Group psychotherapy ?

Group psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small

group of clients together as a group. The term can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format, including Cognitive behavioural therapy or Interpersonal therapy, but it is usually applied to psychodynamic group therapy where the group context and group process is explicitly utilised as a mechanism of change by developing, exploring and examining interpersonal relationships within the group. The broader concept of group therapy can be taken to include any helping process that takes place in a group, including support groups, skills training groups (such as anger management, mindfulness, relaxation training or social skills training), and psycho-education groups. The differences between psychodynamic groups, activity groups, support groups, problem-solving and psycoeducational groups are discussed by Montgomery (2002).[1]. Other, more specialised forms of group therapy would include non-verbal expressive therapies such as dance therapy, music therapy or the TaKeTiNa Rhythm Process.

Hiof group psychotherapy story

The founders of group psychotherapy in the USA were Joseph H. Pratt, Trigant Burrow and Paul Schilder. All three of them were active and working at the East Coast in first half of the 20th century. After World War II group psychotherapy was further developed by Jacob L. Moreno, Samuel Slavson, Hyman Spotnitz, Irvin Yalom,and Lou Ormont. Yalom's approach to group therapy has been very influential not only in the USA but across the world, through his classic text "The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy".[2] Moreno developed a specific and highly structured form of group therapy known as Psychodrama.
In the United Kingdom group psychotherapy initially developed independently, with pioneers S. H. Foulkes and Wilfred Bion using group therapy as an approach to treating combat fatigue in the Second World War.[3] Foulkes and Bion were psychoanalysts and incorporated psychoanalysis into group therapy by recognising that transference can arise not only between group members and the therapist but also among group members. Furthermore the psychoanalytic concept of the unconscious was extended with a recognition of a group unconscious, in which the unconscious processes of group members could be acted out in the form of irrational processes in group sessions. Foulkes developed the model known as Group Analysis and the Institute of Group Analysis, while Bion was influential in the development of group therapy at the Tavistock Clinic. Bion has been criticised, for example by Yalom,[4] for his technical approach which had an exclusive focus on analysis of whole-group processes to the exclusion of any exploration of indvidual group members' issues. Despite this, his recognition of group defences in the "Basic Assumption Group", has been highly influential.[5][6]
Bion's approach is comparable to Social Therapy, first developed in the United States in the late 1970's by Lois Holzman and Fred Newman, which is a group therapy in which practitioners relate to the group, not its individuals, as the fundamental unit of development. The task of the group is to "build the group" rather than focus on problem solving or "fixing" individuals.

[edit] Therapeutic principles
Yalom's therapeutic factors (originally termed curative factors but re-named therapeutic factors in the 5th edition of 'The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy'[7] are derived from extensive self-report research with users of group therapy[8][9]
Universality
The recognition of shared experiences and feelings among group members and that these may be widespread or universal human concerns, serves to remove a group member's sense of isolation, validate their experiences and raise self-esteem
Altruism
The group is a place where members can help each other, and the experience of being able to give something to another person can lift the member's self esteem and help develop more adaptive coping styles and interpersonal skills.
Instillation of hope
In a mixed group which has members at various stages of development or recovery, a member can be inspired and encouraged by another member who has overcome the problems that they are still struggling with.
Imparting information
While this is not strictly speaking a psychotherapeutic process, members often report that it has been very helpful to learn factual information from other members in the group, for example about their treatment or about access to services.
Corrective recapitulation of the primary family experience
Members often unconsciously identify the group therapist and other group members with their own parents and siblings in a process which is a form of transference specific to group psychotherapy. The therapist's interpretations can help group members gain understanding of the impact of childhood experiences on their :personality, and they may learn to avoid unconsciously repeating unhelpful past interactive patterns in present day relationships.
Development of socialising techniques
The group setting provides a safe and supportive environment for members to take risks by extending their repertoire of interpersonal behaviour and improving their social skills
Imitative behaviour
One way in which group members can develop social skills is through a modelling process, observing and imitating the therapist and other group members, for example sharing personal feelings, showing concern and supporting others.
Cohesiveness
It has been suggested [10] that this is the primary therapeutic factor from which all others flow. Humans are herd animals with an instinctive need to belong to groups, and personal development can only take place in an interpersonal context. A cohesive group is one in which all members feel a sense of belonging, acceptance and validation.
Existential factors
Learning that one has to take responsibility for one's own life and the consequences of one's decisions.
Catharsis
Catharsis is the experience of relief from emotional distress through the free and uninhibited expression of emotion. When members tell their story to a supportive audience, they can obtain relief from chronic feelings of shame and guilt.
Interpersonal learning
Group members achieve a greater level of self-awareness through the process of interacting with others in the group, who give feedback on the member's behaviour and impact on others.
Self-understanding
This factor overlaps with interpersonal learning but refers to the achievement of greater levels of insight into the genesis of one's problems and the unconscious motivations which underlie one's behaviour, o r

