Week 4: Personality Disorders
Group Psychotherapy
Group Psychotherapy – a treatment modality in which one or more therapists treat multiple
clients together in a group
- Psychotherapy groups – may be specific to a particular theoretical orientation –
e.g., CBT, interpersonal therapy, or psychodynamic therapy
Theoretical Orientation Description
CBT Groups apply cognitive behavioral principles to the group format
Group focus is primarily on the individual – with some focus on
patient-to-patient interaction
Interpersonal Therapy Focus on group member-to-member – or member-to-leader –
relationships
Focus on how group members recreate maladaptive relationship
patterns with other group members and leaders – carried out in sig
relationships outside of therapy group
Emphasize here-and-now member interactions within the context
of gaining insight into early childhood experiences and past
conflicts
Psychodynamic Therapy The group process is utilized as the mechanism of change – by
exploring and examining relationships within the group
Emphasize here-and-now interactions within group member and
leader relationships
More broadly defined – group therapy can be taken to include more general groups that focus
on a specific problem – rather than group processes and individual psychodynamics – such
as support groups, skills-training groups, and psychoeducational groups
Different types of psychotherapy groups – differ on the degree to which the group focuses on
process vs content
, Example – psychotherapy groups from an interpersonal/psychodynamic framework
- More likely to focus on process – i.e., how the information is communicated
More structured groups – such as psychoeducational groups
- Focus more on content – i.e., what is being discussed
Therapeutic Principles of Group Psychotherapy
There are 12 therapeutic principles – referred to as curative factors – based on self-report
measures
- These ensure a successful (1) group experience and (2) patient change
Principle Definition
Universality The sense that no group member is alone in their ‘wretchedness’
Includes a recognition of shared experience and feelings – ameliorates
members’ sense of isolation
Altruism The sense of being able to help or give to another member
Believed to facilitate self-esteem and interpersonal skills
Installation of Hope Comes from members witnessing other members overcome a similar
problem to their own
Imparting Information Members reported that the act of other members or leaders imparting
information – or factual knowledge – is sometimes experienced as
therapeutic
Corrective Recapitulation Refers to the theory that group members come to experience other
of the Primary Family members and leaders as their own parents and/or siblings
Members replay traumatic experiences from their family of origin within
the therapy group
This recapitulation of early family experiences – believed to be corrective
when group members experience a different ending to an old pattern –
e.g., getting their needs met by group members in ways they did NOT in
early family experiences
Development of Refers to group members trying out new interpersonal behaviors
Socializing Techniques Refining their social skills within the safety of the therapy group
Imitative Behavior Refers to group members learning new skills via modeling from other
, members
E.g., new group members model the productive in-group behaviors of
other, more experienced members – such as self-disclosure and support
Cohesion A member’s sense that they belong in the group and are accepted and
validated by the group
Considered to be the primary therapeutic factor in group psychotherapy
Cohesion has a strong positive relationship with patient improvement and
outcome
Existential Factors Refer to group members taking responsibility for their own lives and
decisions
Catharsis The experience of emotional release of distress to a supportive group
Interpersonal Learning At the heart of Yalom’s model of group therapy
Refers to group members’ achievement of greater self-awareness
Receiving feedback from other members and leaders on how they are
perceived by others; how they make others feel; and how the group
member receiving feedback feels about themselves
Self-Understanding Akin to insight
Refers to group members gaining a better appreciation of how their
behaviors affect their interpersonal relationships
Development of a Psychotherapy Group
Underlying belief – the group becomes an entity in and of itself – a thing with properties of
its own
Example – all psychotherapy groups are theorized to follow certain developmental stages
that – if successfully negotiated – predict the success of the group
Successful groups – expected to (1) negotiate each developmental stage and (2) move on to
the next in a predictable fashion
- Whereas – unsuccessful groups become stuck in one particular stage
Group Psychotherapy
Group Psychotherapy – a treatment modality in which one or more therapists treat multiple
clients together in a group
- Psychotherapy groups – may be specific to a particular theoretical orientation –
e.g., CBT, interpersonal therapy, or psychodynamic therapy
Theoretical Orientation Description
CBT Groups apply cognitive behavioral principles to the group format
Group focus is primarily on the individual – with some focus on
patient-to-patient interaction
Interpersonal Therapy Focus on group member-to-member – or member-to-leader –
relationships
Focus on how group members recreate maladaptive relationship
patterns with other group members and leaders – carried out in sig
relationships outside of therapy group
Emphasize here-and-now member interactions within the context
of gaining insight into early childhood experiences and past
conflicts
Psychodynamic Therapy The group process is utilized as the mechanism of change – by
exploring and examining relationships within the group
Emphasize here-and-now interactions within group member and
leader relationships
More broadly defined – group therapy can be taken to include more general groups that focus
on a specific problem – rather than group processes and individual psychodynamics – such
as support groups, skills-training groups, and psychoeducational groups
Different types of psychotherapy groups – differ on the degree to which the group focuses on
process vs content
, Example – psychotherapy groups from an interpersonal/psychodynamic framework
- More likely to focus on process – i.e., how the information is communicated
More structured groups – such as psychoeducational groups
- Focus more on content – i.e., what is being discussed
Therapeutic Principles of Group Psychotherapy
There are 12 therapeutic principles – referred to as curative factors – based on self-report
measures
- These ensure a successful (1) group experience and (2) patient change
Principle Definition
Universality The sense that no group member is alone in their ‘wretchedness’
Includes a recognition of shared experience and feelings – ameliorates
members’ sense of isolation
Altruism The sense of being able to help or give to another member
Believed to facilitate self-esteem and interpersonal skills
Installation of Hope Comes from members witnessing other members overcome a similar
problem to their own
Imparting Information Members reported that the act of other members or leaders imparting
information – or factual knowledge – is sometimes experienced as
therapeutic
Corrective Recapitulation Refers to the theory that group members come to experience other
of the Primary Family members and leaders as their own parents and/or siblings
Members replay traumatic experiences from their family of origin within
the therapy group
This recapitulation of early family experiences – believed to be corrective
when group members experience a different ending to an old pattern –
e.g., getting their needs met by group members in ways they did NOT in
early family experiences
Development of Refers to group members trying out new interpersonal behaviors
Socializing Techniques Refining their social skills within the safety of the therapy group
Imitative Behavior Refers to group members learning new skills via modeling from other
, members
E.g., new group members model the productive in-group behaviors of
other, more experienced members – such as self-disclosure and support
Cohesion A member’s sense that they belong in the group and are accepted and
validated by the group
Considered to be the primary therapeutic factor in group psychotherapy
Cohesion has a strong positive relationship with patient improvement and
outcome
Existential Factors Refer to group members taking responsibility for their own lives and
decisions
Catharsis The experience of emotional release of distress to a supportive group
Interpersonal Learning At the heart of Yalom’s model of group therapy
Refers to group members’ achievement of greater self-awareness
Receiving feedback from other members and leaders on how they are
perceived by others; how they make others feel; and how the group
member receiving feedback feels about themselves
Self-Understanding Akin to insight
Refers to group members gaining a better appreciation of how their
behaviors affect their interpersonal relationships
Development of a Psychotherapy Group
Underlying belief – the group becomes an entity in and of itself – a thing with properties of
its own
Example – all psychotherapy groups are theorized to follow certain developmental stages
that – if successfully negotiated – predict the success of the group
Successful groups – expected to (1) negotiate each developmental stage and (2) move on to
the next in a predictable fashion
- Whereas – unsuccessful groups become stuck in one particular stage
