Group Therapy ch. 16

Define Group Therapy

is practiced in a wide variety of forms, including adaptations of many well-known individual therapy approaches (psychodynamic, humanistic-existential,behavioral, cognitive) -most of these group therapies strongly emphasize interpersonal interaction. -most forms of group therapy take advantage of the fact thet the group experience itself is based on interacting with other people *** Group Therapists often highlight the way group members feel, communicate, and form relationships with one another.

What are some of the practical issues?

-Group membership open or closed enrollment

Stages of group membership : Tuckman

Forming Storming Norming Performing

Describe Interpersonal Learning

A therapeutic factor in group therapy; learning from the in-group interpersonal experience -Group therapy provides an opportunity for "relationship practice". -members of a therapy group use group meetings as a place to identify problematic realtionship tendencies and attempt to revise them.

Describe Universality?

A therapeutic factor in group therapy; the experience that ones problems are not unique but are common to others -Universality is built into homogenous groups ( eating disorders, panic disorders groups...etc.) -In heterogenous groups, universality may not be quite as obvious from the outset.

What are the challenges and benefits of group therapy?

Challenge: therapists cannot for example treat depression per se, it is necessary to first to transulate the depression into interpersonal terms and then to treat the underlying interpersonal pathology.

Who created group therapy?

Irvin Yalom in the 1980's till present -he emphasized interpersonal interaction

Describe Group Cohesion?

Refers to feelings of interconnectedness among group members. This interconnectedness is characterized by feelings of warmthm trust, acceptance, belongingness, and value among group members. -as people become meaningful to one another, they often elicit strong feelings, and they encourage discussion of those feelings even when doing so is unpleasant or awkward. -plays the same role of the therapeutic relationship/alliance

How best to prepare clients for therapy?

To correct their misconceptions and maximize therapeutic benefits -some clients may believe that group therapy is second rate in comparison to individual therapy, that they will immideatily be forced to disclose intimate personal details to strangers. in pregroup meetings therapists can assure cleints about the notions that are false and then provide realitic enouraging data on how well their therapy works.

What are all of the therapeutic factors?

Universality Group cohesion Interpersonal learning

Closed enrollment groups

all members start and finish therapy together with no new members added during the process. Strength: cohessiveness can be easier to establish and maintain than in an open-enrollment group because of the stability of the group

Open enrollment groups

allow individual members to enter or leave the group at any time. Strength: is that at any given point in time, the group includes memebers of various stages of improvement.

Socializing between clients - how can this cause problems?

developing more loyal friendhsips making others in the group feel left out -they may be reluctant to comment frankly on each others behavior -they become spectators rather than participants -

What are the pros and cons of having co therapists vs. not having them?

problems can arise when the therapsits don't trust each other, compete with each otherm or "step on each others toes" advantage: -the mere presence of a second set of eyes and ears to notice -the cotherapists ability to model collabroative relationships for group members -recapulation of the family group: a group can evoke the same dynamics as a traditional family (this can shed light onto their interpersonal tendencies)

Social Microcosm

the realtionship tendencies that characterize cleints relatinships with important people in their personal lives will predictiably characterize the realtionships they form with their fellow group members/

Confidentiality-why is this an issue?

this is concerning that clients may reveal to others outside of the group information about another group member/client that may be hurtful/harmful to their life