Dynamics and Techniques of Group Psychotherapy in Private Practice

In rearing a mentally retarded child, parents are confronted with a number of taxing stresses and problems. As a result, many in this parent population need and could benefit from a social support network. Unfortunately, such networks often do not exist or parents make no effort to join them. One seemingly useful means of providing a facilitative social system for parents of retardates is via the support group. In this article, two support groups—each developed to assist parents in adjusting to their retarded children—are described. Also, the process stages of these groups are discussed.     

Group Psychotherapy: A Behavioral Approach

Abstract

This clinical report highlights some of the processes arising in a therapy group of persons with persistent and chronic psychiatric illnesses as they cope with the stress of their long–standing therapist’s impending retirement. Members were initially disbelieving that the therapist would leave and were also concerned about their future care, particularly in terms of medications. Gradually they were more able to experience their feelings of loss and their genuine caring for the therapist and the group, using higher level defenses and increasing their ability to tolerate strong affects. They became increasingly able to demonstrate empathy, notably in their ability to consider the therapist’s emotions. The clinical material also illustrates the therapist’s personal involvement, countertransferences and expressions of concern.     

Discussant's Comments Symposium: Applications of Androgyny to the Theory and Practice of Psychotherapy

As the preceding papers indicate, social change is creating pressure upon women and men to become increasingly androgynous. Thus, it is necessary to clarify the parameters of psychologically healthy androgynous functioning. Androgyny is currently defined in terms of the relative balance between masculine and feminine characteristics; it is suggested that both the relative degree of masculinity and feminity, and the particular configuration of characteristics need to be taken into account in specifying the convergence between androgyny and psychological health. Finally, the assumption that masculinity and femininity are orthogonal dimensions is questioned for some characteristics.     

The Effect of Group Psychotherapy in Reducing Resistance to Individual Psychotherapy: A Case Study

Abstract

Cohesion in group treatment of spouse abusers plays an important and often overlooked role. Involuntary abuser groups can benefit from cohesion, but due to their unique structure, cohesion may develop differently than in voluntary psychotherapy groups. Initially, abuser groups may develop premature levels of cohesion that can make group members unwilling to express conflict, develop intimacy, and take responsibility for their actions. Understanding the abuser personality and the unique characteristics of involuntary abuser groups can shed light on why cohesion develops the way it does and the importance it plays in abuser groups. Developing effective interventions that target premature cohesion can help the group members express conflict, develop intimacy, and take responsibility for their actions, thus bringing about therapeutic levels of cohesion.     

Parent-Child Psychotherapy: A Follow-Up Study Comparing Two Techniques

The “lost letter technique” was validated against actual election returns in two randomly selected precincts in Greensboro, North Carolina. The technique was not successful in predicting the outcome of the presidential race. It was found that letters addressed to The Health Research Center were significantly more likely to be returned than letters addressed to presidential candidates. This indicated that the failure to predict was due either to voter apathy in this particular election or to an active dislike of both candidates.     

Analytic Group Psychotherapy: A Uniquely Effective Crisis Intervention

This paper describes the author's experience doing crisis intervention with survivors of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. It focuses on enhancing the understanding of and potentially expanding the theory and technique of analytic group therapy as applied to this unique situation.Private practice in     

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.     

A Follow-up Study of Group Psychotherapy Patients

The usefulness and efficacy of group psychotherapy with a variety of adolescent problems has been well documented. Far less has been reported with respect to group treatment approaches for youthful depressives, however. Currently available treatments lack specificity, making replication difficult. Additionally, they often focus on a narrow range of deficit areas rather than addressing the multifaceted range of dysfunction characteristic of depression in adolescents. This paper critically reviews the available literature on group treatments with depressed adolescents, explores some of the shortcomings inherent in these reports, and suggests alternatives for future group protocols. It is proposed that subsequent interventions be manualized and that they target affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of adolescent depression. Such an approach would be more amenable to scientific investigation, replication, and comparison with alternative approaches.     

The Group Psychotherapy Literature: 1976

This paper reviews and critiques the literature on countertransference (CT) in group psychotherapy. The literature review is organized within a framework that calls attention to the origins, triggers, manifestations, and effects of CT in groups, as well as CT management factors. An overriding critique is that the present literature lacks a research foundation of any kind. An argument is made for beginning research in this domain, and guidelines for doing so are presented.     

Practicum of Group Psychotherapy

Abstract

Many studies on therapeutic factors in group psychotherapy were done during the 1970s and 1980s, primarily with Western samples. The present study was carried out in a psychiatric inpatient clinic in Turkey. Using Yalom’s (1975) therapeutic factor questionnaire administered at discharge, patients rated existential factor, instillation of hope and self–understanding as the most helpful factors and identification as the least helpful. There were significant differences among patients with regard to gender, age, education, and comorbid personality disorder, but not with Axis I diagnosis or number of attended sessions. Patients’ and psychiatrist’s ratings showed significant differences. Differences between this Turkish sample and those reported in common Western literature are discussed under the light of relatedness psychology, which is an important concept of cross–cultural psychology.