The incorporation of therapy animals into psychological treatment has proven to be an effective form of treatment option for college students, yet limited information exists around the implementation of animal assisted interventions within groupwork. The purpose of this study was to gain understanding of animal assisted group therapy (AAGT) on…

The group's absence norm, a construct from the applied psychology literature, was used to examine session absences in personal growth groups. Rather than examining the absence norm statically, we modeled it dynamically as a time-varying covariate (Tasca et al., 2010). We also examined moderation by modeling the interaction of the absence norm and…

The commentators' responses to the viability of open groups using Therapeutic Enactment (TE) in a university setting are important. This reply addresses four main points: (a) single versus multiple sessions; (b) principles of brief therapy; (c) issues around training for group leaders; and (d) further research. The author agrees with commentators…

Therapeutic Enactment (TE) groups, as presented in the article, "Time-Limited Service Alternatives: Using Therapeutic Enactment in Open Group Therapy," offer an exciting and promising addition to the types of groups traditionally offered in university counseling centers. The brevity of member participation, the lack of empirical evidence of…

This article offers comments on the Keats and Sabharwal article, "Time-Limited Service Alternatives: Using Therapeutic Enactment in Open Group Therapy," including the rationale for the approach, its conceptual base, the group process and ethical issues. Suggestions for further research on this approach are presented, including examination of its…

The current college counseling literature reports increases in the number of requests for counseling services on campuses, as well as increases in the complexity and severity of client problems. These changes have lead counselors to search for alternative means of providing effective and efficient therapeutic assistance to students in need. In…

The literature is extensive about explanatory behavioral and social effects with an individual or micro focus. A somewhat less programmatic literature exits in social justice that considers systemic or macro factors: for example, mental health service and its structures that perpetuate inequity and disparity in service delivery. Social privilege…

Common in the 1960s, marathon groups are now rarely used. With the emerging effects of managed care, short-term brief focused therapies have become the therapeutic norm, and group counseling has become popular because of its low cost and therapeutic effectiveness. Most groups at university counseling centers run for one semester. A strategically…

Students faced with the challenge of grieving in a college setting bring unique concerns and difficulties to this task. A seven-session bereavement group run under the auspices of a college counseling center are described. Evaluations administered at the end group sessions indicated that the participants found the most valuable aspect of the group…

Provides a perspective on the use of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" as a bibliotherapeutic tool in group therapy. Provide an example of theme extraction in a session. Considers philosophical and theoretical issues. (RS)

Describes phases in the life of a Tavistock group composed of college students using concepts from Von Bertalanffy's general systems theory, MacKenzie's role theory, and Kantor's family theory. Discusses early, middle, and late phases of typical 16-session group as it moves from a closed to an open system. (Author/NB)

Examines the effectiveness of group interpersonal therapy (IPT) in treating overweight, binge-eating patients. Participants were randomly allocated to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or to an assessment-only group. After 12 weeks, those who did not respond to CBT were assigned 12 weeks of IPT. IPT led to no further improvement. (JPS)

Examined effects of preparer (leader versus other personnel) and modality (group versus individual) on expectations about therapy, anxiety, group and individual functioning, and leader functioning in group therapy preparation program. Findings from 32 graduate students revealed that preparation can have positive effect on clients' beliefs,…

Describes a therapy program for student alcohol abusers conducted by an alcohol treatment specialist. Describes objectives and content of the eight sessions. Follow-up data on the Alcohol Intervention Program suggest it can have positive results. (JAC)

Role playing by social work students as family members and therapists in a simulated family situation provides a stimulating learning experience for the participants and the student audience. (MS)