A psychotherapeutic approach to task-oriented groups of severely ill patients.
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This paper presents a conceptual approach for leading various types of groups of chronically mentally ill patients. Although these groups may have a concrete, task-oriented purpose, with skillful leadership they also function as psychotherapy groups. The developmental deficits in ego functions, object relations, and social skills that severely impair such groups can be compensated by non-interpretative actions of the therapists. The group leader must actively work to provide for the structure, stability, and safety of the group when group members are unable to provide these for themselves. (+info)
Generalization of verbal conditioning to verbal and nonverbal behavior: group therapy with chronic psychiatric patients.
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TWELVE CHRONIC HOSPITALIZED FEMALE PATIENTS RECEIVED TOKEN REINFORCEMENT CONTINGENT ON TWO SEPARATE CLASSES OF VERBALIZATIONS: (a) positive statements about optional activities available in the hospital setting, and (b) positive statements about people. Cross-class generalization of reinforced verbal responses about activities to overt behavior was tested by actual participation in activities; within-class generalization of verbal responses about people to verbalizations in another stimulus setting was assessed in a structured interview situation. A multiple baseline design with contingency reversals was employed to demonstrate experimental control of both classes of verbalizations in the group sessions. Positive statements about activities generalized to actual participation in activities, while generalization of positive statements about people to verbalization in the extragroup setting did not occur. (+info)
Group-based care: does it change problem behaviour?
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As a result of disappointing experiences in managing problem behaviour presented by patients in general practice, a system of team or group-based care was developed at the Ommoord Health Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.However, despite all the care given by social workers, general practitioners, physiotherapists and other members of the primary health care team, the problem behaviour of about half the patients was unaltered.This report concerns the aims and methods of our group meetings and the conditions such as empathy, sincerity and non-possessive warmth which we regard as essential in dealing with problem behaviour. The conditions necessary for improvement, such as independence and responsiveness by patients, are also considered. During our group meetings the team deals with the emotions which patients are experiencing at the time, and patients are encouraged to discover as much as possible about their own possibilities for both influencing and making choices in their lives. Some examples of this type of care are given.Patients react positively to the group-based care approach and some reduction in the consultation rate and in the prescribing of tranquillizers by general practitioners has been shown. (+info)