Group Analytic Psychotherapy: Meeting Of Minds, A

Description:
This book offers practitioners, teachers, and students of psychotherapy a detailed and comprehensive account of group analysis. It demystifies the workings of analytic groups and looks at the great stretch of issues and tasks confronting the therapist in the practice of group analytic psychotherapy. Each stage in the process is fully discussed: the assessment and preparation of patients for groups, dynamic administration, beginning, and ending a group, and the introduction of new members into an established group. A chapter on psychopathology gives a picture of the main psychiatric conditions which the group therapist is likely to encounter, and offers clear guidelines on how to manage them in a group context. An exposition on the group in full flow provides an unusual insight into the processes which constitute the analytic culture, including the analysis of dreams, the art of interpreting, use of the transference and countertransference, and the place of play, humour and metaphor. Difficult and challenging scenarios, such as dropping out, scapegoating, the silent group member, and monopolisation of the group are treated in depth, as are Large Groups, homogeneous groups, groups for children and adolescents, family therapy, groups in non-clinical settings, and the supervision of group therapy. The impingement of the therapist' s own personal issues is also given attention. The authors have flanked their narrative with accounts of the historical, social and cultural origins of group analysis, and a vision of the future provided by the newer strands of thinking in the field. The text is enlivened by colourful vignettes drawn from the authors' own experiences, and by sharply focused dialogues between the two authors, designed to illustrate their contrasting and complementary perspectives. The book represents a distillation of the authors' long experience in the field of group analytic practice and training in the United Kingdom and internationally.

Review:
' ...I expect it will become a key reference text in group therapy ... recommend it to trainees and experienced therapists alike...' (British Journal of Psychiatry, May 2006) '... recommend ... to students-to-be ... experts ... a user-friendly book in the sense of jargon-free language, a rich vocabulary ... felicity of expression..' (Group analysis: The Journal of Group Analytic Psychotherapy, May 2006) 'This is the best book I have read to date in the field of group analysis.' (Israel Journal of Group Psychotherapy, May 2006) '...thorough and detailed...providing a good overview it is well written... entertaining...' (Journal of the Norwegian Psychological Association, June 2006)

Table of Contents:
The Social and Cultural Basis of Group Analysis. A Century of Group therapy, Planning an Analytic Group. Dynamic Administration. The Assessment interview. The Symptom in its Group Context. The Start of a new Group. A newcomer to The Group. The Group in Action. Life Events in The Group. Bringing therapy to an End. Therapeutic Pitfalls. Challenging Scenarios. The Group analyst in Trouble. The Large Group. All in The Same Boat. The Value of homogeneous Groups. Groups for Children and Adolescents. Family Therapy. A group-analytic Perspective. The Application of Group Analysis to Non-clinical settings. The Supervision of Group Therapy. The Group Analyst as a professional. The Changing Landscape of Group Analysis. Glossary. Bibliography Index