Population Needs: Group Psychotherapy

Human beings are social beings. Group psychotherapy is regularly accessed in mental health care, not only because of the cost saving that occurs by reducing clinician-to-client ratios, but also because of the therapeutic benefit of interpersonal dynamics and learning that takes place within the group context. Yalom and Leszcz (The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. Basic Books, 2020) affirmed that the milieu of group psychotherapy processes can best accentuate mental health by using the dynamics of interpersonal connection. Furthermore, there is diversity in the types of groups that exist in mental health allowing for specific needs to be met, including some for psycho-educational purposes, mutual support groups and psychotherapeutic groups. Groups are often formed utilizing either specific or integrated models of psychotherapeutic practice (Corey in Theory & practice of group psychotherapy. Cengage, 2016). The intent of this chapter is to provide nurses with knowledge regarding the structures and processes of effective group psychotherapy interventions.