Comparing online group therapy based on emotional schema therapy with transdiagnostic therapy in improving distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation among university students with adjustment disorders due to romantic break-ups

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of online group therapy based on emotional schema therapy with that of transdiagnostic therapy in improving distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation among university students with adjustment disorders due to romantic break-ups. The statistical population included all students who experienced a romantic break-up in Iran in 2020, aged 18–38 years. Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, participants were selected online. After filling in initial forms, diagnostic interviews were conducted through purposive sampling. A group was then randomly selected and divided into three groups: the first experimental group (transdiagnostic group therapy) included 15 participants; the second experimental group (emotional schema therapy) consisted of 15 participants; and the third group was the control group with 15 participants. The experimental groups received ten 90-min group therapy sessions. Participants completed the Distress Tolerance Questionnaire and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire at pretest, post-test and 1-month follow-up stages. According to the results of repeated measures ANOVA, there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups (p < 0.05) in the post-test scores of distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation strategies. However, there were no significant differences between the two experimental groups. The results indicated that both internet-based transdiagnostic group therapy and emotional schema therapy were effective interventions in mitigating symptoms of adjustment disorders due to romantic break-ups among university students. This highlights the potential of online group therapy as a viable option for students experiencing such disorders, particularly during pandemic-related restrictions.     

Living and dying with aids: Report of a three-year psychotherapy group

Group therapy is used to help patients deal with the painful emotional responses to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This paper describes an ongoing group for persons with AIDS conducted for three years by the authors. Educative, supportive, and intensive psychodynamic models were combined in the group. Population characteristics, psychological issues, problems, and advantages of this group are discussed. This multi-modal approach has been found to be a useful and effective approach to the emotional problems of AIDS.     

Trauma, Regression, and the Intensive Group Experience

Ferenczi contributed a theory of trauma and regression that has application in the contemporary practice of group therapy. This article seeks to present an extension of these seminal ideas in the form of interventions based on therapist induced regression. The Intensive Group Experience (I.G.E.), a time extended group format found to be necessary for extensive emotional reliving and working through of trauma is described. A clinical case example is then discussed in detail and concludes this report.     

Telling perfectionists about their perfectionism: Effects of providing feedback on emotional reactivity and psychological symptoms

A randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of receiving feedback in a sample of maladaptive perfectionists. A total of 60 young adults were randomly assigned to a feedback intervention or control group. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was utilized to analyze the effects of perfectionism over time, as well as the effects of treatment condition on the relationship between perfectionism and outcomes. Measures of interest included emotional reactivity, self-esteem, and psychological distress. Findings revealed that providing feedback to maladaptive perfectionists reduced self-reported global symptomatic distress as well as emotional reactivity. The results are discussed in light of treatment implications, especially with regard to the manner in which perfectionists respond to therapeutic interventions. Overall, study findings suggest that a brief, low-cost feedback intervention is effective at decreasing psychological distress in maladaptive perfectionists and may serve as a beneficial precursor to individual therapy or counseling.     

Emotional Processing Therapy for post traumatic stress disorder

While prolonged exposure is considered one of the “gold standard” and recommended treatments for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it has been poorly utilised in clinical practice. Individuals with PTSD often find it too distressing to confront memories, and therapists may be uncomfortable using the therapy. A new Emotional Processing Therapy is described in which an emotional approach to prolonged exposure provides individuals with a new insight into how trauma is processed. A conceptual analysis of exposure suggests that it is exposure to distressing emotional experiences which is a key element. Viewing it as an emotion-based therapy, allows the creative addition of new emotional elements. Through exploring the individual’s emotional processing style, previously learned and unhelpful patterns can be addressed, and the addition of an “emotional preparation” phase helps them understand why it is important to face emotionally distressing memories before exposure sessions begin. Emotional Processing Therapy is intuitive and makes sense to those affected by PTSD. It is framed in an emotional context and is presented as part of a lifestyle change that may reduce the likelihood of psychological problems developing in the future.     

