Handbook of Contemporary Group Psychotherapy: Contributions from Object Relations, Self Psychology, & Social Systems Theories

This book constitutes the first comprehensive effort to bridge the gap beween contemporary psychoanalytic theory and group psychotherapy practice. While many practitioners have difficulty applying contemporary theoretical concepts to individual psychotherapy, there are at least a number of efforts to do so in the extant literature. The present volume represents the first systematic effort to identify the relevance of object relations theory, self psychology, and social systems theory to the conduct of group treatment. These theoretical schools represent the major elaborations of psychoanalytic theory over the past thirty years. Their major concepts and underlying assumptions are complex, and experienced by many as difficult to understand. The authors who have contributed to this volume have been chosen because of their ability to explain their theoretical positions lucidly, and to make clear the applicability of their perspectives to day-to-day clinical work. The book is rich with clinical vignettes from actual group therapy sessions: this allows the reader to see how theoretical constucts can be used in concrete ways to help patients change and grow. The book is divided into three sections: Recent Theoretical Developments, Clinical Applications to Patient Care, and The Role of the Therapist. Each section includes a summary chapter which highlights the points of convergence and divergence among the three perspectives discussed. The book ends with a concluding chapter which assesses the current status of attempts to integrate current psychoanalytic theory with the practice of group psychotherapy.Handbook of Contemporary Group Psychotherapy: Contributions from Object Relations, Self Psychology, & Social Systems Theories, was published 1992 under ISBN 9780823622856 and ISBN 0823622851.