Solution Focused Group Therapy

Book excerpt: 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.