Emotional support and counselling for people with visual impairment: Quantitative findings from a mixed methods pilot study

Aims: This paper reports on mainly quantitative findings from a mixed methods evaluation of a new model of emotional support and counselling for people with moderate visual impairment. Method: The CORE Outcome Measure was completed with service users at baseline and post‐intervention to assess the impact of the new service on psychological wellbeing and social functioning. Their perceived needs and expectations of the service were also explored. Results: Of the 35 individuals providing data at each assessment time, mean item scores on the CORE fell significantly (p<.001), taking the sample from within a clinical population before therapy, to a mean score below this following therapy. A more positive outlook accompanied this improvement in functioning. Discussion: Findings from the study augment the growing evidence that emotional support and counselling services can play an important role alongside and within related vision services. Implications for practice: The study indicates that therapeutic input for the visually impaired client group may need to target both wellbeing (feelings about oneself and the future) and problems (depression, anxiety, physical health, and trauma). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a dual model of emotional support and counselling offers considerable benefit for people with visual impairment.     

Therapeutic factors in two forms of inpatient group psychotherapy: Music therapy and verbal therapy

Therapeutic processes in one type of creative arts group psychotherapy, music therapy, were compared with verbal group psychotherapy. Sixty-one short-term inpatients ranked group psychotherapy curative factors and completed satisfaction ratings. Therapists rated 201 group therapy sessions— 109 music therapy and 92 verbal therapy. Statistical analysis revealed that patients highly valued both group formats. The mean curative factor rankings for both groups included cohesiveness, instillation of hope, and altruism among the most helpful factors. Therapists' ratings indicated qualitative differences between the two groups. Music therapy involved more therapeutic interaction among patients and emotional expression, whereas verbal therapy emphasized concrete problem solving.Supported in part by Biomedical Research Support Grant Program grant #S07-RR05755 from the Division of Research Resources, National Institutes of Health.     

Psychopolitics

Neophyte group therapy trainees often encounter significant difficulties in their initial experiences as group therapists. In this article, we report and discuss the results of a semistructured interview conducted with each of 16 neophyte group therapy trainees in an academic training program. The interview focused on the trainees' subjective experiences related to their initial training and group therapy clinical practice, with particular emphasis on their satisfaction with their training and the role and impact of supervision. All trainees reported strong emotional reactions to their group experience and numerous technical concerns. However, trainees reported a broad range of degrees of satisfaction with their training. Overall satisfaction with training strongly paralleled satisfaction with supervision and the supervisory relationship. Recommendations for improving the group therapy training experience that emerge from the evaluation of the trainees' subjective experiences are suggested.     

An Evaluation of the Effects of Diagnostic Composition on Individual Treatment Outcome Within Transdiagnostic Cognitive–Behavioral Group Therapy for Anxiety

Recently, studies have supported the efficacy of treating anxiety disorders utilizing a transdiagnostic, or non-diagnosis-specific, framework (Erickson, D. H. (2003). Group cognitive behavioural therapy for heterogeneous anxiety disorders. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 32, 179–186; Garcia, M. S. (2004). Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural group therapy in patients with anxiety disorders. Psychology in Spain, 8, 89–97; Norton, P. J., & Hope, D. A. (2005). Preliminary evaluation of a broad-spectrum cognitive-behavioral group therapy for anxiety. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 36, 79–97). Transdiagnostic group treatment packages focus on the common aspects inherent across the anxiety disorders such as behavioral and cognitive avoidance, and faulty cognitive appraisals of threat potential or meaning (Barlow, D. H., Allen, L. B., & Choate, M. L. (2004). Toward a unified treatment for emotional disorders. Behavior Therapy, 35, 205–230). Although research supports the overall efficacy of transdiagnostic cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders (Norton, P. J., & Philipp, L. M. (2008). Transdiagnostic approaches to the treatment of anxiety disorders: A quantitative review. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice and Training, 45, 214–226), the effect of diagnostically mixed group composition on individual outcomes is less clear. This study investigated the relationship between group composition and treatment outcome within diagnostically heterogeneous groups with the purpose of determining if diagnostic heterogeneity differentially impacted treatment outcome for 84 individuals during a 12-week transdiagnostic cognitive–behavioral group anxiety treatment program (Norton, P. J. (2012a). Group cognitive-behavioral therapy of anxiety: A transdiagnostic treatment manual. New York: Guilford). The diagnostic makeup of the treatment group was examined at the beginning of treatment and at the end of treatment, and the results indicated that the diagnostic makeup of the treatment group had no significant impact on individual treatment outcome. These findings have direct implications for the delivery of transdiagnostic treatments, and are discussed in terms of their global implications for the transdiagnostic approach to the treatment of anxiety disorders.     

