05a_Group Therapy Flashcards
Group Psychotherapy: Yalom’s Formative Stages
First Stage: Key Terms
Orientation
Hesitant Participation
Search for meaning
Dependency
Group Psychotherapy
First Stage: Communication Style
Stereotyped
Restricted
Rational
Group Psychotherapy
First Stage: Group Dynamics
Members tend to talk directly to leader
Members look to leader for approval and acceptance
Group Psychotherapy:
Second Stage: Key Terms
Conflict
Dominance
Rebellion
Group Psychotherapy:
Second Stage: Group Dynamics
Members establish preferred amount of initiative and power
Control hierarchy/social pecking order emerges
Advice is replaced by criticism and negative comments
Some members may express hostility toward therapist as a result of resistance
Group Psychotherapy: Formative Stages
Third Stage: Key Function
Development of Cohesiveness
Group Psychotherapy: Formative Stages
Third Stage: Chief Concerns
Unity
Intimacy
Closeness
Group Psychotherapy: Formative Stages
Third Stage: Group Dynamics
Increased trust and self-disclosure
Improved attendance
Members show concern when other member is absent
Group Psychotherapy:
Cohesiveness
The client’s relationship to the group therapist, other group members, and the group as a whole
Yalom: Most critical aspect of group therapy
Group Psychotherapy:
Analogue of Cohesiveness in Individual Therapy
Therapist-client relationship
Group Psychotherapy:
Proposed Curative Factors
Installation of hope
Universality
Altruism
Interpersonal learning
Self understanding and insight
Existential learning
Catharsis
Group cohesiveness
Family reenactment
Guidance
Identification
Group Psychotherapy:
Most Important Curative Factors
As rated by group members
Interpersonal input
Catharsis
Self-understanding
Cohesiveness
Group Psychotherapy:
Three Roles of Therapist
Creation and Maintenance of the Group
Culture Building
Activation and Illumination of the Here-and-Now
Group Psychotherapy: Role of Therapist
Creation and Maintenance of the Group
Initially organize group
Minimize threats to cohesiveness
e.g., absences, tardiness, subgrouping
Group Psychotherapy: Role of Therapist
Culture Building: Main Goals
Provide explicit/implicit directives of appropriate behavior
Establish norms
Group Psychotherapy: Role of Therapist
Culture Building: Two roles to establish norms
Technical expert
Participant/model
Group Psychotherapy: Role of Therapist
Culture Building: “Mass Group Interpretation”
Therapist as technical expert identifies non-therapeutic norm and calls attention to the pattern
Group discusses how pattern developed and its potential negative effects
Group Psychotherapy: Role of Therapist
Culture Building: Transparency
Use of self-disclosure
Therapist acts as participant/model
*Beneficial if used judiciously and responsibly
Group Psychotherapy: Role of Therapist
Culture Building: Co-Therapists
Provide additional opportunities for modeling
Disagreements between co-therapists also provide opportunity for modeling of conflict resolution
Group Psychotherapy: Role of Therapist
Activation and Illumination of the Here-and-Now
Refocus attention on the here and now
Process Illumination
Group Psychotherapy: Role of Therapist
Process Illumination
Therapist helps members understand the processes that are occurring in the present
Group Psychotherapy:
Process Illumination: Sequence of Describing Behavior
What it is like
How it makes others feel
How it influences others’ opinion of you
How it affects your opinion of yourself
Group Psychotherapy: Yalom
Concurrent Group and Individual Therapy
Neither necessary nor beneficial
“Drains affect from group”
Reliance on individual therapy rather working on issues in group
Group Psychotherapy:
Premature Termination Prevalence
10 to 35% dropout during first 12 to 20 sessions
Group Psychotherapy:
Methods to Prevent Premature Termination
Prescreening of potential group members
Post-selection preparation (clarify expectations)
Group Psychotherapy:
Attributes of Good Candidates
Primary problems are related to interpersonal issues
Psychological/verbal sophistication
Prefers slow, gradual involvement in therapy
Group Psychotherapy:
Contraindications: Symptoms/Diagnoses
Severe depression
Severe withdrawal
Paranoia
Acute psychosis
Brain-damage
Sociopathy
