Search

This paper describes the decade-long, successful experience of developing a group therapy training program for mental health professionals in China. The perspectives of two Western group therapy instructors/supervisors and of a Chinese colleague who participated broadly in the program are described. We explore our understanding of Western ideas about group therapy and how these were experienced in the Chinese context. We address the opportunities that emerged at the interface of two very different cultures, and the challenges of translating and integrating Western group therapy principles and practices within a culture with a very different history and worldview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapter four focuses on selection and preparation and how the ethical group therapist plans for success and prepares the group members and the group to launch and sustain a meaningful therapy experience. The training group requires clarity about training expectations and the impacts of trainee self-disclosure and exposure amongst colleagues. An added concern unique to group therapy is the delicate balance of navigating boundaries when people are in either conjoint group (different group and individual therapists) or concurrent group and individual therapy (same therapist). The ethical group therapy supervisor reduces the supervisee's risk of feeling shame or blame, reducing the risk of creating a training situation in which the trainee focuses more on protecting self-esteem rather than on learning (Leszcz, [4]). [Extracted from the article]

This article aims to review the expanding role of group psychotherapy in the treatment of individuals with medical illnesses, an area that has expanded dramatically during the past 30 years. The fundamental principles of adaptation of group therapies for specialized clinical populations are articulated. Clarity of goals and thoughtful alignment with patient interests and needs are at the heart of building a strong therapeutic alliance and potentiate the effectiveness of group therapy. This article also discusses the conceptual underpinnings of group therapies and the ways in which group therapeutic factors gain expression with these clinical populations. This article also focuses on breast cancer, in light of its clinical prominence and the development of group therapies for individuals with the disease. These therapies address clinical concerns for women along the continuum of the disease, including familial and genetic predisposition, primary breast cancer, adaptation to illness and its treatment, metastatic disease, and dealing with mortal illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing attention is appropriately afforded to the importance of practicing group psychotherapy in an evidence-based fashion. Pressures with regard to accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness make this an imperative in contemporary psychotherapy. This article illustrates and operationalizes factors that contribute to enhanced group psychotherapist effectiveness; identifies approaches that maximize therapeutic opportunities within the client-therapist relationship in the here and now of the group therapy setting; and illustrates the principles of therapeutic metacommunication within the therapeutic relationship and explores therapist use of self and judicious therapist transparency. An evidence-informed approach guides these articulations and the article illustrates these principles with a clinical vignette and discussion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author focuses on the attachment paradigms, their association with group psychotherapy, and how they can be used by group therapists in understanding the interface between attachment and group therapy.

This article examines an innovative psychoeducational group model at a community-based hepatitis C treatment program in Toronto, Canada. Group support is increasingly used as part of community-based, interdisciplinary approaches to addressing the complex psychosocial needs and barriers to care of individuals living with and/or undergoing treatment for hepatitis C. This article articulates the theoretical framework and details of one such group model. It also examines group engagement and outcomes using data collected over three group cycles. Psychotherapeutic engagement was higher than might be anticipated for a highly marginalized population. Specifically, group cohesion measures were equivalent or higher compared to norms for other support/psychotherapy groups. This study suggests that individuals with complex psychosocial issues have the ability to engage meaningfully in group therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A review is presented of the article titled “Psychic Nodules and Therapeutic Impasses: Three Case Studies” by Richard Billow, which is published in this issue of the journal “International Journal of Group Psychotherapy.”

Practice guidelines represent a useful approach to facilitate the delivery of evidence-based mental health care. In this article, we detail group psychotherapy practice guidelines developed by the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). Combining the research literature with expert consensus, the AGPA has created a resource that should prove useful for psychotherapists, administrators, and patients. We illustrate the guidelines through a series of clinical dilemmas and challenges. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 64: 1–23, 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the contents of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy produced by the Science to Service Task Force of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). The guidelines serve as a resource to support practitioners and to consumers, for them to be informed about the practice of group psychotherapy. Group therapy is said to be effective when issues are framed in interactional and interpersonal terms. In combined therapy, the same therapist conducts the individual and group therapy to the same set of individuals.