Video self-portraits: a novel approach to group psychotherapy with young adults

A group therapy model was formulated for exploring the intersubjective processes of adolescents and young adults whose group bonds had been fragmented by their severe emotional illnesses. The model involved having adolescents and young adults who were psychiatric inpatients make video self-portraits; that is, videotapes which focused on various aspects of their emotional pathology. These tapes were then presented before a larger group of nine patients for discussion. The video team method is shown to aid in self-disclosure and facilitate the working through of severe emotional conflicts in this age group. It is an especially useful method with more severely disturbed patients for whom narcissistic self pathology is a prominent feature.     

Effectiveness of therapy group in women with localized breast cancer

Background/ObjectiveBreast cancer causes high levels of anxiety and depression, deteriorating quality of life of patients. Several studies have found that group therapy reduces depression and anxiety also improves the quality of life. The aim of this study is to analyze group therapy effectiveness in emotional state and quality of life in women with breast cancer after finalized medical treatments.MethodParticipants in this study were 100 adult women diagnosed of breast cancer non-mestastasic and were divided into two types of intervention groups (Self-esteem-Social Skills and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). Evaluation instruments were questionnaire Functional Assessment of Breast-cancer Therapy (FACT-B) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).ResultsA statistically significant effect of group therapy in reducing anxiety and depression were observed. Quality of life and emotional well-being significantly improved. These effects remain three months after intervention.ConclusionsThe results show that the psychological intervention group is efficient to improve emotional state and quality of life of women with breast cancer.     

The Pursuit of Perfection: Vice or Virtue in Judaism?

This article explores the issue of perfectionism, which the author asserts is the underlying dynamic in the emotional disorders of many religious patients. Judaism's attitude toward perfectionism, the use of religion as a defense by perfectionistic patients and the degree to which religious issues should be the focus of therapy are discussed. The role of a peer supervision group in counteracting the perfectionistic tendencies of some therapists is also addressed. These issues are illustrated with three clinical vignettes.     

Strengthening socio‐emotional competencies in a school setting: Data from the Pyramid project

Background. Development of socio‐emotional competencies is key to children's successful social interaction at home and at school. Aims. This study examines the efficacy of a UK primary school‐based intervention, the Pyramid project, in strengthening children's socio‐emotional competencies. Sample. Participants were 385 children from seven schools in two UK cities. All children were aged 7–8 years and in school Year 3. Children were screened for socio‐emotional difficulties through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997 ) and a multi‐agency meeting of relevant professionals before being allocated to attend a Pyramid Club intervention (n= 103) or a comparison group (n= 282). Method. A 2 × 2 mixed‐model design was used: group (intervention group vs. comparison group) × 2 time points (pre‐ vs. 12 weeks post‐intervention) with repeated measures on the time factor to investigate the impact of the Pyramid Year 3 intervention. Teachers completed the SDQ‐T4‐16 for all children pre‐ and post‐intervention to measure participants’ socio‐emotional health status. Results. As measured by the two SDQ difficulty sub‐scales of Emotional and Peer problems and the SDQ strength sub‐scale of Prosocial behaviour, post‐intervention improvements in the Pyramid attendee group were of greater magnitude than those of the comparison group. Conclusions. The Pyramid project intervention improves the socio‐emotional health of vulnerable children through promoting positive outcomes as well as reducing socio‐emotional deficits. These findings further support the inclusion of a salutogenic approach in promoting children's socio‐emotional well‐being.     

The initiation and development of a group for relatives of patients with chronic emotional disorders

This paper describes the initiation and development of an educational discussion group for relatives of patients with chronic emotional problems and the process by which it became transformed into a group combining a self-help, modified therapy model with a primary focus on the members' interaction with their patientrelatives. The group offered the opportunity to ventilate pent up emotions in a supportive, reality-oriented context and provided information and education about the nature of emotional disorders. Generally this helped family members to effect positive changes in their interactions with their patient-relatives; to accept with greater understanding their relatives' illness; and to better evaluate the quality of treatment their relatives were receiving. The group chose this model over an educational model or traditional psychotherapy model or multifamily model, all of which were phases of this process. The positive results are supported by recent reports in the literature of similar groups.Formerly on the staff of The New Britain General Hospital Mental Health Clinic.     

