Group Psychotherapists Research Articles

Working at the Periphery: a View of Group Psychotherapy in Australia

Australia is a vast country with a relatively small population living in cities separated by long distances. It is a wealthy country with a highly developed mental health system in which psychotherapy has a limited, but recognized, place. Group psychotherapists are a small but active community within that mental health world. Limitations in numbers, influence, and authority have left group psychotherapy on the margins of universities and major mental health organizations. A commitment to thoughtful clinical work, a willingness to reach out to vulnerable people, and some signs of flexibility in clinical approaches promise a strengthening of the role of group psychotherapy in Australia.

Group Psychotherapy in Germany

This article gives an overview of the development of group psychotherapies in Germany originating from a psychodynamic tradition. The German health system provides access to inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy for all of its citizens. Whereas groups are common in inpatient settings, the provision of outpatient group treatment still could be improved, as it is the case for the general training of group psychotherapists. Group research in Germany largely reflects clinical practice, with more studies coming from the inpatient field. It is stated that the general image of group treatment seems to be largely positive, which could provide a basis for political initiatives to improve the dissemination of group therapy in this country.

The State of the Art of Group Psychotherapy in Spain

(1) What is the history and the theoretical orientation of group therapy in Spain? (2) How is training organized? (3) What role does group psychotherapy play in the health system in Spain? (4) What is the relationship between group psychotherapy research and clinical practice in Spain? (5) What topics can be identified as unique to therapy groups in Spain? (6) How are group-related issues important within the social background of Spain? and (7) What does group work hold for the future? Although not even a century has passed since the birth of this discipline, there have already been many events associated with the management of power and knowledge, the development of a sense of community, and the evolution of the political and social life of our country. Group therapy training is still evolving and is properly supported and accredited by prestigious institutions. In the 2013 Symposium of the Spanish Society of Group Psychotherapy and Group Techniques (SEPTG), the need for joint group theories and techniques within the profession’s activities was clearly highlighted. Further, the enthusiasm of group psychotherapists to open themselves to specific social perspectives (health, education, community prevention, organizations) is a way of encouraging society to untangle conscious and unconscious knots that are created in social interaction.

Consciousness and the Social Brain by Michael S. A. Graziano (review)

issn 0362-4021 © 2015 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society group, Vol. 39, No. 2, Summer 2015 177 1 Correspondence should be addressed to Eva Catenaccio, 24 Coventry Lane, New Rochelle, NY 10805. E-mail: Eva.Catenaccio@med.einstein.yu.edu. Book Review Consciousness and the Social Brain. By Michael S. A. Graziano. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013, 280 pp. Reviewed by Eva Catenaccio1 Selecting a book on neuroscience for review in a journal for clinical group psychotherapists may seem counterintuitive and surprising. What significance does contemporary brain research have for the therapist who is steeped in the care of patients? Nonmedical readers are often turned off by sensationalist articles in the popular press that reduce complex psychological phenomena to abstract biological processes on a molecular level. These explanations are frequently unsatisfying and seem to offer little application to the everyday practice of psychotherapy. Enter Michael Graziano, a Princeton neuroscience professor who combines both his wealth of knowledge as a neuroscientist and his writing skills to tackle one of the remaining Big Questions: What is consciousness, and how do we have it? This mystery has occupied great thinkers since Hippocrates first housed the mind in the brain and Descartes suggested the presence of a magical fluid, res cogitas, which acted as the “mental substance.” In his book Consciousness and the Social Brain, Graziano provides an accessible, logical, and ultimately fascinating account of his neuroscientific theory regarding the nature of human consciousness. He details his hypothesis with examples from decades of clinical and experimental neuroscience research with the goal of providing a mechanistic rather than a magical explanation for human conscious experience. In essence, Graziano argues that the same parts and processes of the brain responsible for self-perception are also instrumental for our understanding and perception of others. Why we are endowed with a social brain—according to Graziano—is a question that has already been settled by Darwin. Human consciousness and social cognition have evolved together because it is advantageous to have 178 catenaccio a way of predicting both your own and others’ behaviors. It is well established that humans are capable of creating descriptions of other minds; watching a friend hungrily contemplate a slice of cake, you can make an educated guess about his or her intentions. It is also useful for generating social cohesion, empathy, and cooperation . As the most socially intelligent species on the planet, humans have been able to achieve incredible evolutionary success. The theory is titled the attention schema hypothesis, and in brief, it states that “awareness”—a more precise definition for what we colloquially call “consciousness ”—is the description the brain produces of its own attentional state. Attention, from a neuroscientific perspective, is a cognitive tool for data handling, a way of boosting signal strength in a sea of competing stimuli. When you attend to something , those signals are amplified until they outcompete the rest. Awareness, in turn, is the brain’s representation of that process. A recurring example in the book is that of gazing at a green apple—your visual system computes that the wavelength of the reflected light is in the green spectrum, but you can also report having a conscious experience of the apple, of its color or its shape, that you can describe and put into words. You have an awareness of yourself as an observer. Graziano links his theory to neuroanatomy by exploring the contributions of brain regions at the junction of the temporal and the parietal lobes, an area situated a little above the ears. A patient with damage to these regions—from a stroke, for example—can suffer from “neglect syndromes,” in which the person’s spatial awareness is compromised. A famous example refers to a Milanese patient who was asked to describe the Piazza del Duomo while looking at it from two different sides (Bisiach & Luzzatti, 1978). When he visualized himself standing on one side, he described only the half of the square to his right, unaware that he had left out the entire left side of the scene. When asked to imagine instead standing on the opposite side, facing the cathedral, the patient described all the structures he had previously neglected and left out...

