Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Therapy

Group therapy is an approach to psychotherapy that brings individuals together in a therapeutic setting to work through their individual issues. According to Yalom (2005) installation and maintenance of hope is a crucial for the group process to be therapeutic (Yalom, 2005). In choosing a therapeutic approach to that would best work in facilitating groups, first is to understand the qualities needed to be a competent group therapist. To be competent as a group therapist he/she must have an awareness of their competence, they must understand the needs of the client and have insight into whether their competence level is adequate to meet the client’s needs (Corey, Corey & Callahan, 2011). Not only must the group therapist be competent in

Haggedorn (2005) defines group work as any activity that involves three or more individuals. The use of therapeutic groups has been a popular intervention technique in Occupational Therapy practice since the 1920’s (Duncan, 2008). Over time and with the influence of varying health care requirements, the nature of group intervention has evolved from activity-focused programmes to groups that implement evidence based practice (Duncan, 2008). The types of groups that are run by Occupational Therapists are many and varied (Bullock & Bannigan, 2011). This is because Occupational Therapists have recognized the numerous therapeutic benefits of group work (Cole, 2012). The purpose is for group members to not only gain from the therapist, but also from interactions with other group members (Creek, 2008). This relates to occupational therapy as group work enables clients to engage in social interactions, develop skills and participate in meaningful occupations; all which are core domains of occupational therapy practice (Bullock & Bannigan, 2011).

APA standard 7.05 on mandatory individual or group therapy for graduate students as an option.  The key word here is "option" because some graduate students have expressed issues with privacy rights.  I do agree with the student about privacy rights and APA did revised the ethics code and allow the student to select a therapist not associated with the school.

In the current literature 90% of individuals who were involved in-group therapy had a significant increase in their mental wellbeing after one week of treatment (Emond, 2012). However, it is important to identify the effectiveness of each group therapy, since group therapy incorporates a range of different types of therapies, which are aimed for diverse goals and outcomes. Therefore, this essay will discuss and compare the history, effectiveness and underlying issues of psycho-educational and interpersonal group therapies. Furthermore, from the evidenced based literature, it was shown that interpersonal group therapy and psycho-educational group therapy have great outcomes in stabilizing the mental status of in-patient’s in the mental health setting.

Creating an effective therapy group requires a therapist/coordinator to consider ten key elements before creating a group and to consider how this group will evolve into become productive for both clients and therapist. Creating an effective group means considering what type of group this will be for example will it be a an addiction group (self-help) (Brook,, 2003). A support group for military veterans an educational group to learn new skills like parenting, a Psychoeducational group they deals with partners or relatives, a therapy group for behavior change or a tasks group to meet certain solutions (Brook,, 2003). The next part of creating a cohesive group is to decide the purpose of the group for example do you hope your group will learn

Hello, to be honest, I believe groups are increasing due to peoples need for comfort and safety in knowing they are not alone in something they are concerned about.  Being a part of a group gives individuals a sense of belonging as though they are not the only ones and they are not some crazy person going through something because they're different than everyone else.  In a way, I guess i would say it lets people know, whatever they are going through is common, there are many people who go through it, and those who are in the group are able to feel comfort in knowing they have multiple individuals who can grasp a sense of what they are going through and being in the group makes an individual feel as though they have a community of support.

Upon taking this course I have learned that group therapy consist of psychotherapy treatment that allows individuals to come in contact with each other. As members approach one another they are strangers at this point. They begin to communicate with each other about their issues in an interpersonal setting. In group therapy, I have also learned and seen from experiences that some members would like to be the dominant one in the group who enjoys taking over the group sessions, be demeaning and manipulative towards others members and the therapist. The statement that was verbalized by the group member towards the other client transitioned to the storming stage. This stage consist of conflict, dominance and rebellion (Yalom 314). The member voiced his/her statement with anger towards the highly educated group member. As the group leader the intervention that I will implement to facilitate a corrective emotional experience will be as discussed in chapter 5, relates to culture building. Yalom states that an unwritten code of behavioral rules or norms should be implemented to remind the clients of the expectancy in the group (Yalom 120). Implementing or practicing the eleven factors for a conducive interpersonal session should include: instillation of hope, universality, altruism, development of socializing techniques and interpersonal learning just to name a few.

The “current movement in the counseling profession is to combine family counseling and play therapy so that all members of the family benefit from creative, therapeutic interventions” (Wehrman & Field, 2013). Creativity allows the family to be engaged with one another. As stated previously, there are several play-based activities counselors can use in family therapy. Puppets and dolls symbolize a family member’s reality or fantasy in which they act out scenes that portray what they are feeling. Expressive art is used to create pictures illustrating the perspectives individual family member.

Becvar, D. & Becvar R. (2009). Family therapy: a systemic integration. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Individuals who suffers psychological illnesses such as obsessive compulsive disorder, substance use disorders, hoarding disorders, anxiety disorder and other related disorders frequently experience the increased of morbidity, mortality and undoubtedly higher treatment costs. Many people with an anxiety disorder also have a co-occurring disorder or physical illness, which can make their symptoms worse and recovery more difficult. An emerging literature suggests that providing group cognitive–behavioral therapy (GCBT) treatment for such disorders may improve both mood and feasibility in behavioral modifications. Although individual and group cognitive– behavioral interventions have been successful in treating previous related disorders,

= There are many forms of treatment for psychological disorders. One of the main ones happens to be therapy. There are multiple forms of therapies, the top two being individual and group therapy. In my defense, group therapy is the best one. Group therapy allows for individuals to share experiences that allows other individuals to relate and learn from one another because they share the same disorder. Group therapy also allows one to receive feedback that is not bias from family and therapist whose job it is to help you based of books and learning they have encountered over the years. However, individual therapy can hold some perks to it. Individual therapy can offer full attention to one patient in the one on one between the client and therapist.

In the past few years, community agencies have increasingly used groups since various groups have become a common feature of today's society. Some of the most common groups in today's society include groups for women, men, parent education, children, HIV/AIDS support, and those for reducing substance abuse. Due to the increased use of groups by communities, there are various approaches that have emerged including group counseling and group psychotherapy. Group counseling is a designed preventive and remedial approach to meet the needs of specific population in the society like women, men, the elderly, adolescents, and children. On the contrary, group psychotherapy is a re-education process of the present and past through conscious and unconscious awareness.

(Corey et al., 1995). In addition, it increases the risk for harm and exploitation. If the counselor finds that a potentially harmful multiple relationship has arisen due to unforeseen factors, he or she must take reasonable steps for resolving it with due regard to the affected person’s best interest.

In group therapy Mike and Carol will be able to face the challenge of understanding their new roles. They will also learn to set boundaries with regards to parenting, discipline, financial obligations, and time. Each family member in the group will have the opportunity to respectfully share his or her feelings and the children can voice their worries while gaining a better understanding of their place within the new family unit. In therapy, the children may be reassured of Mike and Carol’s continued love and affection for them while their parents learn ways to maintain a healthy relationship with their children while building a new and loving bond with their spouse and stepchildren.

A great benefit of family therapy is that, once the session is over, the provider can meet with the patient or individual members of the group and reflect on the occurrences. After witnessing the interactions of the family, the provider may have a better understanding as to how to help the primary patient. Whether in individual or in family therapy environments, the goal of all therapies is to allow the patient to face his or her struggles, and to come up with ways to heal, be it physical actions, changes in thought processes, or combinations there of.