Alcohol-dependent patients (N = 15) with comorbid non-psychotic psychiatric disorders were treated with Modified Interpersonal Group Therapy (MIGT) for eight weeks, 16 sessions, in a pilot intervention trial. Analysis of the group participants demonstrated that they achieved statistically significant improvements at post-treatment in four of five self-report outcome measures: number of drinking days, number of heavy drinking days, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Furthermore, the improvements in heavy drinking days and the Brief Symptom Inventory were maintained at two and eight months post-treatment. This study yields preliminary evidence in support of MIGT as a useful treatment approach for an alcohol-dependent population with psychiatric comorbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group interventions have assumed a growing role in primary prevention and supportive care for cancer and HIV disease. Earlier sections of this Special Report examined empirical findings for these interventions and provided recommendations for future research. The current section offers brief recommendations for service providers, policymakers, and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with issues on the abuse of power during group therapy. Development of psychological damage; Description of a destructive training group experience; Role of narcissism in the abuse of power during group therapy.

There has been great interest in the potential impact of group interventions on medical outcomes. This article reviews the effects of professionally-led groups on immune activity, neuroendocrine function, and survival among patients with cancer or HIV disease. We examine findings concerning different types of group services at different phases of illness. Results are mixed, but the most prominent changes in immune and endocrine activity were associated with structured group interventions for patients with early-stage disease. These findings offer provocative illustrations of relevant mind-body interactions, but their clinical importance has yet to be demonstrated empirically. Group interventions have not been tied consistently to improved survival rates for patients with advanced cancer; few studies as yet have focused on survival outcomes among patients with early-stage cancer or HIV disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group interventions for individuals facing cancer or HIV disease have drawn considerable attention among researchers and clinicians over the past 20 years. There is growing evidence that group services may be helpful, but which interventions are most effective for participants at which phases in the trajectory of disease has been less clear. Moreover, professionals working in different intervention settings (e.g., primary prevention vs. clinical care) and different disease sites (cancer vs. HIV disease) often have little awareness of relevant advances in other fields. Efforts to integrate findings in the literature may accelerate research and advance the standard of clinical care. The current article, the first in a series of four special reports, critically evaluates the efficacy of group interventions led by professional or trained facilitators for individuals confronted by cancer or HIV, across the spectrum of illness from elevated risk through advanced disease. We examine psychosocial and functional outcomes for different interventions directed toward different patient subgroups, trace common themes, highlight limitations, and offer recommendations for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the author's comment concerning the two research papers related to group therapy for depression. One paper focuses on the novel group psychotherapy intervention, and the first controlled trial group psychotherapy combined with medication in the treatment of dysthymic patients. According to the author, the study showed accuracy and sufficient evidences that supported the study.

Background: Supportive–expressive group therapy has been reported to prolong survival among women with metastatic breast cancer. However, in recent studies, various psychosocial interventions have not prolonged survival. Methods: In a multicenter trial, we randomly assigned 235 women with metastatic breast cancer who were expected to survive at least three months in a 2:1 ratio to an intervention group that participated in weekly supportive–expressive group therapy (158 women) or to a control group that received no such intervention (77 women). All the women received educational materials and any medical or psychosocial care that was deemed necessary. The primary outcome was survival; psychosocial function was assessed by self-reported questionnaires. Results: Women assigned to supportive–expressive therapy had greater improvement in psychological symptoms and reported less pain (P=0.04) than women in the control group. A significant interaction of treatment-group assignment with base-line psychological score was found (P≤0.003 for the comparison of mood variables; P=0.04 for the comparison of pain); women who were more distressed benefited, whereas those who were less distressed did not. The psychological intervention did not prolong survival (median survival, 17.9 months in the intervention group and 17.6 months in the control group; hazard ratio for death according to the univariate analysis, 1.06 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.78 to 1.45]; hazard ratio according to the multivariate analysis, 1.23 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.88 to 1.72]). Conclusions: Supportive–expressive group therapy does not prolong survival in women with metastatic breast cancer. It improves mood and the perception of pain, particularly in women who are initially more distressed. (N Engl J Med 2001;345:1719-26.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]