Group Psychotherapy

Stages and Issues Yalom 11, 12 and Corey 4, 5 February 24, 2012

Formative Stages of the Group

Every group is unique Undergoes singular development Course is often complex and unpredictable Group dynamic forces operate Possible to have schema of developmental stages

BUT

The Five Stage Model

Forming: tasks of member engagement and affiliation Storming: focus on control, power, status, competition and individual differences Norming : identify and set standards, test roles, negotiation and compromise Performing: working, intimacy, genuine cohesion, constructive interactions Adjourning: termination issues

Group Developmental Phases are CONSTRUCTS

They exist for the purpose of conceptualization They are not clearly demarcated They are not necessarily linear Phases may repeat

Focus perhaps should be on the Developmental tasks of the group which may have to be dealt with repeatedly from different perspectives and depths

Typical Early Concerns: In or Out?

Orientation

Identifying primary task Social relationship (acceptance and approval)

Hesitant Participation Search for Meaning Dependency

Content and Communication Styles

The cocktail party dynamic Superficiality Restriction of content in favour of tranquility Search for similarities Advice sharing

Second Stage Processes: Top or Bottom

Conflict

Among members and between members and leaders oughts and shoulds in a peer court

Dominance

Struggle for control and status Overt or covert, various roles

Rebellion

Hostility towards therapist Dependency and Counter dependency The Primal Horde / Freud

Therapist Issues

Comfort with Leadership Comfort with Conflict and Hostility Understanding transference distortion Unhealthy self protection Therapist countertransference

Over-benevolence Aloof / distance

Inhibits group development and leads eg to displaced aggression and scapegoating

Paradigm of Group Change

The intrinsic process of change also leads to conflict:
Unfreezing:

Rigid attitudinal and behavioural patterns are challenged Change: Individuals must deal with the discomfort of letting go of the familiar Refreezing: Maintaining a new way of being

Stage Three: Cohesiveness near or far

This stage is characterized as having:

In-group consciousness Group integration and mutuality Common goal and group spirit Intimacy and trust of peers

The interpersonal world of the group is one of balance, safety, trust and self disclosure

Stage Three concerns

Coping with intimacy How much to reveal Maintenance of cohesion may inhibit negative affect Tension is not about dominance but about internal resistances

Only when all affects can be expressed and constructively worked through is the group really mature

Benefits and Costs of a Developmental Perspective of Groups

Advantages

Maintaining objectivity Charting a course Identifying the progress or lack thereof

Disadvantages Misuse as template False expectations Less genuine engagement