64th Annual Conference

Friday, March 9

Afternoon Open Sessions

2:45 P.M.-6:00 P.M.

Session 310         

Current Research in Group Psychotherapy

Chair:         

Jennifer Johnson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Research), Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island             

Part 1: Examples of Group Research

Discussant:

Anthony Joyce, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Title: Patient-focused research: A path to supporting the effectiveness of a child group therapy intervention

Authors: Karin Price, Ph.D. & Shari Neul, Ph.D., Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas

Title: Therapeutic alliance (bonding) as an explanatory variable of progress in the social competence of students with learning disabilities

Authors: Zipora Shechtman, Ph.D. & Einat Katz, Ph.D., University of Haifa, Israe

The first part of this open session will highlight how research in group psychotherapy continues to demonstrate the clinical utility of group treatments and to assist in the development and validation of various treatment techniques.  Presenters will detail findings from their current research. A senior discussant will critique findings and discuss their application to clinical practice.

Part 2: Workshop on How to Conduct Research in Your Private Practice

Richard Berke, Ph.D., Private Practice, Stratham, New Hampshire

Renee Van Der Vennet, Ph.D., Private Practice in Houston, Texas

In the second section of the open session, we will have an open discussion and examples of how to conduct research as part of private practice, especially how to gather information that will improve clinical work with a minimum of inconvenience. If you’ve ever considered doing research in your practice, but don’t know where to start, this open session is for you!  If you have collected some data in your practice, and want to think about what to do with it or how to make your data collection more informative, this is the workshop for you!  Research in private practice can be quick, inexpensive, convenient, and useful!

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Critique the clinical utility of current group research.

2. Consider the implications of empirical findings for the practice of group psychotherapy.

3. Summarize recent findings in group psychotherapy research and outline directions for future inquiry.

4. Discuss important principles related to developing and conducting effective group therapies.

Course References:

1. Burlingame, G., MacKenzie, K., & Strauss, B. (2003).  Small group treatment: Evidence for effectiveness and mechanisms of change.  In M. Lambert (Ed.), Bergin and Garfield's Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change. 647-696. New York: Wiley.

2. Green, L. (2000).  Group psychotherapy research: Current status and future trends on the dawn of a new millennium.  Group. 24(2-3), 157-165.

3. Burlingame, G., MacKenzie, K., Strauss, B. (in press). Evidence-based group treatment: Matching models and disorders.  Washington DC: American Psychological Association.