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Ravit Raufman’s paper contributes to the bridging gap between relational approaches and group therapy. It is also important in its recognizing the (group) therapist’s aggression and suggesting how to use it in the service of the group development. In this review I focus on the dynamics of a group of women led by a woman to explain some of the phenomena that Raufman describes in her article, and I add some social unconscious ideas to enrich our understanding of that group.

Clients in a counseling group who have experienced systemic oppression and marginalization because of their sexual and/or gender identities may often experience difficulty in navigating healthy intimate relationships. Termination in any group setting has proven to be a tricky stage of group development to navigate for clients and therapists alike; however, for clients with diverse sexual and gender identities, such difficulty may, in part, stem from having formed a bond with other group members who have also endured various forms of societal homophobia and oppression. In addition, many therapists who have worked with sexual- and gender-identity diverse clients may not have specific competence in conducting group therapy or in having to induce termination and thereby shift relational intimacy. Further, individuals who may have had difficulty processing loss and/or saying good-bye to one another in a group setting may need additional time or a more emotion-focused activity.

Group therapy for autism confronts the core of the syndrome. Non-directed dynamic approaches, in which moment-to-moment spontaneous expressions drive the content of group sessions, are even more intricate. The implementation of nonverbal creative techniques holds the key to self-expression and self-other exploration, promoting communication and play. This manuscript offers an integrative conceptual model and a case report regarding such mind–body therapeutic perspective. The creative arts intervention is presented via a small group of young minimally verbal children with autism, deprived of communicative language, offering an interdisciplinary perspective to delineate group challenges and rationale, process, and outcomes. Vignettes are provided to illustrate the group development. A thorough discussion follows, addressing three intertwining axes: firstly, the implications of nonverbal creative means are considered; secondly, the psychophysiological processes set in motion through sensory-motor experiences are deliberated; and thirdly, the emergence of “moments of meeting” and spontaneously generated playful group activities are enlightened.

Although recent research has provided empirical support for the codevelopment of group interaction (defined as development in a common direction of perceptions of group relationships), no studies have yet investigated the "causes" of codevelopment among group members in the long term. The aim of the current study is to examine how the perceptions of an individual group member, and other group members, regarding group relationships influence each other over the course of treatment. We analyzed group data from 168 adult obese patients who participated in (1 of 20) 12-session therapy groups for weight management. Group relationships were measured by the Group Questionnaire (Krogel et al., 2013), which was administered to group members in early, middle and late group sessions. The longitudinal version of the group actor-partner interdependence model was used to analyze the influence among members. Results showed that there is no mutual influence in the codevelopment of both positive bonding and negative relationship. However, positive bonding of other group members in the middle of the group influenced positive bonding of the individual group member in the late group session. Moreover, individual group member negative relationships in early and middle sessions influenced other group member negative relationships in middle and late sessions. Finally, there was evidence of mutual influence in the codevelopment of positive working early in the group. The findings show that the process of influence among members is complex with regard to the specific dimension of the group relationship assessed and the time spent in group treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Groups are more effective when positive bonds are established and interpersonal conflicts resolved in early sessions and work is accomplished in later sessions. Previous research has provided mixed support for this group development model. We performed a test of this theoretical perspective using group members' (actors) and aggregated group members' (partners) perceptions of positive bonding, positive working, and negative group relationships measured early and late in interpersonal growth groups. Participants were 325 Italian graduate students randomly (within semester) assigned to 1 of 16 interpersonal growth groups. Groups met for 9 weeks with experienced psychologists using Yalom and Leszcz's (2005) interpersonal process model. Outcome was assessed pre- and posttreatment using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, and group relationships were measured at Sessions 3 and 6 using the Group Questionnaire. As hypothesized, early measures of positive bonding and late measures of positive working, for both actors and partners, were positively related to improved interpersonal problems. Also as hypothesized, late measures of positive bonding and early measures of positive working, for both actors and partners, were negatively related to improved interpersonal problems. We also found that early actor and partner positive bonding and negative relationships interacted to predict changes in interpersonal problems. The findings are consistent with group development theory and suggest that group therapists focus on group-as-a-whole positive bonding relationships in early group sessions and on group-as-a-whole positive working relationships in later group sessions. (PsycINFO Database Record

