Statement of Mission

The Association for Specialists in Group Work is a division of the American Counseling Association. As Counseling Professionals who are interested in and specialize in group work, we value the creation of community; service to our members, their clients, and the profession; and leadership as a process to facilitate the growth and development of individuals and groups.

The purpose of the Association shall be to establish standards for professional and ethical practice; to support research and the dissemination of knowledge; and to provide professional leadership in the field of group work. In addition, the Association shall seek to extend counseling through the use of group process; to provide a forum for examining innovative and developing concepts in group work; to foster diversity and dignity in our groups; and to be models of effective group practice.

ASGW Value Set

• Service
• Leadership
• Community

ASGW Vision

• is exciting, dynamic, and futuristic;
• encourages an active and involved membership;
• is inclusive, creative, and resourceful;
• makes members feel welcome and valuable;
• takes action to promote diversity and dignity within and outside itself;
• reflects multicultural diversity in leadership positions;
• involves and mentors new leaders;
• is aware of a responsibility to both individuals and society;
• promotes the use of group work to achieve social justice;
• facilitates change;
• offers learning and fun within the same activity;
• educates and is educative;
• views conflict as a prerequisite to growth and development;
• takes moderate risks and accepts moderate failures;
• insists on quality training and expert performance;
• has energized, competent, and skilled leaders;
• trains group work leaders at a variety of levels for a variety of settings;
• is regularly developing and disseminating outstanding training materials;
• is recognized nationally as the preeminent group work training organization;
• offers a variety of models of theory and practice for application;
• implements its national standards for group work;
• advances ethical group work practice;
• sponsors seminars, workshops, conferences, and a national group work leadership institute;
• is developing a national center for group work training;
• has facilitators who are specialists in general group work methodology and also in specific subspecialties;
• uses the group process observer as an essential ingredient of organizational dynamics and advocates its use elsewhere;
• has examined and acted on organizational assessment review;
• collaborates across divisional boundaries to improve cross functional practices;
• collaborates across organizational boundaries to develop cooperative ventures and to provide consultation;
• is in communication with related group work professional organizations nationally and internationally;
• has sponsored development of a national group work leader certification process;
• takes a proactive stance on matters of professionalization;
• monitors and appropriately interacts with its parent organization, the American Counseling Association;
• fulfills our mission and lives our values.