Voice of Violences Video Series

BILL ROLLER, M.A., FAGPA The relative absence of live-to-camera, unscripted, spontaneous group therapy training videos for various theories and techniques is understandable. Few clinicians wish to expose themselves and their skills to the whims of chance or risk the criticisms of colleagues. This is somewhat ironic since the practice of group psychotherapy necessarily makes the mistakes of group leaders and co-leaders highly visible to patients. Such vulnerability marks the career of group psychotherapists. Those videos that have met this challenge have carved out a special niche in the educational video market. The producers of this video series, The Voices of Violence, are to be commended for showing even a small unscripted segment of therapists working with their group members. However, the group members and the context in which they are treated are not part of the typical practice of most group therapists. The videos present the therapeutic treatment of males incarcerated for the violent crimes of murder, rape, and aggravated battery in two different prisons, one in the United States, the other in England. The choice of presenting two different treatment programs is wise because it allows the viewer to compare and contrast the cognitive behavioral approach of the Resolve to Stop Violence Project in San Francisco jails with the psychodynamic approach of the Grendon Therapeutic Prison in Britain. Both programs use group therapy or group work as a fundamental element of education and treatment. Both tolerate

Conducting Large Groups

When a conductor steps in to conduct a large group she steps into a singular place: a nodal point, that carries with it many unconscious expectations that need decoding in order to understand what is happening. This paper gives an impression of my experience of conducting large groups in Finland. It has been written in close cooperation with Aila Kauranen, a Finnish group psychotherapist. I paid 10 visits to Finland: one to the Arctic Circle and nine to Helsinki. On two occasions, after a regular pattern of visiting every six months, the expected return invitation did not arrive. Both times this break occurred I felt it as a painful shock. It led me into some deep thinking about why this had happened. After studying Finland’s history and connecting my experience to the events both in and around the group, I realised that the unexpected and sudden breaks in continuity were perhaps the only way in which those associated with the workshops could let me know something of the deep social trauma they carried.
 Waitara
 Inā hīkoi he kaitaki ki te taki ropū matarahi, ka hīkoi ia ki tētahi tūnga takitahi: he pūpeka, kawenga wawata o te mano mauri moe e mate pukuana kia mōhio ai he aha te aha. Mai i tēnei tuhinga ka hoatu he hāraunga o aku wheako taki rōpū matarahi i Hinerangi. He mea tuhi i raro i te mahitahitanga ki a Aila Kauranen, he kaiwhakaora hinengaro rōpū Hinerangi. Tekau ngā wāhanga i haere au ki Hinerangi: kotahi ki te Awhio Raki e iwa ki Heretiniki. E rua ngā wā, i muri mai o te haerenga ia ono marama, kāre i puta mai te pōhiri hoki atu. Ia wā i whātia, tino kaha te taunga hihiko pōuri ki ahua. Ka huri ki te whaiwhakaaro hōhōnu mō tēnei take. I te mutunga o te whai mātauranga mō te whakapapa o Hinerangi me te whakahāngaitanga atu i aku wheako i waenga i te rōpū, ka kite au ko ngā whatinga whakahaere ohotata, ohorere hoki, te momo whakamōhio mai a ngā tāngata o nga rōpū awheawhe rā i te taumaha o te mamae e maua ana e rātou.

