Humanistic group psychotherapy.

Abstract

There is a large amount of research in the professional literature that supports the effectiveness of humanistic group therapy. Unfortunately, the utility of humanistic group therapy with clinical populations is not widely recognized by the psychological community. This chapter describes what the research shows about the effectiveness of humanistic group therapy. We hope to demonstrate concretely the specific ways this research details how humanistic group therapy helps clients make positive behavioral and attitudinal changes. BASIC CONCEPTS OF HUMANISTIC GROUP THERAPYThe primary therapy theories that are reviewed in this chapter as humanistic theories of group therapy include person-centered (or clientcentered; CCT) group therapy, Gestalt group therapy, and existential group therapy. These theories are included under the humanistic rubric because they share common assumptions about human nature and the therapeutic processes that are central to effective psychotherapy. All of these theories emphasize that people have free will and the ability to make choices that are growth producing. These theories also stress the importance of selfawareness in therapy because it is assumed that people who are self-aware can make better choices. Person-centered, Gestalt, and existential therapies all emphasize the idea that people are capable of acting in responsible and caring ways in interpersonal relationships. All of these theories state that human beings have an innate drive toward growth that enables them to 339

“That chair work thing was great”: a pilot study of group-based emotion-focused therapy for anxiety and depression

“…Process and outcome research has examined client-centered, Gestalt and existential forms of group-based psychotherapy with diverse populations, including but not limited to hospitalized inpatient psychiatry patients, hospitalized alcoholic patients, couples, and cancer patients. Overall, participation in humanistic group therapies has been found to be significantly related to positive outcomes across multiple domains (see Page, Weiss, & Lietaer, 2001, for a review).…”

Differentiation and Eating Disorder Symptoms Among Males

“…Family counselors can also use the results of this study in selecting counseling interventions. Page, Weiss, and Lietaer (2001) highlighted the Gestalt therapy two-chair technique (e.g., Clarke & Greenberg, 1986) as being a specifically beneficial humanistic counseling intervention and noted the applicability of this intervention to individual or group settings. In the following section, we summarize and apply this technique to family counseling with male clients who report low self-differentiation and eating disorder symptoms.…”

“We may not like it but we guess we have to do it:” Bringing Agency-Based Staff on Board with Evidence-Based Group Work

“…Despite cautions about the potential for harm in groups (Galinsky & Schopler, 1977;Roback, 2000), there is evidence that "groups work" (Barlow, Burlingame, & Fuhriman, 2000;Burlingame, Fuhriman, & Mosier, 2003;Hoag & Burlingame, 1997). Group work benefits individuals across the life span (Bratton, Ray, Rhine, & Jones, 2005;Hoag & Burlingame, 1997;Page, Weiss, & Lietaer, 2001;Weisz, Weiss, Han, Granger, & Morton, 1995), including children and adolescents (Cramer-Azima, 2002).…”