Harnessing the Power of Group Therapy: Leadership Essentials

Workshop Registration

We are using the Eventbrite Ticket system for registration.

Presented By: Center for the Study of Group Psychotherapy
Date: Saturday, May 12, 2018 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Pacific
Place: 2665 Marine Way, Mountain view, CA 94043
Fee:  $100 early registration, $115 regular registration.
CE Credits: 6 CE credits for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, & Psychologists

What You Will Learn:

Learning Objectives:

This workshop is designed to help participants:

1. Describe methods and techniques for successfully forming a psychotherapy, psychoeducational  or blended therapy group.
2. Utilize methods for therapeutically handling diversity issues in group.
3.  Describe methods for successfully handling clinical challenges which arise in therapy groups.
4. Describe the therapeutic factors in therapy groups.

Workshop Leaders

Nancy Wesson, Ph.D., CGP, a Licensed Psychologist (psy9621), Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP), and founder of the Center for the Study of Group Psychotherapy (CSGP.org), Dr. Wesson has studied group psychotherapy for over 27 years. She has been trained by Dr. Irvin Yalom and the American Group Psychotherapy Association. She has 17 years teaching group therapy courses and has led two weekly psychotherapy groups for 27 years. Dr.NWesson@sbcglobal.net

Karla Amanda Brown, LMFT (103907), is a psychotherapist with over 10 years of experience supporting clinicians and facilitating therapy groups in residential and outpatient settings. She leads process groups for adults as well as play/art-based groups for adolescents who are recovering from eating disorders and other forms of complex trauma. KarlaAmandaBrown@gmail.com. She will be teaching the workshop component on diversity in group therapy.

Course Overview

Psychotherapy groups offer many unique and important benefits for clients from diverse backgrounds and in diverse settings. ( Schermer & Rice, (2013) Interpersonal psychotherapy groups are a therapeutic modality for clients to understand relationship dynamics, and learn skills to increase interpersonal connection. (Yalom & Leszcz, 2005)

In this course, psychologists will increase their knowledge of many of the important aspects of starting and leading successful psychotherapy, interpersonal, psychoeducational, and blended therapy groups. The emphasis will be on an interpersonal approach to group psychotherapy.(Mahon & Leszcz, 2017).

The aspects of group therapy which will be discussed include: 1) Forming a therapy group and setting norms for the group 2) Developing group cohesion to increase therapeutic benefits (Mahon & Leszcz, 2017)) 3) Selection and preparation of clients to participate in group psychotherapy 4) Strategies for effectively handling clinical challenges in groups such as conflict, absenteeism, and monopolizing 5) Therapeutically handling diversity issues as they emerge in group psychotherapy (Stevens & Abernethy (2017) 6)Discussion of therapeutic factors in therapy groups and methods for using these factors to increase the benefits of therapy groups and enrich the group experience for participants.

References

Arnow, B. A., Steidtmann, D., Blasey, C., Manber, R., Constantino, M. J., Klein, D. N., & …
Kocsis, J. H. (2013). The relationship between the therapeutic alliance and treatment
outcome in two distinct psychotherapies for chronic depression. Journal of Consulting
and Clinical Psychology, 81(4), 627-638.

Billow, R., (2018). On Deconstructive Interventions. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 68(1),1-19.

Holmes, S. E., & Kivlighan, D. J. (2000). Comparison of therapeutic factors in group and
individual treatment processes. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(4), 478-484.
Mahon. L., & Leszcz, M., (2017) The Interpersonal Model of Group Psychotherapy, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(2), 147- 150.

Schermer, V.L, & Rice, C. (2013) Introduction: Group Psychotherapists as Organizational Consultants: Diverse Contexts, Models, and Approaches, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 63:2, 147-150,

Stevens, F. & Abernethy, A. (2017) Neuroscience and Racism: The Power of Groups for Overcoming Implicit Bias, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 2017. DOI: 10.1080/00207284.2017.1315583

Wesson, N. (2007). Becoming a true member of a psychotherapy group. The California
Psychologist. June/July, 21.

Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2005). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. New York:
Basic Books.