In this article we introduce a preliminary, neurobiologically informed model of group therapy that links the timing and nature of specific group interventions with hypothesized changing neurobiological needs of the group. We suggest that the observed phases of group development reflect an underlying reorganization of neuronal circuitry that occurs as members progress through a hierarchically organized treatment, and that this reorganization involves the integration and homeostatic rebalancing of subcortical and neural networks. Our preliminary Dynamic Relational model suggests that an understanding of the neurobiological processes involved in group development may help inform and direct effective group-based psychotherapy interventions.

It is critical to develop a comprehensive training program that teaches trainees how to be proficient group therapy clinicians. Trainees are able to develop their skills by participating as process observers and/or co-leaders of therapy groups. Supervision, both individually and in a group format, is critical to this skill development. Trainees can receive supervision both before and after each group session, with different goals depending on the format. By incorporating group development within the larger context of a center’s overall training program, centers are able to best establish a culture that promotes and advances group psychotherapy skill development.

Rutan, Foreword. Fehr, Sandelier, Who Owes You an Apology? Kaphan, The Group Therapist as Storyteller. Shapiro, Using Primary Language to Access Primary Affect. Van Wagoner, How Can You Not See My Pain? Schneider, Schneider, Animal-assisted Therapy with a Group of Young Children with Social Problems. Navaro, "Am I My Mother's Daughter?" Eliciting Self-awareness in the Transmission of Gender Roles through Family Role Models. Newman, Living with Dying: How to Keep the Group Alive when the Members are Dying. Lo, The Gambling Chair. Gross, Bringing a New Member into Group: Marking a New Place in the Cycle. Baron, The Crystal and the Stone: Use of Transitional Objects in Groups. Motherwell, The Vicissitudes of Power and its Relationship to Money. van Noort, Expect the Unexpected: An Intervention in a Psychodynamic Women's Group with Pregnant Women. Friedman, Using Dreams in Group Therapy. Wernik, A Ranking Task as an In-vivo Experience of Negotiation Awareness in an Interpersonal Skills Training Group. Kutz, Arnoso, Interventions in Groups with Clients Sharing the Same Critical Fact. Wittig, Bridging in Group Therapy Using Movement Improvisation. Grover, "What's So Funny?" The Group Leader's Use of Humor in Adolescent Groups. Gilmore, Using Grammar to Increase Immediacy and Affect. D'Arienzo, Hardiness Enhancement: A Pathway to Resilience. Frank, Group as a Place to Practice New Behaviors. Penna, Counterresistance: Its Manifestation and Impact on Group Intervention and Management. Roth, Some Thoughts on Silence in Group Therapy. Beck, "When Boundaries Breathe." Kotch, You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks! Dennis, The Fee Payment as an Aspect of Group Communication. McEneaney, "What Do You Mean I Should Tell Her What I Think About Her?" Psychoeducation About Interpersonal Process. Calabrese, The Masks We Wear. Weinberg, Using Art Therapy Technique in a Psychodynamic-oriented Group. Hopfenberg, Advice Giving. Black, Bridging as a Tool to Avoid Scapegoating. Cohen, Installation of Hope in Bereavement Groups for the Elderly. Postlewaite, The "I's" Have It! Straus, Therapeutic Play Reading. Schwartz, Women's Empowerment Group Using Art Therapy. Cantor, Utilizing the Group to Counter Negative Identifications in Patients Finding Their Own Voice. Hammari, Eliciting Self-awareness via Existential Fantasy Questions in a Half-hour Group. Schklar, From Silence to Frenzy: Resistance in the Face of Shame. Schwartzberg, Degree of Structure in Group Format Toward Facilitating Group