Group Psychotherapy in the 1980s: Problems and Prospects

The phenomenal rise that group psychotherapy has experienced during the last 30 years, is likely to continue. Short-term and more superficial group modalities will prevail, however, with long-term psychoanalytic group treatment becoming relegated to the private sector. The current trend toward pragmatism and eclecticism in group-psychotherapy theorizing and technical experimentation, is bound to persist. In research, the focus will need to be on the delineation of the therapeutic factors which are unique to the group method. Circumscribed outcome studies will also emerge, geared to specific patient categories, intervention models, patient-therapist fit, and especially session frequency and duration.