+

Group Approaches to the treatment of DepressionBased on pages 177-178 of the Course Companion

+What is group therapy?

Read page 168 of the Course Companion

+Group Therapy

Most group therapy for treating depression is couples’ therapy

+What happens at couple’s therapy?

+What happens at couple’s therapy?

Couples learn how to:

communicate more effectively

and problem-solve

increase positive interactions

decrease negative interchanges

+Jacobson et al (1989)

Couples’ therapy just as effective as other forms of treating the symptoms of depression

Most successful in treating women for whom marital distress is causing depression

+Which is better?Individual vs Group Therapy

+Toseland and Siporin (1986) To date there haven’t been too many studies on the

effectiveness of group therapy.

Toseland and Siporin (1986) reviewed 74 studies comparing individual with group treatment

75% equally effective

25% group treatment more effective

No evidence that individual treatment was more effective

31% of cases, group treatment more cost effective

+McDermut et al. (2001)

Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of group psychotherapy in the treatment of depression.

43 out of 48 studies showed statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms after group psychotherapy

9 out of 48 showed no difference between group and individual therapy

8 out of 48 showed CBT to be more effective than psychodynamic therapy

+Meta- analysis

Why might there be such a difference between the meta-analysis of Toseland and Siporin and McDermut et al?

+Meta- analysis

Why might there be such a difference between the meta-analysis of Toseland and Siporin and McDermut et al?

According to Yalom (2005), one of the fathers of group therapy, it is highly problematic to collect data for group therapy.

A group dynamic presents so many different variables than individual therapy.

+4 Factors to consider in group therapy

Group Cohesion

Exclusion (are there people who should be excluded?)

Confidentiality

Relationships with therapist

+

Re-read pages 177-178 of the Course Companion

Search the internet for information on group therapy

Visit http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Group-therapy.html

Also read pages 173-174 of the Pearson’s sample chapter

Make notes

Compile a list of strengths and limitations of group therapy