Alliances, Empathy, and Cohesion. Van Wagoner, Exploring Attachment in a Treatment Group for Men Who Batter. Slavin, The Use of Group Processes for Alleviating Teachers' Stress within a School Setting. Henderson, Diminishing Dissociative Experiences for War Veterans in Group Therapy. Rippa, I am Part of the Group Matrix. Cooperberg, To Err is Human: Turning Our Mistakes into Useful Interventions. Berman, The Ability to Verbalize One's Needs Clearly in a Geriatric Population. Decker, Modeling a Nondefensive and Empathic Acceptance of Group Resistance in a School-based Anger Management Group with Urban Adolescents. Pennington, Saying Goodbye: A Termination Ritual. Shay, Norm Repair. Raviv, Using the Group Power for Interpretation. Mendez, The Values Auction. Childs, Individual Psychotherapy in the Context of a Group: An Intervention. McAllister, The Rope Exercise to Experience Process in the Group. Mendelsohn, Let's Talk. Schoenwald, A Transitional Exercise from the Didactic to the Experiential in a Group Therapy Class. Glyn, What and Who Belong in the Group? Managing Early Crises. Cohen, Alchemy and Transformation: The Disturber in Group. Drury, Family Member Association. Sazant, Building Self-esteem Using Assertiveness Training and Props. Cohen, Horseback Riding Workshop for Increasing Self-awareness. Amit, Leaving the Room for the Sake of Connecting. Fehr, Poetry as a Projective Technique and Springboard for Dialogue in Group Therapy. Ros, A Symbolic Meaning of Money in Group Therapy. Lark, Visualizing Connections and Disconnections: A Social Diagram of the Group. Saiger, Unexpected Consequences: Maintaining the Boundaries in a Therapy Group for Older Adults. Fraenkel, Shape: A Kinesthetic Approach to Building Healthy Boundaries. Claringbull, Trauma Therapy: An Integrative Approach. Black, Creative Use of the Group Contract in Long-term Psychotherapy Groups. Iosupovici, "After the Group Has Ended": Imagery to Vivify Termination. Berley, An Angry Outburst: Responding to Aggression. Krueger, Painting Verbal Images. Johnson, Awakening Social Consciousness. Glass, The Empty Chair as a Tool to Promote Self-awareness and Interaction in Groups. Weber, A Spiritually Informed Approach for the Group Leader. Treadwell, Kumar, Wright, Integrating Cognitive Behavioral with Psychodramatic Theory and Techniques. MacNair-Semands, Preparing Members to Fully Participate in Group Therapy. Van Wagoner, What to do when the Group is Falling Apart. Kaphan, A Difficult Session. Gross, The Nine Basic Steps for a Successful Group. Lo, An Effective Precipice Toward Recovery. D'Arienzo, Inoculation Training for Trauma and Stress-related Disorders. Shapiro, Using Metaphors and Stories to Resolve Impasses and Bridge Resistance. Cooperberg, Using Humor to Advance Group Work. Baron, Directed Eye Contact: Nonverbal Communication. Fehr, Sandelier, "Remember Be Here Now." Hammari, Highs and Lows: Expressing Gratitude or Grief in Group. Beck, En Mi Viejo San Juan (In My Old San Juan). Dennis, Changing Chairs: Experiential Exercise for Exploration of Interpersonal Boundaries. Amit, Surfing an Unexpected Group's Tide. Cohen, Cantor, Mindfulness in Group Psychotherapy. Straus, "Zoom." Motherwell, Naughty or Nice: A Technique for Exploring the Mischievous in Us. Lark, Look at How I Feel: Art-assisted Affect Expression. Slavin, Stress Reduction for Students in Elementary and Middle School. Shay, A Chair is Not a Chair is Not a Chair. Cohen, Nurturing the Community Development Dimension in Groups as a Preemptive Intervention. Henderson, Humor as a Defense Mechanism in War Veterans. Claringbull, Trauma Therapy as a Community Enterprise. Iosupovici, Trouble to Resource. Frank, Dealing with Anger in Two Different Phases of Group Development. Ben-Noam, The Fee: A Clinical Tool in Group Therapy. Krueger, Remembering When: Therapist as a Historian. Fehr, Therapist Self-disclosure as an Intervention toward Normalizing and Eliciting Hope.