Finding the Fear: A Couple Therapy Training Workshop by Lee D. Kassan (review)

issn 0362-4021 © 2013 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society group, Vol. 38, No. 4, Winter 2014 367 1 Correspondence should be addressed to Brunhild Kring, MD, Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016. E-mail: brunhild. kring@nyumc.org. Book Review Finding the Fear: A Couple Therapy Training Workshop. By Lee D. Kassan. Privately published by Lee D. Kassan, 2014, 148 pp. http://www.leekassan.com/ Reviewed by Brunhild Kring1 and Susan Mahler Lee Kassan is on an educational mission: He wants individual and group psychotherapists also to try their hand at couple therapy. Of course, he knows that treating couples is not for the faint of heart. It can be one of the most challenging of the psychotherapeutic modalities. Therapists often avoid couples at the height of conflict and emotional activation and instead refer them to marriage counselors or family and sex therapists. The author is trying to remedy this state of affairs by helping clinicians transcend their cautious attitude toward conflict-prone couples. To teach his technique, he filmed one of his workshops and published it as a two-DVD set. The accompanying book contains the transcripts of the workshop, the analysis of his interventions, and the discussion with the workshop participants. Kassan introduces the workshop session by making a disclaimer about “theory.” He feels that clinicians will be able to be of therapeutic assistance to couples by employing his treatment technique, which he has honed over 30 years of professional experience. He suggests that worrying “too much about theory” can be a distraction. Of course, in our field, we rely on theory, and Kassan is not really atheoretical. He briefly acknowledges his indebtedness to attachment theory and provides a very succinct summary and diagram by which to differentiate the four basic attachment styles: secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized. Maybe he considers attachment theory to be so basic as to be self-evident and not in need of acknowledgment as a “theory.” In a previous paper (Pearl & Kassan, 2012), he reviews the researchers and 368 kring and mahler clinicians who influenced him the most and demonstrates how deeply he is aware of and grounded in theoretical schools of thought. But for the sake of simplification and teaching, he has distilled his insights into six concise “Rules of Engagement” (p. 13), which we briefly summarize. One of his basic dictums is “I,” not “you,” because he believes that talking about oneself is less likely to make the partner defensive. “No attacking, defending, or withdrawing ,” he instructs the spouses. These principles are inspired by Gottman’s (1994) four horsemen of the apocalypse. Better to ask “no questions” because, in Kassan’s experience, questions are often veiled criticisms. Most important, the partners are encouraged to “express the fears.” Eliciting the unexpressed anxieties and insecurities often clarifies attachment issues, such as worrying that the other person will be emotionally too close or too distant. It would be helpful if intimate partners would “explain the meaning”; no doubt the litany of trivial day-to-day complaints stands for something with a deeper meaning, often unbeknownst to the aggrieved person himself or herself. Last but not least, Kassan coaches everyone to express “feelings, not facts.” Reflecting about one’s emotional reaction rather than squabbling about minutiae of events helps the couple contain aggression. After teaching couples these basic psychological concepts, and establishing the ground rules of behavior in the session, he makes two interventions that are different from how most therapists work and that are counterintuitive at first sight: He instructs the couple to sit in two different swivel chairs facing each other, rather than sitting on a couch next to each other. Furthermore, he skips taking a history of the couple’s past relationship or the psychological history of each spouse. These two decisions influence the dynamics of the session profoundly. With his specific seating arrangement, Kassan forces the couple to look at each other throughout the session and speak directly to each other, rather than inducing the therapist to take sides and act as the referee. He focuses on the couple’s relationship and communication style, rather than analyzing their individual pathologies. He also...

