Internship Supervisors' Perspectives of Group Work Within Social Work Practice

Group work’s prominence within masters’ level social work education in the U.S. has steadily diminished over the years. Simultaneously, anecdotal reports indicate group work is continuously utilized in practice. The authors developed a survey for internship supervisors at their home institution to assess 1) the use of group work within the field; 2) the desirability of group work expertise as an employment/internship consideration; and 3) internship supervisors’ assessment of their own knowledge and preparation for supervision around group work issues, and their interest in group work continuing education and/or certification programs. Findings suggest that group work is widely used in social work practice settings, group work expertise is desired in hiring interns and new professionals, and while internship supervisors feel competent in supervising interns, they are interested in participating in continuing education and group work certificate programs. Recommended advocacy strategies to enhance the status of group work education in U.S. higher education are discussed.