The Use of Group Therapy - Research Paper Example

?Running head: The history of group therapy The history of group therapy Insert Insert Insert March The history of group therapy Introduction Group therapy is a form of practice in which a small group of individuals with some kind of problem arranges and meets with a therapist in some regular intervals. It is particularly aimed at promoting emotional growth as well as other problem solving techniques among the individual members in the group. There are different kinds of therapy groups formed to serve various purposes. However, they all have a common goal of helping the individuals to have an enhanced emotional growth as well as develop an elaborate technique for solving emerging problems. Individuals in the group therapy have the advantage of using both the therapist as well as the other member of the group to share the problems that one has and attempts to find a solution to them. This is particularly because the members in each group are at different levels of coping with the situational difficulties and are doing so at different rates as well. When an individual observes how the others in the group cope with sufferings that they undergo, they gain hope and inspiration of enduring and overcoming the hardships. The use of group therapy emerged because of a feeling by several psychologists that many problems that individual faced in their daily undertakings were social in nature. Patients suffering from a similar disease were encouraged to group together to provide each other with mutual support. Such groups developed into social work groups at different social centers. These would later develop into the present support group by different development agencies. Managing post-traumatic stress disorders Human beings have a unique nature when it comes to handling personal issues. One common scenario that is witnessed in any emerging therapy group is that every new member feels isolated and completely different from the others in the group. These beginners have a problem in developing good relations with the others in the group and that spirit of love is completely withdrawn from them. However, if the group therapy is effectively carried out, such emotions can be completely drained from the minds of these individuals. An effective group therapy will enable these individuals to understand that they are not very different from the others and that they are not actually desperate and lonely, as they believe. The abuses to which females are subjected during their childhood and at adult age do have along-term impact on their psychosocial development. Those who have had childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault often exhibit different kinds of psychiatric problems that are believed to be associated to these assaults. Posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) refer to the overall effect of both childhood and adult sexual distress that are believed to cause the psychiatric problems seen in such females. The situation results in poor regulation, attention, relations with others, as well as how one understands oneself. The condition is hard to manage owing to its complexity and the long period before a treatment is provided after the sexual abuse. It is because of the complexity in the kind of healthcare that these individuals need that use of group therapy ha been adopted. However, some clinicians propose that the group therapy be conducted only after an individual therapy. Armstrong and Rose (1997) carried out an investigation on how group psychotherapy could be effective in managing the posttraumatic disorders that affect members of a family (p1). They observed that therapy enables women to perceive their roles in the societal context. It was also observed that the females that were adopting the so-called feminist principles carried on well with their marital partners. It enabled them to remove the traditional perception on their roles in the society thereby promoting an unrestricted relationship (Armstrong & Rose 1997, p5). Group therapy involves the provision of instruction concerning the nature of the common problems like illness. The members are then provided with adequate knowledge of the nature of such problems, as well as how to manage them. They can then go ahead to help the others with a similar or related problem. Body, mind, and spirit among the breast cancer patients in relation to anxiety, depression, and well-being- how group therapy helps in reducing fear and anxiety among cancer patients The consideration of the mind-body-spirit relationship managing social trauma was not traditionally applied in the Western therapeutic practices. This was a practice initially adopted by the Eastern psychotherapist to deal with patients with various psychiatric syndromes. The effectiveness of the incorporation of these aspects has been a matter of concern for researches for over two decades. The patients with breast cancer often experience different kinds of physical and psychological discomfort. Dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, and poor perception of life are some of the distresses that these patients experience. Liu et al (2007) carried out a research to investigate the effects that incorporating the body-mind-spirit relationships in group therapy had in managing anxiety, depression, and the general wellbeing of breast cancer patients. The study also aimed at obtaining an evaluation by the patients on the group therapy practices that were appropriate in promoting their health. The experiment consisted of two different groups. One received a standard physician care in the outpatient department while the other group obtained additional weakly body-mind-spirit group therapy (Liu et al 2007, p3). This therapy incorporated both the Eastern and Western traditional health care practices. The results from the two groups indicated that there was no difference among the treatments in reducing depression and improving the holistic wellbeing of the breast cancer patients. However, the experimental group was observed to have reduced anxiety as compared to the other group (Liu et al 2007, p6). Further analysis revealed the different domains that showed how the group therapy could help in managing anxiety among the patients. The domains that formed the treatment mechanisms are ‘imparting information, interpersonal learning output, catharsis, universality, group cohesiveness, altruism, instillation of hope, and existential factors’ (Liu et al 2007, p9). These aspects of treatment enabled the patient to develop good relations with others, acquire hope, understand life and its implication, understand themselves, and develop a spirit of empathy for the others. This