A Systems Approach to Priority Setting of Interventions in Groups |
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| Authors: | Otto F. Kernberg |
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| Affiliation: | 1. General Clinical Service, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, N.Y.;2. College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, N.Y. |
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| Abstract: | The author provides an overview of self-help groups in terms of their origins, growth, scope, and effectiveness, and then compares these groups with professionally conducted psychotherapy groups. A framework for evaluating group helping systems is proposed which includes five principal dimensions: the helping group as a social microcosm; technological complexity/simplicity; psychological distance/closeness between helper and helpee; specificity/generality of help methods; and differentiation versus nondifferentiation among participants. The author concludes his article by recommending four strategies for how group therapists can contribute to self-help groups. |
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