66th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 19

Early Morning Colloquies

Colloquy 2

Dual Relationships in Process Groups During Training:  Working Together on the

Wards While Working Through in the Group

Presenter:        

Seamus Bhatt-Mackin, M.D., Chief Resident, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina

Process groups during mental health training programs are challenging when collegial or personal relationships exist between group members.  While outside contact between members affects relationships in the group, the group experience also impacts relationships on the wards, in the clinic and beyond.  This session explores the difficulty with these dual relationships.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Differentiate psychotherapy groups and process groups during training.

2. Identify difficulties with dual relationships in the process group during training.

3. Distinguish the roles of group member and professional colleague.

Course References:

1. Pepper, R. (2007) Too Close for Comfort:  The Impact of Dual Relationships on Group Therapy and Group Therapy Training. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 57 (1), pp. 13-23.

2. Swiller, H.I., Lang, E.A. & Halperin, D.A. (1993) Process Groups for Training Psychiatric Residents. In Alonso, A. & Swiller, H.I.(eds.), Group Therapy in Clinical Practice, (pp. 533- 545) Washington, D.C.: APA Press.
3. Gans, J.S., Rutan, J.S. & Wilcox, N. (1995) T-Groups (Training Groups) in Psychiatric Residency Programs: Facts and Possible Implications. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 45 (2), pp. 169-183.