J. L. Moreno: the pioneer of the group encounter movement: the forerunner of web-based social media revolution

The purpose of this paper is to acknowledge Moreno’s merits as the founder of (1) the Group Encounter Movement, (2) review a few ambiguities, contradictions, and backbiting that were evident in the Group Encounter Movement, (3) to identify Moreno as a pioneer in grounding and setting the stage for group psychology and group psychotherapy as an evidence-based therapy, and (4) pinpoint and recognize Moreno as the forerunner of our web-based social network media in virtual communities. Moreno joins the long illustrious line of psychiatrists, psychologists and group psychotherapists whose work continues having an impact long after they have departed this world.

Peer support to decrease diabetes-related distress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: design of a randomised controlled trial

BackgroundMany type 2 diabetes mellitus patients face difficulties self-managing their illness, which can lead to high levels of diabetes-related distress. Diabetes distress may be decreased by peer support, as peers understand and have dealt with similar problems, and can help motivate each other. A recent systematic review concluded that evidence of benefits of peer support in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is too inconsistent due to weak theoretical foundation of the interventions. This study describes the design of a trial evaluating the effectiveness of a group-based, peer support programme with a strong theoretical foundation on diabetes-related distress in type 2 diabetes patients.MethodsThis is a parallel group randomised controlled trial of a six session group-based peer support intervention, delivered by peer leaders and group psychotherapists, compared with one educational meeting on diabetes. At least 152 patients with a type 2 diabetes duration of three years or more and between 50 and 70 years of age, recruited via their general practitioner, will be randomised to receive the peer support intervention or one educational meeting. The intervention is developed in line with three key stages of research development of the Medical Research Council framework. The primary outcome measure for this study is diabetes-related distress. Secondary outcomes include self-management behaviour, well-being and health-related quality of life. Perceived social support is a process measure. Outcomes will be measured one month before, and 6, and 12 months after the intervention by means of self-reported questionnaires. Analysis will be on an intention-to-treat basis.DiscussionThis article contains a description of the design of a study that will investigate the effect of a group-based, peer support intervention on diabetes-related distress in type 2 diabetes patients. The intervention was developed in recognition of the limited evidence, and the importance of a theoretical foundation and its implementation. Findings will contribute to knowledge in the field of peer support and patient-important outcomes in type 2 diabetes patients.Trial registrationDutch Trial Registry: NTR3474

The Nuclear Accident of Fukushima (March 2011): A Revealed Work Area for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes

Japanese group psychotherapists have already contributed a lot to support people in the painful work of overcoming the tremendous triple trauma created by the earthquake, the tsunami and the nuclear accident of March 2011. They have provided opportunities for people to combine individual recovery and collective mobilisation. We pay homage to the work they have done and are still doing. We would like to consider other contributions that group therapists and group processors could bring to this work by focusing specifically on the origin and consequences of the nuclear accident at the power plant of Fukushima Daiishi. The first thing we notice is that ten months later, the chain of events that followed the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 can be described with relative accuracy. This description brings a more or less satisfactory answer to the question of ‘How?’ but it is different for the question of ‘Why?’ The answers are puzzling, knowing that this accident occurred in a country with a justified reputation for mastering the most sophisticated technologies and insuring the best products through quality guarantees in industrial processes. Some people claim that the pressure of investors for minimising costs and obtaining as fast and high profitability as possible had led the nuclear operator to take extreme and senseless risks. We do not follow this explanation. It is not in accordance with the usual behaviour of Japanese investors. It is also not coherent with the explicit Japanese policy that nuclear industry should become one of the new exporting industries, beside electronics and cars. These statements led us to deepen the study of the accident and its context beyond the technical and economical rationalities, without of course denying them.

