GROUP, Vol. 35, No.4,Winter 2011 Book Review Psychoeducational Groups: Process and Practice, 3rd ed. By Nina W. Brown. New York: Routledge, 2011,271 pp. Reviewed by Leann J.Terry1 Fromthestart ofthisbook,NinaW.Brown artfully weavescomprehensive coveragewithstrong organization andthought-provoking exercises thatencourage the reader topersonalize thematerial. Thepractical skills andapplications makethisa useful resource for clinicians andstudents alike. Usinganengaging tone, Dr.Brown provides an invaluable resource forleaderstogainknowledge, personalgrowth, andproficiency inpsychoeducational groups. Thebookisdivided intofour sections: "Structuring" (chapters 1-4),"Leader Development andFacilitation Skills" (chapters 5-7),"Leader Competencies" (chapters 8-11), and"Applications" (chapters 12-15). Inthefirst chapter, Dr.Brown provides anoverview ofpsychoeducational groups. Shedirectly confronts assumptions the reader mayhave, andsheprovides a common understanding ofpsychoeducational groups, considering them tobe"abroadspectrum ofgroups that havea significant educational component in additional to a psychological component" (p. 8). The knowledge, art, science, skills, andtechniques (KASST)modelisused,bothdirectly andindirectly, throughout thebooktoguidethedevelopment ofgroup leaders. This model isintroduced tohelporganize thebookand,indeed, canbeuseful tothereader inunderstanding whatisnecessary toconduct effective psychoeducational groups. In chapter 2,onplanning, theemphasis isonwhata groupleaderneedstodo before thevery first session. Theimportance ofa groupstarget audience, purpose, goals,andexpected outcomes ishighlighted. Thereshouldbe twoormoreobjectives for eachgoaldeveloped. Theseobjectives should: 1 Correspondence should beaddressed toLeann J. Terry, PhD, Center for Counseling andPsychological Services, Pennsylvania State University, 501 Student Health Center, University Park, PA16802. E-mail: ljt18@psu.edu. ISSN 0362-4021©2011 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society 349 350 TERRY • focusonspecific behaviors • be capableofbeingobserved andassessed • provide structure anddirection for chosenactivities • identify techniques andstrategies that willbeused • contribute toadditional planning, (p.22) Theremainder ofthesecondchapter describes howspecific techniques, suchas lectures, exercises andgames, useofmedia,andsimulations, shouldbe appliedin leadingpsychoeducational groups. Oneoftheoften overlooked factors ingroup leadership isevaluation. Thethird chapter s conciseandpractical approach toevaluation shouldbe a must-read for all leadersofpsychoeducational groups.Thereis no needtobe a statistician or methodologist tobenefit from thecontent here. Thejudicious useoftables provides easy-to-reference information, including a sample evaluation form, areasfor evaluation , andsamples ofdifferent formats that canbeused. Thefourth chapter, ongroup leadership andinstructional styles, exemplifies one ofthestrengths ofthebook:a focusonself-development ofthegroupleader. For example, there is a Learning Preferences Scalethatthereadercanusetoidentify hisorhercustomary leadership strategy. Thisencourages readers toreflect onhow their ownstyles oflearning influence thewaythey educateothers ina group. This emphasis on selfdevelopment continues intothesecondsectionwitha chapter dedicated totheself-development ofthegroup leader. Thistopicisnotemphasized enoughintraining groupleaders. Dr.Brown offers heruniqueperspective onthis byutilizing a commonthread throughout thebook,namely, howunderdeveloped narcissism caninterfere with effective group leadership. UsingKohuts(1977)work, shepoints outhowthere isageappropriate andhealthy narcissism. Kohut (ascited inBrown, 2011)describes "healthy adultnarcissism . . . characterized bywisdom, appropriate humor, creativity, andempathy" (p.75).Shethencontinues tooutline howself-absorbed behaviors andattitudes caninfluence groupleaders. Examples ofself-absorbed thoughts that leaders haveinclude thefollowing: Does orwillthe grouplikeme?AmI doingitright? I'mdoingthebestthatI can,butthey arenot responsive (p.77).Another exercise isincluded that allows thereader torate himself orherself acrossa number ofitems todistinguish healthy adultnarcissism from undeveloped narcissism. Dr.Brown provides a listofmajortopics inchapter 6that might befound inany group textbook. Itcovers common topics suchasbasicgroup-level skills, guidelines forproviding feedback, andeffective listening. However, inaddition toa concise andreadable style, there isalsoa depth tohercoverage that isoften lacking inother writings. Herdescription ofrepairing empathie failures andseveral self-rating scales makethisa useful chapter for clinicians ofanytype ofgroup. Another strength ofthebookisdemonstrated inchapter 7:howcommon group BookReview: Psychoeducational Groups 351 topics (e.g., group development through stages, helpful group andtherapeutic factors) arerelevant topsychoeducational groups. Dr.Brownexplicates howthesegroup factors (i.e.,universality, altruism, modeling, andguidance)willappear, whereas other group factors, suchasrecapitulation ofthefamily oforigin andcatharsis, are unlikely to appearin psychoeducational groups.Dr. Brownprovides tablesthat outline typical groupstages for psychoeducational groups andexpected behaviors (e.g.,inmember-leader relationships, nonverbal behaviors) ineachstage. A focuson microaggressions and specialconsiderations whenfacilitating a group with a culturally diverse membership isthehighlight ofthenext chapter. As ischaracteristic ofherstyle throughout, Dr.Brown makesdifficult topics, suchas microaggressions thatcounselors commit, relevant andapproachable forreaders. A similar style ofengaging thereader through applicable examples andthoughtprovoking questions ispresent inthenextchapter, onethical andlegalstandards. Thischapter especially shineswithitsquestions fordiscussion throughout, most applicable totraining ortostudents ina class. Thefollowing twochapters, "Potential Membership Problems, Concerns, and Intervention Skills" (chapter 10)and"Managing Conflict andGuidelines for Confrontation " (chapter 11)aretwostand-alone chapters that wouldbehelpful for the clinician ofanypsychoeducational group.Without blaming thegroupmember, Dr.Brown offers reasons why certain members havedifficult behaviors, thenoffers strategies toaddress them. Shepaysxlose attention toethical guidelines for involuntary participants suchasaddressing coercion, pressure, anddualrelationships. She offers suggestions for howtoteachallmembers tobeproductive andconstructive group members, which isuseful for anykindofgroup. Thesection onconflict and...