This article presents, in the form of a clinical illustration, a therapeutic group of bereaved mothers with special reference to their dreams about their deceased children. The article presents descriptions of the emotions of these mothers and countertransference feelings, a topic that, to our knowledge, has not been frequently studied. The group was small, analytically oriented, slow-open, comprised of women bereaved by the death of a child, and conducted by a female therapist. Over more than three years, the group included 20 members in total. This article describes a number of dreams recorded during a period when the group included seven members. Dreams helped the group members access their emotional pain, helplessness, yearning for a relationship with the deceased, guilt, and feelings of survival guilt. The transference-countertransference relationships were characterized by holding. Countertransference feelings of helplessness predominated. The therapist and the group as a whole contained various emotions, allowing the group members to return to the normal mourning processes from the parallel encouragement of group development and interpersonal relationships.

Changes in the health care arena and within the specialty of group work are contributing to the increased utilization of groups in health care settings. Psychoeducational, theme, and interpersonal therapy groups are highlighted for their contributions to treating challenging health conditions. An understanding of the evolution of these group modalities, distinguishing their core features, and applying the fundamentals of group development assist in the development of group interventions to treat a wide range of conditions. Theme groups appear to be emerging as a more prominent group modality across a variety of health care settings to address challenging health conditions.

This article addresses the question of where group work fits into treatment for alcohol dependency. It reviews the various aspects of group work that are relevant along with the key theoretical contributions that define group work activity as well as theories of group formation and group development. In the treatment for alcohol dependency, there are a number of dimensions of group work which should be considered. These are conceptualized as three theoretical levels: theories that underpin the understanding of human behavior, specialized knowledge applied to intervention within the addictions, and theories of group work itself.

In this paper I shall use Winnicott’s concept of potential space to discuss the impasses, which arises when failures occur in the development of group potential space. Because clinical social work is a service usually provided by public bodies with limited economic resources, unstable social and political realities are driving many social workers to search for methods of responding to the needs of many without compromising the quality of the service provided. This requires the acquisition of increasing knowledge in the field of group therapy, in order to help our clients, who often suffer from disabling conditions, to become functioning community members. The paper reviews Winnicott’s concept of potential space and Ogden’s formulation of the psychopathology of potential space, and describes various manifestations of impasses in group work and group development. Three clinical examples describing therapeutic groups led by clinicians in various public frameworks, are used to illustrate three different forms of group collapse following a failure in the formation of potential space. A fourth type of collapse is also discussed.

The therapeutic factors of group therapy are equally relevant and essential to group prevention. Incorporating therapeutic factors, the curative elements used in group therapy, into group process helps to bring about change. For group process to be effective, prevention groups need constructive interaction, a cohesive working environment, and the inclusion of therapeutic factors. This chapter discusses Yalom’s original 11 therapeutic factors, describing how they relate to group-centered prevention. Group-centered prevention programs rely on therapeutic factors to help bring about change. We will discuss each of the 11 factors separately and give an example of their use in group-centered prevention. We will also discuss at what stage of group development each therapeutic factor should be introduced and incorporated into the dynamics and process of the group. The training session for this chapter offers two group case studies and shows how to interweave therapeutic factors into group process.

This article analyzes five phases in the group process in which narcissism may, also on an archaic basis, be seen to be present, and its effect both on the individuals and the group process, as well as towards the conductor. The author also refers to the tasks of the therapist in respect of this narcissism, as it affects the individual, the other group members, and the group-as-a-whole.

Group therapy, including Gestalt group work, is deeply rooted in group development theories as a principle way of orienting to groups. The author argues that a primarily developmental frame of reference will limit therapists' ability to experience a wider range of available phenomena. He suggests that therapists broaden their perspectives through a grounding in phenomenological field theory. This emphasis on field theory is consistent with the tenets of Gestalt therapy and allows therapists to work in a more relational and experience-near manner.

