Group therapy involves emotionally ill individuals meeting in a guided group setting to assist in personal change. Key elements include selective group composition, a facilitated environment for self-disclosure, and an emphasis on shared experiences and support among members. Overall, group therapy aims to enhance communication, interpersonal skills, and self-confidence, facilitating reintegration into society.

1. GROUP
THERAPY

2. Group Therapy
Group psychotherapy is a treatment in which carefully
selected people who are emotionally ill meet in a group
guided by a trained therapist, and help one another effect
personality change.

3. Selection
Homogeneous groups
Adolescents and patients with personality disorders
Families and couples where the system needs change

4. Contraindications
Antisocial patients
Actively suicidal or severely depressed patients
Patients who are delusional and who may incorporate the
group into their delusional system

5. Group Size
• Optimal size for group therapy is 8 to10 members.

6. Frequency and Length of Sessions
• Most group psychotherapists conduct group sessions once a
week; each session may last for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

7. Approaches to Group Therapy
The therapist's role is primarily that of a facilitator; he should provide
a safe, comfortable atmosphere for self-disclosure
Focus on the "here and now"
Use any transference situations to develop insight into their problems
Protect members from verbal abuse or from scapegoating
Whenever appropriate, provide positive reinforcement, this gives ego
support and encourages future growth

8. Cont…,
Protects the self-esteem of the individual and also sets limits on the
behavior
Develop ability to recognize when a group member is" fragile";he should
be approached in a gentle, supportive and non-threatening manner
Use silence effectively to encourage introspection and facilitate insight
Laughter and a moderate amount of joking can act as a safety valve
Role-playing may help a member develop insight

9. Therapeutic Factors Involved in Group
Therapy
These involve sharing experiences, support to and
from group members, socialization, imitation and
interpersonal learning.

10. Sharing experience:
This helps the patients to realize that they are not
isolated and that others also have similar experiences and
problems. Hearing from other patients that they have shared
experiences is often more convincing and helpful than
reassurance from the therapist.

11. Support to and from group members:
Receiving help from other group members can be
supportive to the person helped. The sharing action of being
mutually supporting is an aspect of group cohesiveness that
can provide a sense of belonging for patients who feel
isolated in their everyday lives.

12. Socialization:
It is acquisition of social skills, for e.g. maintaining
eye contact, within a group through comments that members
provide about one another's deficiencies in social skills.
This process can be helped by trying out new ways of
interacting within the safety of the group.

13. Imitation:
It is learning from observing and adapting the
behaviors of other group members. If the group is run well,
patients imitate the adaptive behaviors of other group
members.

14. Interpersonal learning:
It refers to learning about difficulties in relationships
by examining the interaction of individuals with the other
members of the group.

15. Some Techniques Useful in Group
Therapy
Reflecting or rewarding comments of group members
Asking for group reaction to one member's statement
Asking for individual reaction to one member's statement
Pointing out any shared feelings within the group
Summarizing various points at the end of session

16. Conclusion
In conclusion, one may say that group therapy plays a
major role in the rehabilitation of the mentally ill individual.
Thus it helps the patient to master communication and
interpersonal skills, problem solving, decision making and
assertiveness skills, thus enabling him tore-enter the society's
mainstream with a greater degree of confidence.

17. Thank you