A Psychoanalytic View of Racial Myths in a Nazi Propaganda Film: Der Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew)

This paper describes the emotional appeal of propaganda utilizing concepts from psychoanalysis, small group psychology, and psychohistory. The film propagandist attempts to exploit irrational emotional responses to visual scenes and commentary to change attitudes, values, and behavior in a mass setting. A link between shared unconscious fantasies and myth is offered as an explanatory concept to explain propaganda's wide emotional appeal. The German Nazi anti-Semitic film, Der Ewige Jude, serves as the case example of the exploitation of such fantasies in a mass setting for a political end.     

Manipulation of Verbal Behavior of Chronic Hospitalized Schizophrenics in a Group Therapy Situation

This paper describes a semistructured, time-limited model of group treatment for latency age children. The members, all of whom came from reconstituted families, had a variety of reactive, somatoform, and characterological problems. With help from the therapists, each member constructed his or her own genogram which was then discussed by the group as a whole. Because this format incorporated a technique for mapping family structure into a traditional model of children's group therapy, it focused the group's manifest communication on changing family roles and relationships, both as they had occurred in reality and as they were symbolically reenacted within the group process. Feelings of shame, guilt, anger, and loss were markedly ameliorated as the group members studied the structure of their extended families within an environment which encouraged normative peer interaction and progressive emotional development. A brief review of the recent literature on time-limited, theme centered groups for children is included to provide a context for understanding the group.     

McCandless's Response to “Soul Healing: A Model of Feminist Therapy”

The term soul healing captures the reader's imagination by intimating that therapy may do more than just focus on the healing of emotional pain. The author of “Soul Healing: A Model of Feminist Therapy,” Patricia M. Berliner, a psychologist, therapist, and sister of St. Joseph (Brentwood, New York) is to be applauded for recognizing the need for a model of therapy that consciously intends to address the concerns of women “who value the spiritual dimension in their lives” (p. 2).     

Group Psychotherapy in France

This article discusses group therapy as part of a multidisciplinary approach to the management of the various psychological and physical rehabilitation concerns posed by kidney and liver transplant candidates and recipients at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. The group's history, format, intervention foci, and roles of clinicians and patients attending the group are described and evaluated. Given the relative paucity of research literature in this area, the authors offer recommendations for empirical evaluation of the benefits of multidisciplinary group psychotherapy in ameliorating physical and emotional suffering and prolonging life among transplant patients.     

T-Group Theory and Laboratory Method: Innovation in Re-Education Edited by Leland P. Bradford,Jack R. Gibb,and Kenneth D. Benne

The authors conducted a quantitative examination of parallels between milieu and therapy group dynamics on a short-term inpatient unit. The Ward Atmosphere Scale was used to assess the milieu, and the Group Climate Questionnaire-S to measure processes in key groups. Assessments were made by patients and staff once each week for 10 months. The authors found clear parallels between ward and therapy group processes. The parallels reflected the impact of patterns utilization of the unit, its treatment philosophy, and the emotional dynamics of its constituents. Examination of these associations also revealed limitations of the treatment setting, clarified the potential impact of particular staff interventions, and demonstrated biases in the rating methods. Study of parallel process on the psychiatric unit is a rich source of information on the nature of inpatient treatment.     

Dysphoria and the prediction and experience of emotion

Depression and dysphoria have been characterised by dampened positive emotional experiences. However, it remains unclear whether dysphoria is also characterised by dampened expectancies about positive emotional experiences. In the present study, participants with (dysphoric group; n=36) and without (non-dysphoric group; n=36) dysphoria reported on their expected and actual emotional responses to winning and losing money in a computer task. Results showed the dysphoric group predicted and experienced less happiness and contentment after winning money than the non-dysphoric group. Results also showed the dysphoric group predicted and experienced as much negative emotion after losing money as the non-dysphoric group. Moreover, the dysphoric group predicted they would experience more happiness after winning money than they actually did, whereas the non-dysphoric group experienced as much happiness as they had predicted. Results suggest that disturbances in positive emotional responding are characteristic of people experiencing dysphoria.