This qualitative research refers to the patients' perspective on the therapeutic factors operating in long-term group therapy of an integrated systemic orientation (ISO). Semi-structured interviews of members of two long-term ISO psychotherapy groups were conducted in three phases: the first, second, and third year of their group psychotherapy. The research sample consisted of 13 participants. The data was analyzed through an interpretative phenomenological analysis. The results confirmed the classification of Yalom's therapeutic factors. However, an additional therapeutic factor emerged, the "development of pluralistic perspectives" that appears more clearly from the second year of therapy onward. Moreover, from the second year onward, the categories "existential factors" and "interpersonal learning" get strengthened. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
This paper offers a brief overview of the historically predominant form of psychotherapy research both for individual and group psychotherapies, the randomized control trial (RCT), and its surrounding controversies and critiques as the backdrop from which new directions in both clinical theory building and research are being pursued, including efforts at building integrative models of treatment. The paper explores one promising integrative model, namely the incorporation of process and dynamic orientations into the province of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and identifies challenges in implementing this model.
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent and concerning among adolescents and adults. Although prior meta-analytic work has considered the efficacy of individual psychotherapy for reducing NSSI, the efficacy of group psychotherapy remains unclear. We conducted a systematic meta-analysis of group psychotherapy studies with NSSI measures. We identified a total of eight studies, including published articles (n = 6) or dissertations (n = 2) with 10 total effect sizes for group interventions. Overall, random-effects meta-analysis suggests that group psychotherapies have a significant small effect on NSSI. However, when corrected for publication bias, the effect is no longer significant. This meta-analysis cautiously suggests that group psychotherapies, which are cost-effective and efficient, hold promise for attenuating NSSI. The field would benefit from further study and treatment refinement, including consideration of what works for whom.