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)

Discusses the therapeutic benefits of reminiscence group therapy with the elderly. Includes a brief literature review and a description of a reminiscence group. Provides counselors with a feasible technique when working with the elderly. (Author/NB)

Applied the Directives Rating System (DRS), which classifies directives, to transcripts of four expert group therapists. DRS yielded satisfactory estimates of interrater agreement and validity. Findings showed that DRS ratings were related to therapists' theoretical orientation and that therapists tended to use imperatives and requestives when…

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)

Elementary school students assessed by school faculty as poorly adjusted and in need of counseling were studied. Half of the students received group counseling, and half were used as a control group with a pre-/posttest comparison group design. Results indicated significant progress for the subject group in interpersonal relationships, behavior,…

Discusses one form of group interpersonal-skill training, relationship-enhancement (RE) therapy, which was offered to patients and staff as a pilot program. Patients and staff found learning RE behaviors and skills to be beneficial to their communication and helpful in improving their relationships. (Author/GCP)

Adolescents who have suffered the trauma of incest or rape often search for inner resolution amidst a society that can be more rejecting than comforting. Therapists need to be aware of issues specific to this population, as well as societal influences that impact recovery. Describes the components of an adolescent art therapy group for female…

A decrease in the average stay in mental health programs has changed the delivery of art therapy services. Article presents strategies for utilizing six prestructured art elements (magazine pictures, magazine words, photocopied images, cut and torn paper, traced shapes, and partial drawings) as a means of addressing these trends. Treatment sources…

Introduces interactive journal writing in which group members write not only for themselves or their leaders but also to communicate with other group members. Experience with this new format suggests that this adjunctive methodology complements the live group process, enhances a greater sense of community, and accelerates group cohesion. (Contains…

Ninety individuals with social phobia (social anxiety disorder) participated in a randomized controlled trial and completed cognitive-behavioral group therapy, exposure group therapy without explicit cognitive interventions, or a wait-list control condition. Both treatments were superior to the wait-list group in reducing social anxiety but did…

This article describes the program content of a multidisciplinary, hospital-based program for severe eating disorders. Common goals for treatment of patients with eating disorders are discussed. Details about the specific therapeutic strategies used in individual and group therapy are provided. Also, information about dietary counseling and…

This note sketches aspects of the development of the Interpersonal System of Personality (ISP), using information appearing in dissertations, theses, notes, correspondence, and publications prior to the classic 1951 paper by M. B. Freedman, T. F. Leary, A. G. Ossorio, and H. S. Coffey. Topics include the setting and the creation of the ISP, the…

This column describes how a university clinic (henceforth "the Clinic") specializing in treating children with anxiety disorders managed over time to integrate empirically supported treatments and diagnostic methods, initially with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and later with other anxiety disorders as well, over the 15-year period 1991 to…

An anxiety management group utilizing a cognitive behavioural intervention, of 12 weeks duration, for six people with mild to moderate learning disabilities is described. A number of techniques to assist in developing clients' understanding of their anxiety, cognitive and behavioural coping strategies and maximizing generalizability of skills…

This prospective study investigated the impact of group composition on the outcome of 2 forms of time-limited, short-term group therapy (interpretive, supportive) with 110 outpatients from 18 therapy groups, who presented with complicated grief. The composition variable was based on the patient's level of quality of object relations. The higher…