Screening for Psychotherapy by an Open-Ended Group

A developmental model of conducting a time-limited, short-term inpatient psychotherapy group is described. The therapist's primary goal in this model is to promote members' awareness of their dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors and the conflicts underlying these behaviors. The therapist pursues this goal by facilitating the group in resolving the conflicts of the four phases through which the group passes. In Phase I, the group addresses conflicts related to the establishment of trust. In Phase II, issues related to dependency wishes focused upon authority figures occupy the group's attention. In Phase III, conflicts within peer relation-ships become focal. In Phase IV as the group approaches termination, group members explore feelings related to the acceptance of loss. For each phase, optimal therapist interventions are described.