This article describes an innovative two-stage model of sexual assault therapy groups for women in a university setting. This model is recommended for use in various settings and includes a supportive therapy group and two specialized therapy groups, one for childhood sexual abuse survivors and the other for sexual assault (acquaintance rape and stranger rape) survivors. Theoretical underpinnings of the model are discussed in addition to practical aspects of group development such as elements of an effective group, screening of potential members, and marketing and recruitment techniques.

A patient's termination from group therapy is a powerful experience for the departing patient, the therapist, and all group members. Unless the feelings evoked are channeled into constructive expression, they may undermine this potentially valuable phase of both the departing patient's group treatment and the life of the group as a whole. A termination ritual, styled by a particular patient according to his or her own need, therapy goals, and personality may help the patient achieve a more clearly defined sense of self. The authors suggest that the group therapist's careful attunement to and thorough exploration of the significance of any termination ritual or gift will help to extract maximum therapeutic benefit for the departing member and the group as a whole.

This paper illustrates a group intervention with individuals and family caregivers coping with illness/disability, and focuses on the relationship between the process of group development and the process of coping with the illness/disability. People experiencing illness/disability cope with a great deal of pressure and stress that stem from the illness's biopsychosocial demands. A group can provide encouragement and support and reduce helplessness, isolation, and despair through cooperation and use of mutual resources. The design of the intervention was based on our clinical experience with numerous groups for ill/disabled individuals or their family. The process is described and analyzed using examples from three documented groups, and is presented in terms of four variables: group process, group atmosphere, group content, and group intervention.

Discussion of theoretical rationale, form and content of therapy groups for pre-adolescent boys emphasizing practice in interpersonal competence in addition to teaching social skills. Members' individual developmental stage, group development, and the construction of social order by children inform the structuring of group and the evaluation of members' progress. Roles and responsibilities of group members, parents or guardians, and therapist(s) as the treatment team are described as essential components for efficacy.

Insight into the therapeutic relationship in group psychotherapy requires an understanding of the treatment context. Cohesion is defined as the therapeutic relationship in group psychotherapy emerging from the aggregate of member-leader, member-member, and member-group relationships. Using this defi

In this article, the author defines myth and shows that disguised myths of archaic and primitive peoples can be found in the modern world. He discusses the myths that guide the development of small groups. He sketches out mythic aspects of the encounter between group therapy and managed care. Finally, he suggests the mythic significance of the year 2000 for the future of group development and of group therapy.

The cornerstone of W. R. Bion's theory of individual and group development is that thinking is a primary emotional need, and it matures in the context of social communication. Bion (1970) formulated the essential relationship between thinking and communicating in terms of the “container-contained” relationship. Bion (1970) described three types of communication, occurring on different levels of development: commensal, symbiotic, and parasitic. These patterns involve normal and pathological variations of the container-contained and call for different expressions of the therapist's subjectivity. In this paper, I describe each of these alterations as they apply to group therapy and to therapeutic activity. I include case examples of how I utilize the conceptual framework in my work.

Group therapists have long been interested in the concept of group process. However, to date, process research in the adolescent literature has been scant. This study concerned the systematic evaluation of adolescent group member and group leader ratings of group process, using Dimock's coding system. Participants included 7 adolescents (14 years to 16 years, 4 boys and 3 girls) who were referred to a school-based therapy group. Results revealed that group members reported higher levels of task-related behaviors and group building and maintenance behaviors than group leaders, which is a similar pattern noted in the adult literature. Implications of this investigation are discussed.

This article describes a dream work focus for 6-week growth groups. Gestalt, Jungian, and other humanistic theories and techniques of working with dreams are applied to group work. Procedures for working with members' dreams are examined in relation to group process and group development. Ethical considerations, cautions, and potential use of dream work as an intervention in other kinds of groups are discussed.

