitating staff support groups should the group, the role of the facilitator, keys to success, setting be treated as seriously as those required for supervision and management. up the group and, equally importantly, how to end it. It also considers some contextual issues including This is an engaging and easy-to-read book, which the differences between the staff support group and makes an excellent contribution to our understanding of other groups that may be established and why staff find this topic. It also raises a number of thought-provoking it difficult to ask for support, dealing with the paradox questions, including the need to deal with the reluctance, described by the authors of the readiness to acknowledge probably common to all of us, to ask for or accept support support needs set against the poor uptake of offers of at work, whether individually or in a group, and considers support. The final chapter in part one summarises what how this can be addressed to provide better care for staff can be learnt from the available research and evaluation and, as a consequence, for those whom they themselves into whether such groups work. provide care. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 4 Issue 4 December 2009 © Pier Professional Ltd

Journal

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice – Emerald Publishing

Published: Dec 11, 2009

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