The Invited Presenter: Outrageousness and Outrage

I describe aspects of a multimodal presentation sponsored by a professional organization of group psychotherapists, entailing lecture and discussion, a small demonstration or fishbowl group, and a large group experience. As the invited presenter, I was being counted on to attract attendees, to stimulate and maintain their interest, and to draw enthusiasm to the host organization and its future conferences. This required, in short order, promoting cohesion, establishing norms, and creating a safe enough culture to embrace challenge, to take risks, to learn, and to seek help. Events occurring in both the larger and smaller groups were to be utilized for the benefit of the individuals and the groups themselves, to make the experience interesting and sufficiently compelling, to teach the basic principles promised by the conference’s theme, and to demonstrate technique. Dysfunction or negative consequences were to be avoided. My mode of leadership was perceived by some as positive if not outrageous, but for others it just provoked outrage. Perhaps such reactions are to be expected whenever a leader challenges a group to experience and think in new ways. I tried to utilize the ensuring controversy to illustrate the conference’s topic: loving, hating, and curiosity—group processes of resistance, rebellion, and refusal.

Introduction: Group Psychotherapists as Organizational Consultants: Diverse Contexts, Models, and Approaches

"Introduction: Group Psychotherapists as Organizational Consultants: Diverse Contexts, Models, and Approaches." International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 63(2), pp. 147–150

Cognitive Approaches to Group Therapy: Prevention of Relapse in Major Depressive and Bipolar Disorders

(2013). Cognitive Approaches to Group Therapy: Prevention of Relapse in Major Depressive and Bipolar Disorders. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 63, Group Psychotherapists as Organizational Consultants: Diverse Contexts, Models, and Approaches, pp. 303-309.

The Group Psychotherapist Consulting in Organizations: Toward Less Fear and More Treading

"The Group Psychotherapist Consulting in Organizations: Toward Less Fear and More Treading." International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 63(2), pp. 259–266

Transforming Medical Practices: A Significant Opportunity for Group Psychotherapists

Group therapists are in a unique position to be effective as change consultants to medical practices and hospital departments that wish to transition to patientcentered care (PCC) and patient- and family-centered care (PFCC). Medical groups are under increasing pressure to adopt PCC because it has been shown to be an important component of substantial improvements in health care delivery, including cost containment. The establishment of patient-centered care requires sensitive, repeated group-based interventions to be successful; group therapists have a deep understanding of such interventions. The paper outlines the literature on PCC and PFCC, considers the group processes underlying successful implementation, and then turns to various phases of the consulting process itself, including system-diagnostic interviewing, group meetings, resources, and tracking the consequences of the consultation.

Responding to the Treatment Challenge of Patients with Severe BPD: Results of Three Pilot Studies of Inpatient Schema Therapy

Schema Therapy (ST), a psychotherapy model integrating cognitive, experiential and behavioural interventions, was initially developed and evaluated as an outpatient treatment for patients with severe and chronic disorders, among them Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Two randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of ST for BPD, delivered in an individual or group format, in the outpatient setting. However, the most severely impaired BPD patients are referred to inpatient treatment due to suicidality and severe self-harm. Specialized inpatient treatment programs are limited, with little evaluative research. The pilot studies are designed to be first steps in naturalistic clinical settings to evaluate the effects of an intensive inpatient ST treatment program. This report presents the results of three independent uncontrolled pilot studies with a total of 92 BPD patients. The programs combine individual and group modalities and are consistent theoretically with the ST model for BPD patients. RESULTS show that inpatient ST can significantly reduce symptoms of severe BPD and global severity of psychopathology with effect sizes ranging from Cohen's d = 2.84 to Cohen's d = .43. Differences in the effect sizes across the three pilot studies could be explained by length of treatment, number of group psychotherapists and their training. Although there are limitations to the presented pilot studies such as differences in the samples, treatment settings, variations in the treatment itself and the use of different measures, which may have influenced outcome, they are a starting point for describing and evaluating inpatient treatment for BPD in naturalistic settings.

