Features, Offers proven & effective methods for group therapy in acute-care psychiatric settings. Highlights topics relevant to the therapist in the assessment, problem & goal identification, leadership, & activity phases of the directive group therapy method. Presents remedies for surviving the stresses of daily group therapy. Details directive group activity suggestions.

Susan Makin has written a unique resource for art therapists working with patients or clients who find the concept of spontaneous artmaking daunting, and feel more comfortable with a structured framework. Therapeutic Art Directives and Resources: Activities and Initiatives for Individuals and Groups consists of a series of directives or suggestions for group and individual activities, with guidance on the suitability of each directive for clients with specific needs and ideas for further development. Her directives protect clients' creative freedom while providing a safe environment for exploring difficult issues. Commentaries by Cathy Malchiodi alongside the directives highlight particular uses of the directives and possible adaptations. Included at the front of the book are useful sample forms and hand-outs to give clients at the beginning of therapy as well as forms for the therapist's own record-keeping. These forms, like all the directives, have been used many times in clinical practice.

Leading art therapy groups is often a challenge, but as Bruce Moon so eloquently describes in this new second edition, making art in the context of others is an incredibly and almost inexplicably powerful experience. By placing the art at the center of practice, Art-Based Group Therapy creates an explanatory model and rationale for group practice that is rooted in art therapy theory and identity. There are four primary goals discussed in this text. First, an overview of essential therapeutic elements of art-based group work is provided. Second, a number of case vignettes that illustrate how therapeutic elements are enacted in practice are presented. Third, the author clearly differentiates art-based group therapy theory from traditional group psychotherapy theory. Fourth, the aspects of art-based group work and their advantages unique to art therapy are explored. Art-based group processes can be used to enhance participants' sense of community and augment educational endeavors, promote wellness, prevent emotional difficulties, and treat psychological behavioral problems. Artistic activity is used in art-based groups processes to: (1) create self-expression and to recognize the things group members have in common with one another; (2) develop awareness of the universal aspects of their difficulties as a means to identify and resolve interpersonal conflicts; (3) increase self-worth and alter self-concepts; (4) respond to others and express compassion for one another; and (5) clarify feelings and values. Through the author's effective use of storytelling, the reader encounters the group art therapy experience, transcending the case vignette and didactic instruction. Art-based group therapy can help group members achieve nearly any desired outcome, and/or address a wide range of therapeutic objectives. The book will be of benefit to students, practitioners, and educators alike. Using it as a guide, art therapy students may be more empowered to enter into the uncertain terrains of their practice grounded in a theory soundly based in their area of study. Practitioners will no doubt be encouraged, validated, and inspired to continue their work. The author succeeds in establishing a framework that allows art therapists to communicate the value of their work in a language that is unique to art therapy.

The editors of the present volume were also privileged to collaborate on an earlier book, Intimacy, also published by Plenum Press. In our pref ace to that volume, we described the importance and essence of inti macy and its centrality in the domain of human relationships. After reading the contributions to that volume, a number of issues emerged and pressed for elaboration. These questions concerned the nature and parameters of intimacy. The natural extension of these con cerns can be found in the current work, Self-Disclosure in the Therapeutic Relationship. The editors, after careful consideration of the theoretical, philo sophical, and technical literature, are impressed by the relationship between intimacy and appropriate self-disclosure. Self-disclosure, in this context, refers to those behaviors that allow oneself to be suffi ciently revealing so as to become available for an intimate relationship. Levenson has referred to psychotherapy as the demystification of expe rience wherein intimacy emerges during the time that interpersonal vigilance diminishes through growing feelings of safety. Interpersonal experience can be demystified and detoxified by disclosure, openness, and authentic relatedness. This is not an easy process. Before one can be open, make contact, or reach out with authenticity, one must be available to oneself. This means making contact with-and accepting-the dark, fearful, and of ten untouched areas within the person that are often hidden even from oneself. The process of therapy enables those areas to gain conscious ness, be tolerated, and be shared with trusted others.

In our managed care era, group therapy, long the domain of traditional psychodynamically oriented therapists, has emerged as the best option for millions of Americans. However, the process can be frustratingly slow, and studies show that patients actually feel worse after months of group treatment than when they began. Can and should "the group" speed a person's progress? Now, in this "must have" book, marriage and family therapist Linda Metcalf persuasively argues that the collaborative nature of group therapy actually lends itself to time-limited treatment. She combines the best elements of group work and the popular solution focused brief therapy approach to create new opportunities for practitioners and patients alike.Among the topics covered in this valuable guide are: how to learn the model how to design a group and recruit members how to identify exceptions to a group member's self-destructive behaviors and thoughts how to help members focus on their successes rather than their failures how to keep the group solution focused when therapists or members fall back into old patterns This unique resource also includes case examples and session transcripts to follow, together with reproducible forms that can be used as they are or tailored to a therapist's needs.Solution Focused Group Therapyis an up-to-the-minute, highly accessible resource for therapists of any orientation. Managed care companies in particular will welcome this model, which deals so effectively and economically with today's biggest problems, including eating disorders, chemical dependencies, grief, depression, anxiety, and sexual abuse.

