Clinical Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy Bernard, Harold, PHD; Burlingame, Gary, PHD; Flores, Phillip, PHD; Greene, Les, PHD; Joyce, Anthony,

PHD; Kobos, Joseph C, PHD; Leszcz, Molyn, MD, FRCPC; Semands, Rebecca R MacNair, PHD; Piper,

William E, PHD; McEneaney, Anne M Slocum, PHD; Feirman, Diane, CAE . International Journal of Group

Psychotherapy ; New York  Vol. 58, Iss. 4,  (Oct 2008): 455-542.

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ABSTRACT

The task of the group leader is to integrate these components into a coherent, fluid, and complementary process,

mindful that at all times there are multiple variables, such as stage of group development, ego strength of

individual members, the population being treated, group as a whole factors, and individual and group resistances,

that influence what type of intervention should be emphasized at any particular time in the group. Clinicians can

actively link this document to other American Group Psychotherapy Association resources, including the CORE-R

Battery (Burlingame et al., 2006), the Principles of Group Psychotherapy (Weber, 2006), Ethics in Group

Psychotherapy (MacNair-Semands 2005b), the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, and the range of

educational opportunities provided through AGPA’s annual meeting and at regional affiliate societies. FULL TEXT

INTRODUCTION

The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy are a product of the Science to Service Task Force of the

American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). This Task Force was formed in 2005 at the recommendation

of Dr. Robert Klein, who was then President of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. The Task Force is

part of AGPA’s response to the recognition of its responsibility to support its membership and all practitioners of

group psychotherapy to meet the appropriate demands for evidence-based practice and greater accountability in

the practice of contemporary psychotherapy (Lambert and Ogles, 2004). The Task Force reflects the full breadth of

scholarship and expertise in the practice and evaluation of group psychotherapy, and is composed of researchers,

educators, and leading practitioners of group psychotherapy (membership of the Science to Service Task Force is

noted at the conclusion of this introduction).

These clinical practice guidelines address practitioners who practice dynamic, interactional, and relationally-based

group psychotherapy. This model of group psychotherapy utilizes the group setting as an agent for change and

pays careful attention to the three primary forces operating at all times in a therapy group: individual dynamics,

interpersonal dynamics, and group as a whole dynamics. The task of the group leader is to integrate these

components into a coherent, fluid, and complementary process, mindful that at all times there are multiple

variables, such as stage of group development, ego strength of individual members, the population being treated,

group as a whole factors, and individual and group resistances, that influence what type of intervention should be

emphasized at any particular time in the group. Clients seeking group psychotherapy in this context experience a

broad range of psychological and interpersonal difficulties encompassing mood, anxiety, trauma, personality, and

relational difficulties along with associated behaviors that reflect impairment in regulation of mood and self. These

guidelines may also have utility for a range of group-oriented interventions. Many of the principles articulated here

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