Introduction to the Special Issue

Introduction to the Special Issue Victor L. Schermer1 and Cecil A. Rice2 issn 0362-4021 © 2013 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society group, Vol. 37, No. 1, Spring 2013 5 1 Private practice, Philadelphia; Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association; and founding director of the Study Group of Contemporary Psychoanalytic Process. Correspondence should be addressed to Victor L. Schermer, MA, 735 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. E-mail: vlscher@comcast.net. 2 Distinguished Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, cofounder and senior faculty of the Boston Institute for Psychotherapy, and instructor, Departments of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General and McLean hospitals, Boston. In the past three decades, significant advances have occurred in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and its theoretical base. Among these have been (a) self psychology, with its emphasis on empathy and attunement to vulnerabilities of the self; (b) intersubjective and relational psychoanalysis, showing the importance of subjectivity, mutuality, and authenticity in the therapeutic interaction; (c) the awareness of the profound impact of psychological trauma on attachments and the sense of self; and (d) the neuroscience of psychotherapy, pointing to the importance of attachment and self-regulation in the development of the nervous system and suggesting that deficits in neural networks can be partly remediated by psychotherapy itself. These newer perspectives share an emphasis on therapist attunement, engagement, and active coparticipation in the change process. Such understanding is highly relevant to group psychotherapy, and indeed, group systems theory has in turn contributed to the multiperson perspective at its core. The group psychotherapist’s use of these new understandings in assessing the positive or negative impact of his or her own involvement becomes acute during times when the ongoing flow and deepening of the treatment is blocked, as in periods of impasse, and in situations where the group is in a potentially traumatizing or self-destructive state. Some patients and populations, such as borderline, posttraumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenic group members, also require active therapist engagement on a sustained basis to have a productive therapy experience. Because how and under what conditions the therapist becomes an active agent, GROUP 37.1 book.indb 5 2/19/13 2:06 PM 6 schermer and rice as distinct from an introspective “consultant” or “neutral observer,” is often crucial to therapeutic outcomes, we asked three senior dynamically oriented group therapists to reflect on the “feeling of what happens” when such shifts occur in practice. We asked them what conceptual and theoretical guidelines they utilize under such circumstances. Some of these ideas were presented at a panel led by Schermer and Rice at the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society 2011 annual meeting, and the leaders thought that the diverse ways the panelists handled these problems merited further exploration and discussion in this journal. Marty Livingston and Isaac “Zeke” Youcha participated in the panel. Suzanne B. Phillips was brought in when Elizabeth Hegeman, the third panelist, encountered other important commitments that drew her away from the task. Livingston approached the issues from a self psychological perspective. Youcha was especially interested in how therapist engagement affects neurobiological aspects of trauma and chronic mental illness. Phillips, like Hegeman , frequently works with trauma victims and chose to focus on the importance of therapist coparticipation for traumatized and bereaved patients, especially when they reenact traumatic events in the here-and-now group situation. THE SHIFT IN ROLE FROM CONSULTANT TO COPARTICIPANT Traditionally, the role of the dynamic group psychotherapist is to introspect about the ongoing experience of the group and its members, offering interpretations that clarify group dynamics and deepen the members’ understanding of the conflicts, deficits, and dilemmas that brought them to treatment. This is the “consultant” or “facilitator” role, which the therapist learns early in training and which often sustains him or her in the day-to-day running of groups. The particular emphasis on, say, individual versus group-as-a-whole interpretations, or specific focal themes, depends on the therapist’s school of thought, but the interpretive position is typical of all dynamic approaches. Classically, the therapist serves as a nonattached observer who discloses little or nothing about himself or herself and tries to maintain the objectivity of a surgeon...

