"I Hear You": Using Focus Groups to Give Voice to Adolescent Girls' Experiences with Violence

Focus groups are used in social science to understand social problems. This article presents focus groups for adolescent girls in a school setting, by two social work researchers, on the subjects of girl fighting and dating violence. The article discusses planning (agency collaboration and decisions about the structure of the group and recruitment of participants), using group work skills to create a safe environment that encourages discussion of diverse opinions, and disseminating relevant findings to school personnel that will prevent or intervene in the problem.