Scapedog: The Scapegoat Phenomenon and Other Group Dynamics Applied to a Service Dog

Abstract

The creation of the specific service dog designation for people with disabilities, including psychiatric disabilities, added additional factors that deserve consideration when a dog enters a therapy group. In this article, I present clinical material and discuss group phenomena and dynamics that emerged when a service dog entered a psychodynamic psychotherapy group. In part, the history of the group may have created a situation in which the dog became the scapegoat—or scapedog—for disowned aggression.