Group Therapy: Annotated Bibliography

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

At one point in a person life, they will participated in a group whether it is part of a specific committee, therapy, or social group. In recent years, there has been a rise in counseling within a group forum veering from the tradition individual counseling. Therapists, physiologist, and counselors believe that form of counseling is beneficial to both counselor and client. This allows the counselor to help several clients at once rather than one at a time decreasing their strenuous workload and demanding work hours. This form of counseling integrate individual that share similar issues, struggles, and experiences into one forum. This not only allows the clients to learn from the therapist but from their fellow group members. The group experience

The group method of therapy has been shown to be effective in domestic violence cases, as in an example study participants were found to have a decrease in mental distress and perceived greater social support (Constantino, Kim & Crane, 2005) as a result of an eight week group program.

The Effects of Psychoeducational Group Therapy on Symptoms of PTSD, Anxiety and Depression Among Incarcerated Women

The first time I personally experienced attending a group therapy was part of my course. Through this experience i can say that group therapy can be very powerful in healing a person emotionally and since the members were from the same class, where we all have similar goals. Group therapy helped all of us to establish meaningful and intimate relationship and we also recognised commanality of members needs and problems and to develop a sense of bonding and we became very close and we could also be there for each other during emotionally trying times.It also helped me to increase self-growth, self acceptance and self –confidence among oneself and group members. Group therapy is a powerful venue for growth and change. It also helped me in expressing my emotions in a healthy way.

The goal of a psycho-education group is to provide education, support, and direction for the purpose of understanding the problem concerns and how to lessen the effects of the here and now as well as the future. It is a therapeutic approach under the guidance of a trained mental health professional. Psychoeducational groups are beneficial in a group setting for providing greater awareness and understanding of a participant’s problem. The groups are structured sessions with specific learning outcomes identified for each session, closed and time limited.

Group support and assisting with goals and education are vital and the benefits of these strategies and stages of group counseling helps towards recovery process (Stevens & Smith, 2013). There are essential group dynamics that should be established in order for the group to be cohesive such as proper communication, the presence of group norms and values, creating effective therapy techniques and decision making.

Researchers have the opportunity to support a breadth of populations by guiding practitioners in the optimal construction and delivery of group therapy” (p. 196).

Group based programs are becoming more prominent and important as part of treatment in mental health. This essay will explain what group based programs are and critically analyse both the strengths and limitations of group based programs in the mental health field. There are many strengths to group based programs as they are an affordable and accessible by a majority of patients. There is also a high rate of positive outcomes and are available as both inpatient treatment and community based treatment. However there are some limitations in group based programs as it is not one on one program patients may not receive the attention that they need, patients also have to be willing to put themselves into a group situation.

A group program will ease that sense of isolation and offer a sense of relief knowing that they are not alone in their journey. It will also favor communication process, encourage, as well as facilitate reflection and mutual, nonjudmental sharing of experiences and support among members of the group. Engaging in therapeutic group activities can bring about a transformation in the group members in that they have the opportunity to reflect on themselves, give and receive feedback and positive reinforcement. These factors and the new discoveries they acquire and internalize can contribute to a change in

Depression or Major Depressive Disorder as well as several other spectrum level diagnoses related to depression is one of the most common mental disorders seen today. Depression seems to be a pervasive social and community problem that effects millions of people on a daily basis, sometimes associated with environmental events and other times presenting out of what would seem to be nowhere. One of the most significant problems with depression is the variety of effective treatments that can be tried often present as effective in some and non-affective in others, depending on a great number of factors all of which are individualized. Recent research is seeking a greater understanding of the efficacy of various types of group therapy as it is associated with individual treatment plans for those suffering with depression. The importance of appropriate diagnosis as well as individualized understanding of possible environmental and or source issues associated with depression is paramount to a better understanding of what types of multi-treatment plans an individual would be most helped by. In general those who experience depression as a result of or in conjunction with a post traumatic event or those who experience social isolation as a result of or leading up to a depressive cycle can often be helped by appropriate group therapy in conjunction with individual therapy, cognitive behavioral

Group therapy is an important method that is commonly used by psychiatric professionals in the treatment of many types of mental illnesses. They consist of three or more people and are targeted at promoting psychological development and change. There are three different types of groups. The task group works by using tasks, such as activities and techniques, designed to help clients work toward desired goals. In addition, midrange groups work by allowing clients to share their thoughts and feelings with others who have learned to cope with similar problems over a longer period of time. Lastly, process groups work by allowing clients to work on their communicating patterns, skills and methods (Fortinash & Holoday Worrett, 2008).

Looking for new and more effective ways to treat the issues of their clients, counselors and therapists may often begin to consider leading a group therapy session. Group therapy is a form of therapy in which a therapist either treats or provides psychoeducational skills to a small, carefully planned target group of individuals in an effort to ameliorate the issues and dysfunctions of each individual in that particular group of patients together (Scheidlinger, 2004). In this group, therapists often utilize some of the psychotherapy theories such as Gestalt, transactional analysis, psychotherapy or psychodrama which they often use to treat clients individually.

Group counseling not only allows for members to learn from their therapist, it also allows for them to learn from personal experiences of other members and to gain insights and ideas on the issues they are confronting. Group counseling also helps in improving social skills among the members as they are able to interact freely in and out of the group. This way members can be more confident and open to interactions during the sessions. Group therapy influences growth and change to those involved. Also, it increases their self-awareness and enables them to gain sustenance from each other. Group counseling is also favorable to the therapist as they are able to gain faster and more efficient results for their members by counseling them simultaneously rather than one at a time. Jacobs, Mason, Harvill and Schimmel (2012) describe group counseling

& Cain, V. (2004). Group Therapy for Depressed Elderly Women, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 54:3,