Preparation of the Group Psychotherapist for Working With Recovery From Addiction

Preparation of the Group Psychotherapist for Working With Recovery From Addiction

Introduction to the Special Issue

GROUP, Vol. 36, No.2,Summer 2012 Introduction to the Special Issue Marc G. Schramm1 Inthese days most psychologists regard itasaninsult ifthey areaccused ofthinkingphilosophical thoughts. I donotshare this reaction. I cannot help butpuzzle over themeaning ofwhat I observe. - CarlRogers Attheriskofbeingpresumptuous, I havethefeeling that, likeCarlRogers, all readers ofthisjournalpuzzleoverthemeaning ofwhatwe observe. Butevenif mostpsychotherapists wouldnotconsider itan insult tobe accusedofthinking philosophical thoughts, howmany ofusthink ofourselves as philosophers? Even ifweknowthat psychology onlybranched off independently from philosophy in thelate19th century, wemayseelittle relevant connection between ourworkand thework ofthinkers likeKant, Plato, orDescartes. Eventheexperiential, spiritual, andpractical philosophical thought ofHusserl, Kierkegaard, andWilliamJames mayseemoflittle moment. Ifyoufeelthisway, itis myhopethatthesmallcollection ofarticles in this specialissuewillleadyoutoreconsider. Andfor thoseofyouwhoalready havea penchant for philosophy, I hopethese articles willenrich your understanding ofthe relevance ofmuchphilosophical thought towhat wedoasgroup psychotherapists. Thisproject hasitsorigins inaworkshop I havepresented twice atTheAmerican GroupPsychotherapy Association. Thedualaimsofthatworkshop arereflected inthegoalsofthisspecialissue.One ofthese, ofcourse, istosuggest howgroup psychotherapy rests onfoundations ofthought andpractice going backmillennia. Inthisissue, Lawrence Malcussuggests that Socrates canbeseenasthefirst group psychotherapist, andEttin (1999)hastoldusthat CodyMarsh, oneoftheprogenitors ofpsychiatric group work (ca.1909),"traced thephilosophical roots ofhisapproach 1 Private practice. Correspondence should beaddressed toMarc G.Schramm, PsyD, CGP, FAGPA, 3970 Brown Park Drive, Suite A,Hilliard, OH43026. E-mail: psyberspace@juno.com. ISSN 0362-4021©2012 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society 89 90 SCHRAMM to the walking groupsconducted byPythagoras, Socrates, and Zoroaster" (pp. 61-62).Fromthosetimes toours,acrosscenturies andacrosscultures, philosophy hasdealtwithsuchissuesas "knowthyself," mind-body questions, identity, emotions , imagination, experience, andinterpersonal relations - tosuggest only a brief listoftopicsofpotential importance topsychotherapy. A second, equally important aimissimply toprovide anopportunity toindulge intheenjoyment ofphilosophy foritsownsake.Thebreadth ofsubject matter is almostlimitless, andI hopetherangeoftopicspresented herein illustrate that. If one areaofphilosophy does notspeaktoyou,perhapsanother maypullyouin, evokeenthusiasm andpassion, andgetyourowncreative juicesflowing. Within thecovers ofa single journalissue,wecanhardly begintoscratch the surface ofrelevant themes inphilosophy. I wouldhavelovedtohavehadthespace toincludeall sortsofotherimportant topics.I particularly regret theabsenceof attention toArabicand Eastern philosophical traditions, philosophy ofidentity, Immanuel Kant, ethical philosophy, andtheworkofanyfemale philosophers. Let meatleastmakesmallamendsforthislastdeficiency bywayofan all-too-brief paragraph aboutEdithStein. Steins1917 doctoral dissertation, doneunderthesupervision ofthephenomenologist EdmundHusserl (seeShayne AnnVitembs article inthisissue),isofparticular relevance for psychotherapists ingeneral andgroup therapists inparticular. Shepresented theconcept ofiterated empathy. Beyer (2011)describes thisaswhen I putmyself into theother subjects shoes, i.e.,(consciously) simulate him, under the aspect that he(orshe)inturn puts himself into my shoes. Inthis way, I canfigure out that inorder for theother subject tobeabletoascribe intentional actstome, hehas toidentify mebodily ;asaflesh-and-blood human being, with