Structured, therapist-led approaches to play therapy are becoming increasingly popular due to their time-limited nature and efficacy for such specific disorders as trauma and attachment issues. This is the first book to provide comprehensive coverage of numerous directive play therapy techniques and interventions that are empirically validated and can be adapted for use in clinical, school, group, and family settings. Designed for both students and practitioners, the text addresses the theoretical bases for these approaches and provides in-depth, practical guidance for their use. The book describes how directive play therapies differ from nondirective therapies and illustrates best practices in using directive techniques. It examines such diverse approaches as cognitive behavioral, solution focused, sensorimotor, and the use of creative arts in play therapy. Each approach is covered in terms of its theoretical foundation, research basis, specific techniques for practice, and a case example. The text describes how to adapt directive play therapy techniques for use in various contexts, such as with families, in groups, and in schools. Helpful templates for treatment planning and case documentation are also included, making the book a valuable resource for both training courses and practicing professionals in play therapy, clinical mental health counseling, child counseling, school counseling, child and family social work, marriage and family therapy, and clinical child psychology. Key Features: Delivers step-by-step guidance for using directive play therapy techniques--the first book to do so Addresses theoretical basis, research support, and practical techniques for a diverse range of therapies Covers varied settings and contexts including school, clinical, group, and family settings Includes case studies Provides templates for treatment planning and case documentation

The most comprehensive and thoroughly researched text available on this topic, Handbook of Group Counseling and Psychotherapy, Second Edition underscores the notion that group work is improved through increased collaboration between researchers and practitioners. Edited by renowned leaders in the field, this thoroughly updated and revised Second Edition explores current literature and research and offers suggestions for practice in psycho-educational, counseling, and therapy groups. The Handbook is divided into five main sections: current and historical perspectives, best practices, multicultural and diverse groups, groups in special settings, and an introduction to special topics.

In Group Filial Therapy (GFT), therapists train parents to conduct play sessions with their own children to help meet children's therapeutic needs, and to transfer appropriate skills to family life. Based on parents' application of Child-Centred Play Therapy, taught and supervised by filial therapists, this evidence-based method is highly effective for working with families from diverse backgrounds and locations. This book provides an accessible guide to the theory and practice of GFT, and for the first time offers step-by-step guidelines for implementing the GFT program developed by Dr Guerney, the co-creator of Filial Therapy. Important practical considerations are addressed by Dr Guerney and Dr Ryan, such as how to determine the composition of groups and the duration of programs, and how to conduct Filial Therapy intakes. The facilitative attitudes and skills needed to be an effective Filial Therapy group leader are also described, and comprehensive instructions for implementing Dr Guerney's 20-week model of GFT are provided. The book closes with examples of how the program may be adapted to meet the needs of special groups. Replete with examples and dialogues bringing to life the group process, this definitive guide will enable therapists already familiar with the method, as well as those wishing to learn it, to maximise the fulfilment of therapeutic goals for participating families. Practitioners in mental health, social services and counselling, as well as parenting experts, play and filial therapists and therapists in training will find that this book expands and enriches the services they can offer their clients.

Provides a solid foundation for anyone interested in group therapy! Introduction to Group Therapy: A Practical Guide, Second Edition continues the clinically relevant and highly readable work of the original, demonstrating the therapeutic power group therapy has in conflict resolution and personality change. This unique book combines theory and practice in a reader-friendly format, presenting practical suggestions in areas rarely covered in academic settings. A proven resource for introductory and advanced coursework, the book promotes group therapy at the grassroots level-students-where it has the most opportunity to be put into effect. Introduction to Group Therapy: A Practical Guide, Second Edition expands on issues presented in the book's first edition and introduces new information on topics such as the historical beginnings of group therapy, theories, modalities, practical issues of how to set up an office for an effective group environment, surviving your training sites, problem clients, contemporary issues drawn from online discussion, and developing a group practice. The book also includes case studies, review questions, a glossary, appendices of relevant topics, and an extensive bibliography. Changes to Introduction to Group Therapy: A Practical Guide include: the expansion of “A Case Study” into two chapters to include analysis from 17 senior clinicians a new chapter on group therapy as a negative experience a new chapter on group psychotherapy as a specialty new material on self-protection new material on the training site and the problematic client and much more! Thorough, well organized, and based on first-hand accounts, this book is also a great resource for experienced clinicians who need proven and expert advice from colleagues in the field. Introduction to Group Therapy, Second Edition effectively combines theory and practical suggestions to help you offer improved therapy to clients.

Group work presents the therapist with many situations, considerations, and, ultimately, decisions that are unique to the practice of group psychotherapy. The second edition of Complex Dilemmas in Group Therapy includes advice and insights from more than fifty of the most eminent group therapists in the world and is edited by two leading thinkers and practitioners in the field. In its pages clinicians will find expert guidance on some of the most difficult situations group therapists face, and they’ll come away from the book with a host of practical strategies for facilitating their work as well as deeper and broader understanding of the overarching ideas that underpin the practice of successful group therapy.