Introduction to Group Therapy

by Virginia A. Brabender

Book Overview

A practical and balanced guide to effective group therapy

In this up-to-date text, Dr. Virginia Brabender provides balanced coverage of the major treatment approaches and provides a solid background of both why and how effective group therapy is practiced. Writing in a conversational style augmented with many instructive case studies, she covers the key aspects of group therapy, from group planning to termination, and all points in between. Providing a balance of theory, contemporary applications, and personal insight, Dr. Brabender explores four major treatment approaches-interpersonal, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and problem-solving-and weighs their various advantages and disadvantages in treating a range of problems in a variety of settings.

Introduction to Group Therapy:
* Covers all practical aspects of planning, organizing, and managing a therapy group
* Summarizes the latest research into group therapy theory and practice
* Addresses mistakes commonly made by therapists new to group therapy and offers expert advice on how to avoid making them
* Describes how therapists can be effective in short-term group therapy
* Explores legal and ethical issues that can arise in group therapy
* Provides self-assessment methods along with proven solutions for refining techniques
* Presents empirically validated strategies for handling difficult patient populations-such as acute inpatient clients-and treatment settings, including correctional facilities

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471378895
• ISBN13: 9780471378891
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 552 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A must use!

Dr. Brabender's textbook makes teaching an introductory course on group psychotherapy (to clinical psychology students who are often not positively inclined towards groups) look easy! In her book, she walks students through the process of building and leading a psychotherapy group step-by-step. She introduces students to a number of major theoretical backgrounds and invites them to think widely and critically about how to purposefully put together the crucial ingredients of a therapy group (e.g., structure of leadership, selection of group members, adoption of a theoretical framework). Dr. Brabender also offers a thorough review of the existing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the various therapy modalities she describes. The book is clearly written and each concept comes alive through the numerous vivid and dynamic clinical examples present throughout the book. I should add that the textbook comes with an extremely helpful instructor manual, filled with experiential exercises, discussion questions, video suggestions, role-plays as well as test questions. A must use for masters and doctoral students who are being exposed for the first time to the world of group psychotherapy through any field!