its egocentric viewpoint necessarily differing from hisown. Steins workisworth anentire paperinitself. Asfor thesubjects addressed inthisissue, weappropriately beginwith Malcuss article, tracing roots ofgroup psychotherapy totheancient Greeks andseeing those Greciantendrils continuing through theworkofsuchlatter-day philosophers as Nietzsche, remaining fresh andevocative for usinthepresent day. Through theNietzschean connection, Malcusspaperflows easily intoVitembs exploration ofexistentialism, a subject that isperhaps themostfamiliar andaccessibletogrouppsychotherapists amongthetopicsaddressed inthisissue.Vitemb emphasizes thatcontrary tothewayexistentialism is sometimes thought of,that is,witha dreadofmortality, itverymuchhasaspectsoflife-affirming vibrancy. Existentialism inparticular, andphilosophy ingeneral, maysometimes bethought ofasdryly intellectual, heady, andemotionally flat, ifnotdepressive; butthecapacity forwarmth, energy, andconnection is,as Vitemb illustrates, verymuchpresent. MichaelP.Frank connects ancients andmoderns andtakes usbeyond therealm Introduction tothe Special Issue 91 ofclassical philosophical themes intothemodern subject ofchaostheory. Lestthat seema subjectmoreappropriate tophysics ormathematics thantophilosophy, pleasenotethat itisa very hottopicinthephilosophy ofscience(see,e.g.,Bishop, 2009). Frank takesthisfascinating butoften difficult andarcanetopicandshows howitmayoffer a description oftheprocesses that occuringroup psychotherapy.2 I hadhopedtofind a practicing philosopher-psychotherapist (there arequite a fewoftheminacademia)tocontribute a paper.Unfortunately, thosetowhom 1wasreferred allhadcompeting commitments andcouldnotfit theproject into theavailable timeframe. Intheabsenceofsuchanarticle, I very muchwanted to haveone thatshowedhowa grouppsychotherapist-theorist couldbe seenas a philosopher, anditquickly becameevident that Jacob Morenowouldbea very appropriate choice.Thanks toMiriamIosupovici for recommending Peter C. Howie totakeup thistask.Owingto somecrisesthatarose,Howiewasnotabletoput hispromising draft intofinal form. ThattaskwastakenonbyDominickGrundy (theesteemed editor ofthisjournalandhimself trained inpsychodrama), despite having onlya fewdaystodo so. Myownarticle highlights someofthepsychological philosophy ofDavidHume anditspositive implications for grouppsychotherapy. I try toshowhowhiswork andelements ofhislifestory suggest thatwebe cautiousindiagnosing defensive intellectualization, onaccount ofintellectual pursuits that mayseemtoothers tobe frivolous andescapist. "Nothing," writes Hume(1740/1978), "ismoreusualinphilosophy , andevenincommon life, thantotalkofthecombat ofpassionandreason" (p. 9). Humeoffered explanations ofreasonsforthiscombatandgaveindication that hefelt a victim ofitattimes. He eventually abandoned philosophy for thesafer pursuit ofhistory. Sometimes thepassionate intellectual ideasofanother leaveus cold,andsometimes they caneven(asHumeexplained) upset usandleaveusangry. Ineither case,itiseasytomissthegenuine passionthat theother iscommunicating. Following thesefour articles andmyown,I amvery pleasedtohaveSpinoza represented inthis volume, ina review ofDamasiosLooking forSpinoza: Joy ;Sorrow ; andthe Feeling Brain byTzachiSlonim. Damasio(whohasalsowritten onDescartes) saysmuch that hasimplications for psychotherapy ingeneral butnotgroup psychotherapy inparticular. Slonim (whocameonboardthis...

Group therapist as social scientist, with special reference to the psychodynamically oriented psychotherapist.

The recent literature suggests a lowering of tensions between psychotherapy practitioners and researchers in the decades-long "psychotherapy war." The author analyzes reasons for the thawing and suggests that the time is ripe for clinicians to assume greater authority in the work of developing models of the psychotherapy change process. The article highlights the unique positioning of the psychodynamic group psychotherapist for advancing this work.