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more productive means of interaction. Family therapists work not only with
families but also with couples who are in a committed relationship, with the
goal of improving communication, helping the couple to learn better ways
of solving their problems and disagreements, and increasing feelings of inti-
macy and emotional closeness (Christensen et al., 1995; Heavey et al., 1993).
SELF-HELP GROUPS Many people may feel that a therapist who has
never had, for example, a drug problem would be unable to truly under-
stand their situation; and they may also feel that someone who has expe-
rienced addiction and beaten it is more capable of providing real help.
Therapists are also often in short supply, and they charge a fee for leading
group-therapy sessions. These are reasons some people choose to meet
with others who have problems similar to their own, with no therapist
in charge. Called self-help groups or support groups, these groups are
usually formed around a particular problem. Some examples of self-help
groups are Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, and Narcot-
ics Anonymous, all of which have groups meeting all over the country at
almost any time of the day or night. There are countless smaller support
groups for nearly every condition imaginable, including anxiety, phobias,
having a parent with dementia, having difficult children, depression,
and dealing with stress—to name just a few. The advantages of self-help
groups are that they are free and provide the social and emotional support
that a group session can provide (Bussa & Kaufman, 2000). Self-help groups do not
have leaders but instead have people who volunteer monthly or weekly to lead indi-
vidual meetings. So the person who is in charge of organizing the meetings is also a
member of the group, with the same problem as all the other members.Evaluation of Group Therapy
15.7 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of group therapy.
Group therapy can provide help to people who might be unable to afford individual psy-
chotherapy. Because the therapist can see several clients at one time, this type of therapy
is usually less expensive than individual therapy. It also allows an opportunity for both
the therapist and the person to see how that person interacts with others.
Another advantage of group therapy is that it offers social and emotional support
from people who have problems that are similar or nearly identical to one’s own. This
advantage is an important one; studies have shown that breast cancer patients who
were part of a group-therapy process had much higher survival and recovery rates
than those who received only individual therapy or no psychotherapy (Fawzy et al.,
1993; Spiegel et al., 1989). Another study found that adolescent girls in Africa, suffer-
ing from depression due to the stresses of the war in Uganda, experienced significant
reductions in depression when treated with group therapy (Bolton et al., 2007).
Group therapy is not appropriate for all situations, and there can be disadvantages.
Clients must share the therapist’s time during the session. People who are not com-
fortable in social situations or who have trouble speaking in front of others may not
find group therapy as helpful as those who are more verbal and social by nature. In
addition, since the therapist is no longer the only person to whom secrets and fears are
revealed, some people may be reluctant to speak freely. An extremely shy person may
initially have great difficulty speaking up in a group setting, but cognitive-behavioral
group therapy can be effective for social anxiety disorder (Heimberg & Becker, 2002;
Tu r k e t a l. , 2 0 0 8 ). P e o p l e w i t h p s y c h i a t r i c d i s o rd e r s i n v o l v i n g paranoia that is not well
controlled, such as schizophrenia, may not be able to tolerate group-therapy settings.
A survey and comparison of the effectiveness of both individual and group therapy
found that group therapy is only effective if it is long term and that it is more effectiveself-help groups (support groups)
a group composed of people who
have similar problems and who meet
together without a therapist or coun-
selor for the purpose of discussion,
problem solving, and social and emo-
tional support.
In self-help groups, the person or persons leading a group are
not specialists or therapists but just members of the group.
They often have the same problem as all of the other people in
the room, which is the strength of this type of program—people
may be more likely to trust and open up to someone who has
struggled as they have.