This case study explored the links between the developmental profiles of three groups working in a semigovernmental organization in Central America, and it suggests strategies to improve the effectiveness and productivity of those groups. The findings suggested that a brief intervention based on a detailed analysis of a group’s developmental level can produce significant changes in that group’s level of functioning and productivity. Although these results are promising, more studies, employing a more rigorous research design, will be necessary to confirm these findings.

The systems-centered approach to group psychotherapy systematically weakens the restraining forces at the boundaries of each subphase and phase of group development, so that the inherent system drive toward therapeutic development and transformation will be released in the group-as-a-whole, its members, and its subgroups. The SCT methods of functional subgrouping, boundarying, vectoring, and contextualizing are introduced as strategies to reduce both the restraining forces to group development and the symptomology that has brought members into the therapy group.

Building upon the pioneering work of Saravay, this article describes the first stages in the development of a therapeutic small group. We follow the classic psychoanalytic theory of psychosexual stages as described by Freud with the modifications of Karl Abraham. We feel that this understanding will help us better conceptualize a dynamic understanding of small group process. In order to illustrate the theoretical formulations, examples are given from the process of a therapeutic group run along Group-analytic lines.

This article discusses scapegoating as it occurred in an outpatient psychotherapy group for early adolescent girls. It illustrates how the role of scapegoat can be assumed by various group members depending on the contemporary needs and climate of the group. In this instance, the role of scapegoat fluctuated among three members. Effects on group development and cohesiveness are discussed.

A single subject case study indicated the supervision group was primarily task-oriented, made a contribution to supervisees' learning, and achieved the affiliation level of group development.

This study examined the development of group climate using the Engaged, Conflict, and Avoiding subscales of the Group Climate Questionnaire-Short Version (GCQ-S) in a sample of 145 patients attending either short- (20 sessions) or long-term (80 sessions) psychodynamic group psychotherapy. Linear mixed models were used to compare changes in group climate over time. Engaged developed along similar lines in the two psychotherapy formats. During the first 18 sessions, conflict and avoidance decreased toward the termination of the short-term groups, in contrast to an increase in this still-early stage of the long-term groups. When compared according to the stages of therapy (early, middle, late), a low-high-low pattern for conflict and avoidance emerged in both psychotherapy formats, with a stronger decrease toward termination in long-term groups. This finding can be seen as reflecting an accelerated progress of development within the short-term groups, and a delayed but strengthened process in the long-term groups. Review of empirical studies indicated that most theories of group development have a relatively narrow range of validity, but the parallel pattern of group climate found in this study across early, middle, and late stages for short- and long-term groups suggests that the perspective of developmental stages is still important to both group process theory and clinical practice.

Each year, I teach an introductory group psychotherapy course to my graduate students pursuing their doctor of psychology degrees. From my over 20 years of having delivered this course, I know that students, when presented with the core concepts of group psychotherapy—notions such as the here-and-now, groupas-a-whole, stages of group development—will hungrily apply them in the varied realms in which they function. They see their applicability to the broader group dynamics of their various clinical placements, large family gatherings, the community of students and faculty, and probably, most affectingly, their own cohort class. Some of their spontaneous applications have the qualities of epiphanies, as when they see that some member of the class who occupies the scapegoat position is containing the class’s projected material or when they realize that they are peeved with aspects of the doctoral program because they are in phase 2 of group development. What students seem to grasp with ease is that the concepts, theories, and techniques of this area have a protean quality, capable of an amazing breadth of potential use. With maturation, the group psychotherapist achieves progressively greater depth in how concepts are understood and applied within his or her realm of practice. With this depth can very easily come a constriction in the set of phenomena to which concepts are applied. Rather than seeing group phenomena everywhere

This paper focuses on the use of dream interpretation in psychoanalytic group psychotherapy. One of the goals of the paper is to demonstrate that the kinds of dreams, manifestly about the group, offered at various points in the life history of the group, are influenced by, and, in turn, influence developmental phases in group. Dream interpretation also helps the therapist to identify emerging developmental themes in the group-as-a-whole as well as illuminate developmental impasses and resistances of the group. The second goal of this paper is to demonstrate how interpretations of these dreams can help lessen resistance and help the group to resolve the impasse. The paper first reviews some basic principles and approaches to dream interpretation in a group setting and then elucidates typical phases in group development. Two extended case examples are presented to illustrate how dream interpretation may be utilized to help the group move beyond the impasse.

