The group-as-a-whole-object relations model of group psychotherapy

The authors review the theoretical basis of group psychotherapy performed at The Menninger Clinic and demonstrate how the theory has been put into practice on two different types of inpatient units. The fundamental elements of the theory and practice used can be traced to object relations theory as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic 2001-09, Vol.65 (4), p.471-488
Main Authors: ROSEN, Donald, STUKENBERG, Karl W, SAEKS, Stephen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Group psychotherapy
Humans
Medical sciences
Object Attachment
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling
Psychotherapy, Group
Treatments
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Summary:The authors review the theoretical basis of group psychotherapy performed at The Menninger Clinic and demonstrate how the theory has been put into practice on two different types of inpatient units. The fundamental elements of the theory and practice used can be traced to object relations theory as originally proposed by Melanie Klein. Her work with individuals was directly applied to working with groups by Ezriel and Bion, who focused on interpreting group tension. More modern approaches have reintegrated working with individual concerns while also attending to the group-as-a-whole. Historically, these principles have been applied to long-term group treatment. The authors apply the concepts from the group-as-a-whole literature to short- and medium-length inpatient groups with open membership. They offer clinical examples of the application of these principles in short-term inpatient settings in groups with open membership.
ISSN:0025-9284
1943-2828
DOI:10.1521/bumc.65.4.471.19836