was achieved through sharing of information among the group members Liu et al 2007, p9). The mind-body-spirit group therapy operates on the principles that the three distinct aspects of man, namely the body, mind, and spirit, have relationships that collectively contribute to the social well-being of an individual. The incorporation of these concepts in therapy enables the patients to ‘grow and change through suffering and enhance their strength and resilience in coping with stress’ (Liu et al 2007, p2). An effective group therapy will consider spirituality as an essential component of human life that has to be given. It emphasizes the power that our minds have in determining the understanding ourselves in understanding how we can relate to the others. The central position held by our body is also considered in revisiting group therapy. Importance of the rehabilitation in clubs for the alcoholics and their families in through clubs: Croatia and globally Alcoholism has had adverse effects on the addicts as well as their dependents for a long time. The techniques of dealing with this seemingly uncontrollable behavior have been a point of concern over the past years. Several efforts have been put to control the vice using emerging technology. Psychotherapeutic approach of managing alcoholism has been applied for quite some time. The techniques apply various care practices within the health institutions as well as through non-institutional agencies like Clubs of treated alcoholics in Croatia or Alcoholics Anonymous elsewhere in the world (Marusic & Maravic 2008, p1). The alcoholic addicts would attend these clubs with their families where they discuss with the other members of the club on the possible ways of abstinence that was proving impossible. Marusic and Maravic carried out a research to examine the benefits of rehabilitation in the Clubs for alcoholics by investigating their maturing process, abstinence, and how they are changing the family system (Marusic & Maravic 2008, p3). They also examined the roles that the family played in ensuring sobriety among the treated alcoholics. The two found out that the family is an important factor in maintaining sobriety among treated alcoholics. It was also observed that frequent attendance to club meetings was linked to better relationships in the family and society. Expressions of affect, patient work, and therapy outcome Coping with the loss of a relative or a beloved friend is the grief that one can be faced with. The kinds of emotions and expression that one develop when undergoing some extreme grief may influence the results of the treatment that one receives in the long run. A research had been conducted to investigate how these expressions of affect relate to the outcome of the therapy given to individuals undergoing complex grief (Piper et al 2002, p1). The research also investigated the relationship of patient work to the outcome of therapy by among such grieving clients. Psychotherapists consider experience and expression of affects as essential aspects of therapeutic practices. A conflicting debate emerges over the kind of expression and experience of feelings that should be given more weight in relation to managing grief of a lost relative or friend (Piper et al 2002, p2). It has been pointed out that in order to meet the therapeutic goals that have been laid down, there needs to be alterations on the patient’s perceptions expression of emotions and feelings Available literature reveals that there is a relationship between affect and other aspects of treatment practices like cognitive or behavioral constructs. In their research, Piper et al (2002) observed that experience or expression of positive affects during the group discussions positively influenced the outcome of such group therapy (p3). It was also observed that there was a positive relationship between and good outcome, and some little indication that expression of negative affect combined with patient work could provide better result as well. Independently, there was some evidence that negative affect had an inverse relationship with the outcome (Piper et al 2002, p13). It was observed that the ‘experience and expression of positive affect may encourage the patients to apply what they have learned to different situations in their lives’ (Piper et al 2002, p13). Solution Focused Group Therapy among level 1 substance abusers Another serious problem that faces many families currently is the effects of substance abuse by some of its members. The statistics show that a substantial proportion of the American population has had a substance abuse in a lifetime. Smock et al (2008) conducted a study to compare how solution-focused group therapy and traditional problem focused treatment are effective in controlling level-1 substance abusers. In the past, drug addicts were subject to inpatient treatment. This has gradually been evolved into outpatient rehabilitation due to a perceived associated reduction in cost (Smock et al 2008, p1). The latter is a problem-centered approach adopting the steps of Alcoholic Anonymous (AA). The most effective between the two kinds of treatment may vary with the patients encountered. The use of solution-focused brief therapy has been receiving much attention in managing uncontrolled acts like substance abuse. It involves the provision of short-term solution to a given problem (Smock et al 2008, p2). In their research, Smock et al found out that the use of solution-focused brief therapy could be proved useful in the treatment of level-1 substance abusers (p7). It was observe that it was an effective method of decreasing depression among this group of people. It was observed that the use of AA approach might not be appropriate for some class of individuals. References Armstrong, M. A., & Rose, P. (1997). Group therapy for partners of combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 33(4), 14. Liu, C., Hsiung, P., Chang, K., Liu, Y., Wang, K., Hsiao, F., Ng, S., & Chan, C. (2008). A study on the efficacy of body-mind-spirit group therapy for patients with breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17, 2539-2549. Marusic, S. & Maravic, A. (2008). Characteristics of group therapy in clubs of treated alcoholics. Alcoholism, 44(2), 67+ Piper, W. E., Ogrodniczuk, J. S., Joyce, A. S., McCallum, M. & Rosie, J. S. (2002). Relationships among affect, work, and outcome in group therapy for patients with complicated grief. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 56(3), 347+. Smock, S. A., Trepper, T. S., Wetchler, J. L., McCollum, E. E., & Ray, R. (2008). Solution-focused group therapy for level 1 substance abusers. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34(1), 107+. Read More