Hannah Smith – 2-Day Certificate Course – Group Therapy: Evidence-Based Strategies to Develop and Facilitate Dynamic, Purposeful and Effective Group Therapy

Outline

Group Therapy Today: Advances in Research and Efficacy of Treatment Approaches

• The evolution of group therapy practices
• Current trends in research and evidence-based treatment
• Benefits and barriers of a healthy group experience

Neuroscience-Informed Group Therapy: How Brain-Based Group Interventions Improve Outcomes

• Therapeutic application of the Polyvagal Theory
• The role of interpersonal neurobiology
• Attachment and attunement
  • Comorbidity between attachment and DSM-5® diagnoses
• What the research tells us about the benefits of group therapy
  • Building new neuropathways
  • Platform for modeling secure attachment-based interpersonal behavior
  • Reduce shame and increase sense of acceptance, connection and self-worth
  • Real-time practice and feedback for skill building
• Current research, potential risks & limitations

Evidence-Based Models of Group Therapy: Find the Right Fit for You and Your Setting

• Modern psychoanalytic
• Systems-centered
• Expressive
• Cognitive-based

PRINCIPLES & GOALS FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP PRACTICE

Pre-group Development: Setting the Stage for Success

• Group types and functions: psychoeducational, process, cognitive, expressive and more!
• Group structure considerations: logistics, duration/frequency, open/closed
• Topic, approach, rationale for group
• Member selection
• Consideration of unique client needs
• Who is not appropriate for group therapy?
• Engaging the skeptical/resistant client
• What to do when the members are chosen for you

Group Therapy in Action: Strategies for Building Cohesion, Trust and Therapeutic Progress

• Yalom’s 11 therapeutic factors
• Going beyond “forming, norming, storming and performing”
• Agreements and goal setting
• Stages of group development
  • Sub-grouping
  • ”Leveling out”
  • Synergizing
• Strategies to build immediacy, reciprocity, bridging
• How to navigate transference/countertransference
• Managing threats to cohesion:
  • Micro-aggressions
  • Affective dysregulation
  • Resistance
  • Aggression/passive aggression
  • Absenteeism/tardiness
  • Other therapy-interfering behaviors
• Vertical v. horizontal group cohesion
• The therapeutic value of silence
• Degrees of empathy
• Ongoing evaluation and responsive modification

Termination: Techniques for Facilitating a Healthy Transition and Continued Therapeutic Progress

• When, how, and why group therapy ends
• Common client reactions to termination (and how to handle them)
  • Grief
  • Ambivalence
  • Denial
  • Regression
  • And more!
• Rituals and celebrations
• How to facilitate a healthy goodbye process

Post-Group Evaluation: Essential Steps for Improving Efficacy of the Group Model

• Evaluation methods & tools
• Debriefing and self-evaluation
• Troubleshooting common issues and pitfalls

Ethical and Legal Issues Specific to Group Therapy: Protect Yourself, Manage Liability and Provide Quality Care

• Comprehensive informed consent
• HIPAA/confidentiality considerations
• Dual relationships/conflicts of interest
• Boundary setting
• Therapist use of self-disclosure
• Maintaining professional standards
• Providing ethical evaluation and course correction
• Documentation considerations
• Crisis management

Clinical Considerations

• Setting-specific concerns
• Modifications for children and adolescents
• Special populations
• School-based groups
• Tips for getting institutional support of the group model
• Multicultural factors
• Crisis management procedures