Peer Consultation Group

The Service: Proposed group for Licensed Clinical Social Workers who sometimes want peers with whom they can tell their stories,

• find emotional support,

• "talk shop" (staff cases). There is an old social work bumper sticker that claims........................

• recharge inspiration and motivation,

• and share best practices.

Benefits of Peer Consultation Group:

1. Supporting the professional community

2. Encouraging ethical practice and provides networking possibilities

3. Helping prevent social worker "burnout" by decreasing private practitioner isolation

4. Spreading mentoring and best practices among the social work community

5. Providing quality assurance for private practitioner's clients

6. Improving clinical social worker skills through group sharing and feedback

Using a group case staffing protocol: The group is organized around a protocol that facilitates constructive conversations to generate specific ideas counselors can utilize with their clients. The group member who is presenting their case selects someone to act as their scribe to take notes so they can fully participate in the conversation.

The intent of the protocol is to focus on the counselor and their skills rather than focusing on the client or family's presenting or ongoing problems. This approach is based on the idea that group discussions about the client and their problems, deficits, or mental illness seldom lead to ideas about steps and strategies counselors can use to effectively help the client achieve their goals.