Chapter 16: Group Therapy

1. GROUP
THERAPY

2. A group is a collection of 2 or more
individuals whose association is founded
on shared commonalities of interest,
values, norms, or purpose.

3. Membership in a Group
• by chance (born into the group).
• by choice (voluntary affiliation).
• by circumstance (the result of life-cycle events
over which an individual may or may not have
control).

4. What is Group Therapy?
A form of psychosocial treatment in which a
number of clients meet together with a
therapist for purposes of sharing, gaining
personal insight, and improving
interpersonal coping strategies.

5. Goals of Group Therapy?
To help individuals better understand
themselves in the context of their
relationships so that they can make more
knowledgeable, healthy, and adaptive
choices based on a deeper awareness of
their feelings, interpersonal
behaviors, reactions and patterns.

6. Research shows that group therapy is actually the
treatment of choice for many relational issues such
as certain forms of depression, anxiety, isolation,
anger, shyness, intimacy concerns, friendship
troubles, and work issues.

7. Yalom’s Therapeutic Factors
in Psychotherapy
1. Universality
2. Altruism
3. Instillation of hope
4. Imparting information
5. Corrective recapitulation of the primary family experience
6. Development of socializing techniques
7. Imitative behavior
8. Cohesiveness
9. Existential factors
10. Catharsis
11. Interpersonal learning

8. 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.

9. Altruism
Allowing for the opportunity to rise out of the
oneself and help somebody. The feeling of
usefulness.

10. Instillation of Hope
Faith that the treatment mode
can and will be effective.

11. Imparting Information
Psycho educational information about mental health,
mental illness, psycho dynamic, whatever else might
be the problem of the group members.

12. Corrective Recapitulation of the
Primary Family Experience
Experiencing transference relationship growing out
of primary family experiences providing the
opportunity to learn from it.

13. Promote social development,
tolerance, empathy, and other interpersonal
skills.
Socializing Techniques

14. Imitative Behavior
Taking on the manner of group members
who function more adequately.

15. Cohesiveness
A cohesive group is one in which all members
feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, and
validation.

16. Existential Factors
Learning that one has to take responsibility for
one's own life and the consequences of one's
decisions.

17. Interpersonal Learning
Receiving feedback from others and
experimenting of new ways of relating.

18. Group Membership
• Open-enrollment groups – allow
individual members to enter and leave the
group at any time.
• Close-enrollment groups – all members
start and finish therapy together, with no new
members added during the process.

19. Developmental Stages
of Group Therapy
• Initial Stage – Cautious and concerned.
• Second Stage – Competition or jockeying for
position within the social pecking order.
• Third Stage – Cohesiveness forms.

20. Ethical Issues in Group
Therapy
Confidentiality is perhaps most
concerning ethical issues.

21. Thank You! =)