Constructivism can be used in small groups as specific techniques are applied for behavior changes in a group setting. Constructivism can also be used to describe group processes. The author presents a constructivist reexamination of group development, that is, how individuals come together to form a shared reality of their group experience. The study and treatment use of small groups present an especially good venue from which to view how constructivism and social constructionism meet. Several practice implications of the group-development model are identified and discussed, along with two constructivist techniques particularly well suited to the group modality.

Two studies were performed to examine things unsaid in group counseling. In Study 1, 28 group members described 317 things they had left unsaid during group counseling sessions. Cluster analysis identified 10 categories of things unsaid. In Study 2, the derived clusters were used by trained raters to categorize a new set of things unsaid by 28 group members. In addition, the relationships between the type of things unsaid, the stage of group development, and participant sex were examined. As hypothesized there were more advice and outside things unsaid during the orientation-inclusion stage and more positive feeling and empathic things unsaid during affection-cohesion stage of group development. There were also a number of significant interactions between participant sex and stage or group development for several categories of things unsaid. Implications for counseling are discussed.

This study was designed as a longitudinal study of 80 participants in cognitive group therapy (RCT, n = 40) and interpersonal group therapy (RIPT, n = 40) for social phobia during 10 weeks of residential therapy. The aim was to investigate the patterns of group climate development and its impact on treatment outcome. Data were collected using MacKenzie’s Group Climate Questionnaire (GCQ) 4 times during treatment, and a multilevel (mixed) model approach was used in the analyses. Engagement in RCT groups showed a linear increase during treatment in contrast to a linear decline among patients in RIPT groups. This divergence might be explained by the focus on extragroup and intragroup relationships in RCT and RIPT, respectively. Neither conflict nor avoidance followed the expected pattern, nor did their mean levels influence outcome. However, when 6 extreme values of conflict were removed, there was support for a low–high–low pattern of conflict. In general, these results do not support MacKenzie’s generic model of group climate development but suggest that sample characteristics, treatment models, and setting can play major roles in determining the group climate. Of the group climate variables, only the mean level of engagement predicted a change in social anxiety over the course of treatment.

This article presents a model for understanding development within children's psychotherapy groups. It is proposed that two complementary cultures exist within children's groups, one, indigenous peer culture, strictly of the children's making and the other, therapeutic group culture, created by the therapist in collaboration with group members. The therapist is wise to approach indigenous peer culture as an ethnographer might a native culture, with an emphasis on observation and seeking understanding rather than on intervention. The therapist can use the indigenous peer culture to speak to the children in their own language and eventually to engage them in collaboratively building a meaning system that is uniquely designed to address their psychotherapeutic needs. The article defines these concepts, develops them theoretically, and illustrates them clinically.

When eating-disordered patients participate in long-term eating-dis-order groups, they move through phases of group development that parallel phases of psychosexual development. In the trust (oral) phase, members have an opportunity to experience a positive symbiosis, a suitable holding environment, and optimal frustration. In the control (anal) phase, members learn to identify and express anger constructively. In the intimacy (oedipal) phase, members learn to compete and be intimate. Individual and group movement is facilitated by the group leader being able to identify stages of group development and being able to utilize phase-related techniques.

The purpose of this paper is to support the efficacy of short-term insight-oriented, process group psychotherapy and to present a unique treatment model. The format for a time-limited, dynamic group therapy model with the opportunity to recontract for additional segments will be discussed. Evidence will be presented that supports the effective use of this model for providing continuity of care for patients with both long- and short-term treatment goals. The referral process,contracting for appropriate goals, group development, the cotherapy relationship, and other specific treatment issues will be addressed.