This article describes the structure, process and evaluation of a families and friends group in a personality disorder treatment service for people experiencing Borderline Personality Disorder using a Mentalization Based Therapy model. We highlight the benefits of working with family members and consider the differences between psycho-education, support groups and group-analytical approaches. Inclusion of families in recovery is well argued. Providing support and education for family members can improve communication and reduce burden in families. In the treatment of patients with Borderline Personality Disorder, the focus often remains upon meeting patients’ needs and not of those who support them. We used a formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the families and friends group in the areas of learning and support. Qualitative questions were used to gain more in depth information regarding the impact of the group. Our results support the approach of working with the family rather than only focusing on the individual. There was an improvement in the communication leading to positive change in relationships between family members and their loved ones. This takes place despite the group being a once a month and drop-in. However, as this was evaluation of one service, more research in this area is needed.
Giving examples from three different contexts Martin Weegmann and Anabel Head (2016) discuss carers' groups in substance misuse and personality disorders services, and the dynamics and structures of such groups. These interventions for carers are not only sociopolitically apt, and morally sound, but such work can also support the treatment of the patient. As described in this article through legislation the British society has put the carers' needs on equal footing as the patients'. Supporting the carers who are devoting so much for their sick loved ones makes moral sense as well as socio-political. In addition, developing a shared understanding and common language that can help manage heightened emotional states can result in the emotional stress of the family environment being reduced. The family can act as a 'coach to the patient', thus supporting the treatment received in a therapeutic setting. Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (Linehan, 1993) and Mentalization Based Therapy (Bateman and Fonagy, 2006) are two widely applied models, which can help the family at time of a stressful (non-mentalizing) state, to make a joint effort to reset.Few programmes have been developed to serve families with relatives diagnosed with Axis II disorders particularly in comparison to the psycho-education programmes developed and made available for Axis I disorders (McFarlane, Dixon, Lukens et al., 2003). Bateman and Krawitz (2013) describe that family members often live with, as well as financially and emotionally support, the person with Borderline Personality Disorder. The family members themselves also experience high levels of distress. Without supporting the family, the patient 674090G AQ0010.
This article studies the work of large groups in the training of group psychotherapists and is organized in two parts for sequential publication. We review the literature on the history and evolution of large groups in general, concentrating on those devoted to the large group in training, starting from the very first, Skynner’s, from which we take our title. The core of the paper explores the learning experience provided by the Large Training Group (LTG) serving students on the Diploma and Qualifying Courses at the Institute of Group Analysis, London (IGA). We describe the LTG from the standpoint of its staff and participating students over a period of some eight years; discuss the role of the staff sub-group in the evolution and co-creation of a particular discourse and we give special attention to the question of leadership and the role of the convener. Each of its two parts contains a vignette that is discussed in the light of the literature reviewed; and each contains a summarizing table, the first devoted to our principles of practice and the second to the primary purposes of the LTG and our staffing responsibilities.
The aim of this paper is to describe the use of a discrete, two session large group in an organizational conference setting (of the Faculty of Medical Psychotherapy), which gave insight into unconscious systemic dynamics that affect the organization. In line with a tradition of the use of experiential large group experiences in organizational settings, we illustrate how such a group can be used as a consultative process through bringing forward fresh insights with a compelling emotional intensity and in community building through sharing experiences at a time of stress in mental health services with feelings of increasing isolation. Such insights can aid the organization and its elected officials in leading and developing strategy, whilst community building can lead to collective responsibility-taking and development of collegial relationships which serve to reduce isolation. We clarify different possible functions of the experiential large group in organizational conference settings including consultation regarding systemic dynamics, community building and affective integration of learning.
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