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.     

AIDS Group Psychotherapy

Abstract

Clinical data are presented from a day spent at a New Jersey high school severely impacted by the World Trade Center disaster. Dissociation, a sense of numbness, anger, and guilt about feelings induced by the tragedy are all common dynamics in adolescents responding to trauma. The developmental issues that adolescents are confronting are described and discussed in terms of the challenges they present to the healing process. An argument is made that using groups to aid in the long recovery process with our young people should be a top public health priority.     

Group Psychotherapy in General Hospitals

This article is an Editor's Introduction to this Special Issue of the Journal on the integration of research and practice in the field of group psychotherapy. The emphasis in this issue is on the clinical application of research instruments to evaluate and to facilitate group experiences. Illustrations are drawn from each of the following six articles to highlight the practical utility of research measures. Moreover, recommendations are offered for how clinicians can incorporate these instruments into their group treatments to structure the therapeutic process.     

Using Drawings to Elicit Nonverbal Constructs in Experiential Personal Construct Psychotherapy

Clients who have experienced psychological wounds prior to the use of language frequently struggle to articulate and make sense of their core constructs around self and others. These early wounds can have a significant influence on future relational interactions, even though they may be experienced at a nonverbal level. While eliciting these preverbal constructs may be essential to the healing process, without verbal representation the therapeutic task can be difficult. In this article, we will discuss the use of symbolism within personal construct psychology as well as the use of drawings as representations of nonverbal constructs. We will then discuss experiential personal construct psychotherapy and its focus on the ways we both connect and disconnect from others. Finally, we will present Kristen, a therapy client who experienced early relational wounds and increasingly dissociated in response to relational stress as she matured. Kristen's work in therapy around her fragmented sense of self included drawing her internal self-parts. Only then was she able to wrap words around that which she previously experienced nonverbally. In this case study, Kristen's drawings and her core constructs as elicited during four years of therapy will be presented and discussed.     

Recurrent Phenomena in Group Psychotherapy

The Clown Club is a short term therapeutic group that makes use of structured fantasy and creative drama as the vehicle for the expression and resolution of conflict. In this group, children are invited to create a pretend identity, a clown character which can become a metaphorical expression of themselves. Each child creates a life story, and the group as a whole constructs a tale of how they came together and how they get along interpersonally. This story encompasses all group stages, from its beginning, through the central task of planning and performing a circus show, to its termination.

In this paper we describe the background that led to the development of the Clown Club. Details of how the group is designed and carried out are presented, along with clinical examples and an appraisal of the model at this stage.