International Journal of Group Psychotherapy最新文献

We examined change in defensive functioning following group psychodynamic-interpersonal psychotherapy (GPIP) for binge-eating disorder (BED) compared to a waitlist control. We hypothesized that defensive functioning will improve to a greater extent at posttreatment for those in GPIP compared with those in a waitlist control condition. Participants were women with BED assigned to GPIP (n = 131) or a waitlist control (n = 44) condition in a quasi-experimental design. Those who received GPIP had significantly greater improvements in defensive functioning from pretreatment to six months posttreatment compared to the control group. GPIP may be effective for improving defensive functioning in individuals with BED. A randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm that GPIP is efficacious for addressing defensive functioning among women with BED.

The purpose of this case study was to (1) examine the effect of experiential training groups on empathy and professional disposition levels of counselor trainees and (2) to understand their experiences and perceptions regarding experiential groups. Participants were 62 Turkish undergraduate counselor trainees enrolled in a group counseling course. Trainees participated in both a didactic group counseling course and an experiential group. The quantitative results of the study indicated that trainees experienced an increase in empathy and professional disposition levels pre-post. The qualitative analysis yielded three major categories: (a) member roles, (b) emotional experiences, and (c) contributions. The findings of this study highlight the importance of experiential training groups in counselor education.

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is a new ongoing, long-term mass trauma event occurring simultaneously with overwhelming sociopolitical stressors. We propose an integrative, psychodynamic, systems-oriented, interpersonal/relational trauma group model to address the multiple losses, heightened anxieties, and complicated grief that have resulted from the pandemic, as well as various forms of interpersonal abuse associated with racist and oppressive systems. These manifest as dissociation and unconscious enactments in small and large psychotherapy groups. We examine the role and responsibilities of the group leader in working therapeutically with these phenomena. Case examples for large and small psychotherapy groups are provided.

Survivors Healing from Abuse: Recovery through Exposure (SHARE) is an eight-week therapy group for incarcerated women who have experienced sexual violence victimization. SHARE requires each member to complete an imaginal exposure and to listen when others share their experiences of victimization. While trauma-focused group interventions including SHARE are associated with reductions in internalizing symptoms, little work has examined how group characteristics predict symptom decreases. The purpose of this study was to examine whether group size was associated with symptom changes pre- to post-treatment. Participants (n=140 across 29 groups) completed self-report measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms before and after completing SHARE. Multilevel modeling revealed the majority of the variance in post-treatment symptoms was attributed to individual factors rather than group factors. Symptom change was comparable for groups of two to eight women; declines in symptom improvement were observed at a group size of ten participants.

In an era of increasing demands on college counseling centers (CCs), many CCs appoint a group coordinator (GC) to oversee the implementation of a group therapy program. It is common knowledge in the field that this role is essential to develop and maintain a thriving group program, yet little information is available to understand best practices. An exploratory survey of GCs in CCs was conducted to understand the descriptive features of those occupying the role as well as typical responsibilities, resources, and job satisfaction. We analyzed responses from 53 GCs in the US and Canada. Generally, GCs reported managing a wide range of responsibilities and having limited resources (administrative time, reduced caseload) and inconsistent CC staff practices (group training, weekly group meeting). On average, GCs reported moderate satisfaction with their role and resources and high satisfaction with CC leadership. Correlations were found between positive CC culture toward group and staff involvement, groups per semester, GC responsibilities, group program structures, and GC role satisfaction. Rates of group utilization were significantly higher for GCs with two or more administrative hours and for CCs that held a weekly meeting about groups. Staff group involvement, representing strength of CC culture toward group, was significantly higher if the GC held an administrative role. The article concludes with recommendations for best practices for the GC role and directions for future research.

In 2020, telehealth and online (video) group therapy became the norm for almost all group psychotherapists due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely that even after the pandemic many group therapists will continue to practice online, as some group therapists, like online group therapy expert Haim Weinberg, have been doing for years (Weinberg & Rolnick, 2019). While the transition to online group therapy was new for many group therapists, online continuing education related to group therapy may not have been. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of continuing education in group therapy was conducted online. During the pandemic, the availability of online training became especially important as this allowed for the ongoing professional education of group therapists and graduate students trainees. Certainly, 2020 saw an increase in online learning opportunities, including through the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) yearly conference, which was, for the first time, entirely online.