Group Work and the Aged

This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the poetry discussion group in work with participants in a senior citizens' center. The paper is divided into three sections. The first is theoretical and discusses the value of poetry as a tool to aid in reminiscence, as a means to develop mastery, and as a catalyst to resolve psychic conflicts. The second section describes the development and structure of a particular poetry discussion group. The third section is a transcript (with commentary), from one group session and serves to illustrate, in practice, the theory discussed earlier.