Outpatient groups for chronic psychiatric patients

Long-term support groups have been utilized at the University of Alberta Hospitals since 1977 in order to meet the needs of chronic psychiatric patients who are unwilling or unable to commit to insight-oriented therapy. These groups meet once weekly for one hour and are intended to be drop-in groups, which patients can use regularly or only while in crisis. It is hypothesized that the institution or style of therapy practiced at an institution, rather than the specific therapists, provides a source of stability and support to these patients. Our experience suggests these groups are beneficial and cost-efficient, but research is necesssary to evaluate them to determine components of therapeutic effectiveness.Linda McAuley, M.A., was a staff therapist at the Psychiatric Walk-in Clinic and is currently in private practice.An earlier version of this paper was presented at a meeting of the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association in Banff, Alberta, October, 1987.