This text provides the most comprehensive information available about group dynamics and working with people in a variety of treatment and task-oriented groups. The student receives a thorough grounding in how to work with either treatment (ongoing) or task (special focus) groups, in settings that vary from treatment to organizational and community settings. Chapters on the history of groups, group dynamics, group leadership, and diversity help the reader build a solid knowledge base about groups. Later chapters follow a problem-solving model, taking the student through the phases of group work (planning, beginning, assessing, working, evaluating, and ending), and provide the student with useful practice skills for working with groups in each phase of his or her development. This edition includes the most up-to-date research on groups and new developments in the field of group work. The bibliography and references have also been updated. New case studies in Chapters 6-14 illustrate the six stages of the social group work process to help students apply the theory to actual social work practice.