Group Therapy

GROUP THERAPY for Drug Rehab & Alcohol Detox

SIZE-FUNCTION-THERAPEUTIC VALUE

The following material was taken from the college graduate level textbook, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, by Irvin D. Yalom, Fourth Edition, 1995.  This text has been hailed as “the best book that exists on the subject, today and for the foreseeable future.”  Additionally, Yalom’s book has long been the standard text in its field.

Quote: ……….My own experience and a consensus of the clinical literature suggest that the ideal size of an interactional therapy group is approximately seven or eight to as high as twelve.   Since it is likely that one or possibly two patients will drop out of the group…………. in the course of treatment, it is advisable to have a slightly larger group than the preferred size.  Replacement of members is a high priority.  If new members are unavailable, it is preferable to meld two small groups, rather than to continue meeting with insufficient membership.

Quote:    When a group is reduced to four or three members it ceases to operate as a group; member   interaction diminishes, and therapists often find themselves engaged in individual therapy within the group— the opportunity for broad consensual validation, and to interact and analyze one’s interaction with a large variety of individuals  — are compromised as the group’s size diminishes.

Paraphrased:  In a residential or inpatient setting, if a group increases in size, (over 12), the group is best served for the entire group to meet together for  “short” morning and evening meetings only, dismissing the larger group into 2 or more sub-groups, pre-determined by staff, based on similar issues among that sub-group. 

This lends for more appropriate & intensive work to take place.   The AM meeting(s) would consist of some possible confrontation for the lack of production or progress by any particular member(s), but would consist primarily of setting goals for the day.   

The evening meeting would focus on congratulating those individuals who made good progress during the day.  Therapists and facilitators should make sure that this meeting ends on a positive note before group members retire for the evening. 

The following is from the Encyclopedia of Psychology, Apr 06, 2001

Quote:  Group therapy has numerous advantages over individual therapy. The therapist’s knowledge about the clients offers an added dimension through the opportunity of observing them interact with each other. Clients are helped by listening to others discuss their problems (including problems more severe than theirs) and by realizing that they are not alone.

They also gain hope by watching the progress of other members and experience the satisfaction of being helpful to others. Groups give the individual client the chance to model positive behavior they observe in others. Besides learning from each other, the trust and cohesiveness developed within the group can bolster each member’s self-confidence and interpersonal skills.

Group therapy gives clients an opportunity to test these new skills in a safe environment. In addition, the group experience may be therapeutic by offering the clients a chance to reenact or revise the way in which they relate to their primary families.