Group Therapy

Definition

Various types of group therapy exist, including group guidance, growth group, group counseling, and group psychotherapy. Though these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, each method differs in structure and focus and in the qualifications and credentials vary of the group leader. Thus, in group counseling, the leader may be a layperson, a paraprofessional, or a credentialed professional who has been certified or licensed by a state or national program.

Programs based on group guidance typically have a large number of participants. In such groups, the leader functions more as an instructor or facilitator than as someone giving direct, specialized care. These groups usually offer educational and skill development as in the drug education programs available in all U.S. federal prisons. Growth groups, on the other hand, are intended to provide a setting for the participants to become more functional individuals, once again with the leader functioning as instructor, guide, or facilitator.

Group counseling and group psychotherapy are more clinical in orientation. These strategies are often used in therapeutic communities. Group counseling focuses on normal persons with common problems, whereas psychotherapy focuses on dysfunctional persons with disorders. As with individual counseling and psychotherapy, group counseling and psychotherapy can be viewed on a continuum. In practice, they may be blended and move from one orientation to the other as the group members' needs arise.

Justice Applications

Several types of group counseling and therapy are employed in the adult and juvenile justice system. Depending on the charges and contributing factors, an adjudged or adjudicated individual may be required to attend various types or multiples of groups. Three of the more popular types of groups that are commonly incorporated into sentencing and plea bargains are 12-step programs, that is, Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, or Narcotics Anonymous substance and drug abuse, anger management, and sex offender counseling or therapy programs. With the exception of the 12-step type programs run by laypeople, the other forms of groups are clinical in orientation and thus led by credentialed professionals.

These groups provide cost-effective and efficient service distribution since they usually employ only one leader for many participants. They strive to address the dysfunctions of individuals, while providing opportunities to explore different types of relating with other persons and to learn more effective social skills. Also, they offer opportunities for participants to discuss their perceptions of life situations and experiences and to receive feedback on how others interpret and cope with them. Finally, groups such as these enable their members to experiment with alternative behaviors.

Challenges of Rehabilitation

The challenges of rehabilitation in correctional confinement are complex because the population of the incarcerated present the therapeutic professionals multiple and diverse pathologies with many qualifying for dual or multiple diagnoses. These pathologies extend beyond the antisocial issues that led to incarceration in the first place. Research indicates that a large proportion of inmates present suffer from significant mental health issues including past abuse victimizations, substance abuses, and learning difficulties, not to mention adjustment issues associated with their confinement. In addition, there are the developmental issues of juvenile offenders, the different socialization of genders, and the belief systems of multiple cultures of the inmates. Perhaps most problematic, though group therapy usually attempts to provide a supportive environment for voluntary members, in correctional institutions groups are used to reform and socialize its members, who may be mandated to attend by the courts or by prison personnel. Finally, the therapeutic professionals are confronted with the additional difficulties of providing services in an environment that may either not understand or be unsupportive of the process of therapy itself.

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