Why Group Therapy Works and How to Do It 1st Edition by Christer Sandahl, Hjördis Nilsson Ahlin, Catharina Asklin Westerdahl, Mats Björling, Anna Malmquist Saracino, Lena Wennlund, Ulf Åkerström, Ann Örhammar ISBN 9780367531904 0367531909

1. Introduction

Why a book on group therapy?

2. The significance of the group

The human flock on the savannah

Lone wolves live dangerously

The family – our first group

The significance of attachment

Social learning

The group provides experiences of relationships

Summary

3. What is a group – really?

The group emerges when we need others

A social-psychology perspective

Adjustment and over-adjustment

Obedience and destructivity

The group as a whole

Summary

4. The group as a learning and healing environment

The history of group therapy

The flourishing years of group therapy

Does group therapy work?

Effectiveness of different patient groups

Long-term group therapy

What is the significance of the group dynamic?

Can group therapy cause harm?

Active therapeutic factors in group therapy

Three therapeutically effective common factors in group therapy

Support

Learning

Action

The therapeutic alliance

Group-specific factors

Learning from emotional experiences in the group setting

The group provides an opportunity to test new ways of being with others

Sharing experiences and feelings

Constructive and destructive forms of communication

“Noise” in the communication

Dialogue and flow

Summary

5. Group therapy

Time-limited group therapy

Therapy focus

Therapeutic group processes

The group as an organism

The interplay among the group members as a whole

The group matrix

Structure provides safety for the group

Authority, power, and control

For whom are different group models suitable?

Resources and dominant concerns

Different kinds of groups for different persons

Summary

6. Starting a therapy group

The organizational framework and system

Organizational prerequisites

Rules and boundaries

Group size

Time and space

Attendance and punctuality

Duty of confidentiality

Conversations on group format, boundaries, and rules

Practical preparations and arrangements

The group members

Who is suitable for group therapy?

Who is not suitable for group therapy?

Preparatory interviews

Choosing to participate in group therapy

The importance of preparatory interviews

Planning the evaluation

Questionnaires

Summary

7. Conducting a therapy group

The leadership role

The leadership function

Two-leader groups

Cooperation between two group leaders

The group leader’s tasks

Therapeutic alliances

The group leader’s attitude

Interventions and group leaders

To whom should group leaders direct their interventions?

When should group leaders intervene?

Examples of intervention

When should group leaders not intervene?

Summary

8. Engagement and differentiation

The four stages of group development

Engagement

The group’s purpose and goals in the engagement stage

The group’s therapeutic alliance in the engagement stage

The group leader’s role in the engagement stage

The engagement stage – in short

Summary of the engagement stage

Differentiation

The group’s purpose and goals in the differentiation stage

The group’s therapeutic alliance in the differentiation stage

The group leader’s role in the differentiation stage

Summary of the differentiation stage

9. Interpersonal work and termination

Interpersonal

The group’s purpose and goals in the interpersonal work stage

The group’s therapeutic alliance in the interpersonal work stage

The group leader’s role in the interpersonal work stage

Summary of the interpersonal work stage

Termination

The group’s purpose and goals in the termination stage

The group’s therapeutic alliance in the termination stage

The group leader’s role in the termination stage

Summary of the termination stage

10. Slow-open groups

Advantages of the slow-open group

Boundaries, time limitations, and rules

Starting and ending participation in a slow-open group

The role of group leaders in slow-open groups

Summary of slow-open group therapy

11. Group therapy with pre-planned content structure

People interact and develop in groups

Structure and processes in pre-planned group therapy

The CBT-oriented group leader’s contributions to group processes

The stages in a CBT group

Pre-group issues: formation of the group

Initial stage: orientation and exploration (cf. engagement stage)

Transition stage: dealing with resistance (cf. differentiation stage)

Working stage: cohesion and productivity (cf. interpersonal stage)

Final stage: consolidation and termination (cf. termination stage)

Post-group issues: follow-up and evaluation

The CBT group as a learning environment

Psycho-educational groups

Knowledge, reflection, and exchange

Types of psycho-educational groups

Preparations for psycho-educational groups

Content, arrangements, and structure

First group meeting

Subsequent group meetings and follow-up on previous meetings

Final group meeting

The group leader roles in psycho-educational groups

The three roles: teacher, manager, and counsellor

Communication in a psycho-educational group

Recommendations for psycho-educational group leaders

Balancing the psycho-educational group leader roles

Dual group leadership

Outside experts

Summary

12. Focused group therapy (FGT)

Self-confidence and self-esteem in life experiences

The FGT framework and guidelines

The FGT framework

The FGT guidelines

Who is well suited for FGT?

Examples of conditions and situations suitable for FGT

Group member exclusion criteria for FGT

Preparatory interviews in FGT

The focus of FGT

The group focus in FGT

The individual focus in FGT

Formulating the individual focus in the preparatory interviews

The Basch competence model in the individual focus

Categories of FGT focus expressions

Examples of FGT focus expressions

Identify needs

Show vulnerability

Express negative feelings

Be assertive

Define and defend boundaries

Manage performance anxiety

Take time for reflection

Three stages in FGT

The engagement stage in FGT

The first session

The interaction stage in FGT

The termination stage in FGT

Suggestions for group leader interventions in the termination stage

Summary

13. Concluding remarks

The essence of focused group therapy

Learning to be a group leader

Recommendations for new group leaders

Group therapy networks

References

Index