Psy 322 1st Edition Exam 4 Study Guide Lectures Chapter 15 16 Group and Family Psychotherapy Pages 395 419 Review table 16 1 397 box 16 3 410 411 Group and family therapy represent a departure from individual forms of therapy covered Both feature multiple clients in the room together as well as emphasize interpersonal interaction GROUP THERAPY Group family therapy differs from one another Group Therapy o Most forms take advantage of the fact that that the experience calls for interactions with others o Therapists often highlight how group members fell communicate and form relationships with one another o Individual therapy limited to a two person interaction between therapist and client group therapy allows for more complex network of relationships to develop Greater range of interpersonal responses Irvin Yalom o Leading figure in interpersonal approach to group therapy Encourages group therapist to recognize the unique opportunity that group therapy presents which allows for the display of clients problematic interpersonal tendencies in the group itself o Views problematic interpersonal tendencies as central to clients presenting problems whether or not clients initially recognize it o Argues that all psychological problems stem from flawed interpersonal relationships Therapeutic Factors in Group Therapy o Yalom describes 11 specific therapeutic factors by which group therapy benefits clients o Instillation of hope o Universality Clients with psychological problems believe no one shares their struggles unaware of the commonality of their problems symptoms or diagnoses Being in group therapy with other people that have similar issues can be uplifting If group organized around single problem then clients can feel that they are all in the same boat homogenous groups but in groups where disorders differ it may take a while for the group to feel connected heterogeneous groups o Imparting information o Altruism o Corrective recapitulation of the primary family group o Development of socializing techniques o Imitative behavior o Interpersonal learning Learning from the in group interpersonal experience heart of group therapy They do not just talk about relationships they form relationships with one another and work to improve them with the assumption that their gains will ultimately benefit their personal relationships outside the group as well o Group cohesiveness Feelings of interconnectedness among group members characterized by feelings of warmth trust acceptance belongingness and value among group members Does not necessarily mean that every group interaction will be polite group interactions void of negative ness might even mean that the group lacks cohesiveness o Catharsis o Existential factors o Social microcosm relationship tendencies that characterize clients relationships with form with their fellow group members o The Here and Now because the group functions as a social microcosm an essential task for the group therapist is continually to shine the spotlight on the way members relate to one another within the context of the group So rather than encouraging clients to talk about events that have happened in their lives outside of the group there and then the group therapist steers clients toward examining the relationships among group members here and now Practical Issues in Group Therapy o Group membership typically include 5 10 clients 7 8 ideal can be open or closed enrollment Open enrollment allows individual members to enter or leave group at anytime Closed enrollment all members start and finish therapy together with no new members being added during the process cohesiveness can be easier to establish because of group stability o Preparing clients for group therapy clinically wise to make concerted efforts to prepare new clients for group therapy experience to correct any misconceptions and maximize therapeutic benefits Some clients may mistakenly believe that group therapy is second rate in comparison to individual therapy o Developmental stages of group therapy With time therapy groups tend to move through a predictable set of stages Initial stage cautious and concerned about acceptance into group Competitive stage competition for social pecking order Cohesive stage members feel closely connected and trusting of one another group sessions become more productive o Co therapists two therapists often co lead a single group Numerous potential failures and pitfalls Advantages presence of second set of eyes and ears to notice verbal and nonverbal communication Ability to model collaborative relationships for group members Recapitulation of family group with one male and one female co therapist a group can evoke the same dynamics as a traditional family Disadvantages If co therapists do not trust one another compete with one another or step on each others toes and entering group therapy with incompatible therapy orientations Styles do not need to be identical but should be complementary o Socializing between clients Problem when socializing between clients happens outside group therapy Ethical Issues in Group Therapy o Confidentiality focuses not on therapist maintaining group confidentialitythey have a duty to do so but rather the possibility that fellow group members might violate a clients confidentiality Group therapists often require clients to agree in writing to hold material from group sessions confidential but such contracts are virtually impossible to enforce How Well Does It Work o About the same as all other forms Individual therapy slightly superior FAMILY THERAPY Arose in mid 1990s and was revolutionary Opposed widely accepted notion that psychological symptoms originated solely within the mind of the individual and instead believed that psychological symptoms were a byproduct of the dysfunctional families in which the clients lived One individual may exhibit the symptoms but the problem actually belonged to the entire system Systems approach the whole is more than the sum of the parts Central to the systems approach is the idea that circular causality explains psychological problems better than linear causality which tends to be endorsed by individual therapists suggests that the events from the past cause or determine events in the present one way street Circular causality suggests that events influence one another in a reciprocal way Typically family therapists have pointed to unhealthy communication patterns among family members as the type on