Social Group Work with Cardiac Patients »

Maurice Scott Fisher, Sr., PhD, ACSW, LCSW, was the Mental Health Evaluator and Behavioral Health Consultant for the Virginia Transplant Center and Cardiac Rehabilitation Services at HCA/Henrico Doctors' Hospital in Richmond for the past ten year. In his role as behavioral health consultant, he conducted five social work groups weekly and evaluated 10 to 15 cardiac patients weekly. Dr. Fisher is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Licensed Substance Treatment Professional, a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, and a Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider. The author of numerous healthcare articles, he is in full-time private practice in Roanoke, Virginia. Dr. Fisher was born with a congenital heart problem and has been life-long consumer of cardiac care.

Develop a comprehensive understanding of cardiac disease process

Cardiovascular problems are on the rise in America. Care providers need to understand the overall clinical and statistical significance these life-changing events have to patients and families alike. Social Group Work with Cardiac Patients is a pragmatic guide that helps social workers and other psychosocial professionals develop and apply cardiac group work in a proactive and directed manner. This valuable text explores social group work with patients immediately recovering from a cardiac event—heart attack or failure, transplants, and implantable cardiac devices—as well the secondary effects of such events.

Social Group Work with Cardiac Patients helps social work and healthcare professionals develop a comprehensive understanding of the psychosocial aspect of cardiac care. In addition to examining the correlation between cardiac disease and depression and anxiety, looking at the emotional aspects of heart disease, and providing an overview of social work group care, this unique text details the four core social groups—cognitive-behavioral, psychoeducational, skill development, and interpersonal. Both fundamental and state-of-the-art, this comprehensive approach serves to enhance practice skills for immediate and constructive implementation.

Important topics discussed in Social Group Work with Cardiac Patients also include:

• Understanding adherence to cardiac health and psychosocial variables
• Suggestions for using basic social groups and their development
• Adherence issues associated with care
• Stress management
• Management of anger among patients
• Holistic affects of cardiac disease on patients and families
• Compliance, follow-up, and follow through
• Substance abuse
• Human sexuality
• Differences between support groups and social group work models
• Group leadership and co-leadership skills
• And many more!

Social Group Work with Cardiac Patients is an asset as a pragmatic, relevant guide for development and actuation of both general social groups and specialty group treatment.

An accessible and practical stand-alone text, Social Group Work with Cardiac Patients is ideal for mental health and substance abuse social workers, counselors, cardiac nurse specialists, cardiac treatment staff, and students of social work.

Chapter 1. Introduction
General Prevalence Heart Statistics
General Cardiovascular Incidence Statistics
Cardiac Mortality Statistics
General Cardiac Risk Factor Statistics
Statistical Cost Factors
The Use of Social Group Work Models
Social Group Interventions Currently Used in Cardiac Rehabilitation
Conclusions

Chapter 2. Correlation Between Cardiovascular Disease and Depression, Anger, and Anxiety
Depression
Anxiety
Anger
Static and Dynamic Cardiovascular Disease Factor
Conclusions

Chapter 3. Social Group Work and Cardiac Care
Basic Social Groups for Use in Psychosocial Treatment of Cardiac Patients
Social Group Development and Phase-Specific Tasks
Stages of Social Group Treatment
Social Group Worker Leadership, Techniques, and Concepts
Rationale for Using Social Group Models with Cardiac Patients
Conclusions

Chapter 4. Core Cardiac Social Work Group
Cognitive-Behavioral Cardiac Group Therapy
Psychoeducational Groups
Skill-Development Groups
Interpersonal (Social) Groups
Conclusions

Chapter 5. Adherence Issues Associated with Cardiac Care
A Social Group Work Model
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Use of the Group As a Whole
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 6. Social Work Group for Heart Attack Patients
Risk Factors and Causes of Heart Attacks
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes From Using the Model
Conclusions

Chapter 7. Social Group Work for Heart Failure Patients
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 8. Social Group Work with Patients with Implanted Cardiac Devices
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 9. Social Group Work with Heart Transplant Patients
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 10. Stress Management Social Work Group for Cardiac Patients
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Aspects
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 11. Social Group Management of Anger among Cardiac Patients
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 12. Cardiac Patient Substance Abuse Group
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Most Problematic Drugs for Cardiac Patients
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 13. Human Sexuality for Cardiac Patients
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 14. Cardiac Support Groups
Differences Between Support Groups and Social Group
Work Models
Rationale for Using the Social Group Work Model
Purpose/Goals
Functional Characteristics
Structural Characteristics
Group Leadership Skills
Clinical Techniques Utilized
Expected Clinical Benefits and Outcomes
Conclusions

Chapter 15. Cardiac Social Groups and Coleadership
Cardiac Coleadership: Background
Advantages of Coleadership
Disadvantages of Coleadership
Social Group Work Coleadership Models
Selection of a Social Group Work Coleader
Managing Problems that Emerge in Social Group
Work Coleadership
Use of Social Group Work Co-Leadership with Cardiac Patients
Conclusions

Chapter 16. Conclusions: Integration of Social Group Work with Cardiac Patients
Bibliography
Index
Reference Notes Included