A Preliminary Report on Short-Term Group Psychotherapy on An Acute Adolescent Male Service

This article alerts us to consider depression as a relatively frequent cause of impasse in the course of group psychotherapy. The authors recommend the combined use of antidepressant medication along with group psychotherapy when such depression is confirmed independently outside the group. Common obstacles and pitfalls preventing successful combined treatment are reviewed; the depressive logjam is differentiated from common resistance; and profiles of responders versus nonresponders are described. A rationale of the combined treatment, its results, and implications for group therapists are all delineated.     

Fleshing Out the Omnipotent Child in Group Psychotherapy

This article gives clinical examples of the fleshing out and working through of the omnipotent child (OC), as manifested in an open-ended twice-weekly group over a span of five years. Emphasis is placed on the role of the leader during the course of the group work. The fantasy of the therapist's lap is explored in detail as the core for the development of the analytic culture which exposes the OC along with its attendant resistances and narcissistic investments. This article highlights the necessity to explore the OC in all the developmental phases the members go though leading to maturation.     

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.     

Child and Caregiver Dropout in Child Psychotherapy for Trauma

This study focused on the identification of variables collected at baseline assessments that predict children and caregivers who are at risk for dropout from treatment. A sample of 115 children and their caregivers who received evidence-based treatment for traumatic stress was utilized for this study. Multinomial logistic regression analyses indicated that caregiver and child age, the child's externalizing behaviors, and the child and caregiver's acknowledgment of posttraumatic stress symptoms significantly predicted premature dropout from treatment. Clarification of child and caregiver characteristics that increase the risk of dropout allows for the identification of families in need of additional support to stay in treatment.     

Child Group Psychotherapy in the School at the Threshold of a New Millennium

This article reviews existing studies in child group interventions, including educational, counseling, and psychotherapy groups. It highlights both outcome and process research, regarding the different types of groups, and offers implications for practitioners as well as for future research.     

Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Research: Developmental Issues

Describes developmental issues that pose current challenges to the design of treatment outcome investigation with children and adolescents. Normal childhood development and the development of childhood disorders are discussed using the transactional model of development. Challenges in diagnostic decision making, the selection of the most appropriate treatment regimen, and the measurement methods are highlighted. Recognition of the need to study child treatments through long-term follow-up periods underscores the need for resolution of these developmental issues.     

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.     

Mother and Child Perceptions of Child Functioning: Relationship to Maternal Distress

The relationship between maternal distress and mother's reports of psychosocial problems in their children has been well-documented. However, relatively little research has investigated the relationship between maternal and family distress and young children's perception of their own functioning. Using a brief questionnaire designed for use with children, data were collected from 166 mothers and their children aged 5-12 years. Children provided information about their own daily functioning, and mothers provided information about their own, their child's, and their family's psychosocial functioning. Findings indicated that while children generally agreed with the reports of their mothers, children of distressed mothers self-reported better daily functioning than their mothers did. Distressed mothers tended globally to report negatively about themselves, their child, and their family. The present findings suggest that when assessing mothers or children, the reports of children should be considered as well as the reports of mothers.     

The Role of Play in Contemporary Child Psychotherapy: A Developmental Perspective

ABSTRACT

This article reviews evidence for the importance of play in children’s social and emotional development. Play is an essential pathway toward social maturity in young children. Children experience interactive play with admired adults as a form of affirming responsiveness, a basic nutrient of emotional health that all children want and need. Children learn through interactive play how to make accommodations and cooperate with others, how to cope with frustration and disappointment, and to develop self-restraint. Improved problem solving, creativity, and cognitive flexibility are also intrinsic to children’s play. All of these aspects of emotional maturity come together, synergistically, when we play with children. They are not learned, however, in front of a screen. The many benefits of play to children’s social maturity leads to a first clinical implication: As child therapists, we should help parents understand the importance of play and regularly encourage both mothers and fathers to play, frequently and enthusiastically, with their children.     

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.