Group Therapy

Group therapy is very diverse. Psychologists with different theoretical training will use group therapy for many different types of psychological problems and concerns. There are two general ways of categorizing group therapy, by the time limits set on the duration of the group, and by the focus of the group and the way group members are selected.
First, group therapy can be offered on an ongoing basis or for a specific number of sessions. In an ongoing group, once the group starts, it continues indefinitely, with some group members completing treatment and leaving the group, and others joining along the way as openings are available in the group. Most of these groups have between six and twelve members, plus the psychologist. There are some psychologists who have had a therapy group running for ten years or more.
Time limited groups are just as you would expect, limited in the amount of time they will run. This does not refer to the length of the group sessions, but to the number of sessions, or the number of weeks, the group will run. Time limited groups have a distinct beginning, middle and end, and usually do not add additional members after the first few sessions. Most time limited groups run for a minimum of eight to ten sessions, and many will run for up to twenty sessions. The length of these groups always depends on the purpose of the group, and the group membership. The psychologist running the group will structure it to run for the number of sessions necessary to accomplish the goals of the group.
The focus of the group is another way of categorizing group therapy. Some groups are more general in focus, with goals related to improving overall life satisfaction and effective life functioning, especially in the area of interpersonal relationships. These groups tend to be heterogeneous. This means that the group members will have varying backgrounds, and varying psychological issues that they bring to the treatment group. The psychologist will select group members who are likely to interact ways that will help all group members. These groups tend to be open-ended, because of the nature of the group therapy process. However, some of these groups are also time-limited, but they may run longer than most time-limited groups.
Other groups are "focused" or "topical" therapy groups. The group members tend to have similar problems because the group is focused on a specific topic or problem area. For example, there are therapy groups for Depression, Adult Children of Alcoholics, or Parents of ADHD Children. Some focus therapy groups are skill development groups, with an emphasis on learning new coping skills or changing maladaptive behavior. There are groups to help people develop Stress Management Skills, Parenting Skills, Assertiveness, and Anger Management Skills, among others. Focus therapy groups can be either open-ended or time-limited groups. The skill development groups (Stress Management, etc.) tend to be time limited and usually run between eight and sixteen sessions. The single-issue focus groups (Adult Children of Alcoholics, Women's or Men's Groups, etc.) may be open-ended or they may run for a specified number of sessions.
Group therapy is different from individual therapy in a number of ways, with the most obvious difference being the number of people in the room with the psychologist. Originally, group therapy was used as a cost-saving measure, in institutional settings where many people needed psychological treatment and there were too few psychologists to provide the treatment. However, in conducting research on the effectiveness of these therapy groups, psychologists discovered that the group experience benefited people in many ways that were not always addressed in individual psychotherapy. Likewise, it was also discovered that some people did not benefit from group therapy.
In group therapy, you learn that you are not alone in experiencing psychological adjustment problems, and you can experiment with trying to relate to people differently in a safe environment, with a psychologist present to assist as needed. Additionally, group therapy allows you to learn from the experiences of others with similar problems, and also allows you to better understand how people very different from yourself view the world and interact with people. Of course, there are many other differences between group therapy and individual psychotherapy. Many people are anxious about participating in group therapy, because they don't want other people (in addition to the psychologist) to know about their problems. Group members are told not to discuss information shared in the group with others, and usually the need for mutual confidentiality preserves the privacy of the information.