Empowering women exposed to violence through social work practice with groups

Social work practice with groups carried out with many client groups also has an important place in terms of empowering women exposed to violence. This research, carried out in two women's shelters (MS) in Ankara, was aimed to empower women exposed to violence through social work practice with groups. In the research, a mixed-method combining qualitative and quantitative research techniques was used. Primarily, semi-structured in-depth interviews (DI) were conducted with 32 women staying in two MS. After a thematic and descriptive analysis of DI, nine themes related to women's experiences of violence were identified. These were experiences of violence, causes of exposure to violence, reasons for staying in a violent environment, ways of coping with violence, effects of violence, strengths, views on MS, plans after MS, and suggestions for combating violence. Then, 13 weeks of eclectic group work (GW) was conducted with 11 women who stayed in one of the MS. The findings obtained from the DI and the subjects the women wanted to work on were used for defining the content and duration of GW. The findings regarding the GW development and the GW's effectiveness were revealed by the observations made in the process and the Group Work Evaluation Form (GWEF) given at the end of GW. In addition, in order to evaluate the quantitative effectiveness of GW, the Locus of Control Scale (LCS) and Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) were given to the women staying in two MSs before and after GW. No significant difference was found between pre-test and post-test scores of the total LCS and RSA and sub-scales in the in-group and between-group comparisons. Qualitative, observational, and quantitative findings obtained at all stages of the research were discussed separately and in combination, and suggestions were made for further research.