Routledge Group Therapy for Psychoses

Group therapy for patients with psychotic experiences is one of the least known of the group therapies; it is also one of the most diverse. This collection presents a range of methods, models and settings for group therapy for psychoses, as well as exploring the context for this type of treatment. Group Therapy for Psychoses offers an international perspective on the current range of practice in the field, in multiple care situations, contexts and institutions; from acute units to therapeutic communities, rehabilitation groups, self-help, and groups of those who hear voices. Presented in two parts, the first covers the history, evaluation and research methodologies of group therapy, while the second explores specific examples of groups and settings. The book tackles misconceptions about the treatment of psychoses and emphasises the healing effects of group therapy. It underscores the importance of training for selecting and conducting groups of patients suffering from psychoses and suggests possible formats, approaches and perspectives. The book’s wide, reflexive and practical collection of chapters together demonstrate how group therapies can effectively help patients with psychotic experiences to overcome their difficulties on their way to recovery. The book will be of great use to clinicians working with people suffering from psychosis, including psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, psychologists, physicians and social workers. It will also appeal to group analysts, family therapists and CBT practitioners, as well as to all researchers in these fields. Review "The authors demonstrate how much inspiration is needed and how much understanding, wish and desire is necessary when working with psychotic patients using group therapeutic modality. By sharing their knowledge and experience through clinical material which is enriched with theoretical discussion, they stimulate in the reader a sense of curiosity and satisfaction. The book sheds light on many possibilities of treatment for patients in group therapy. Every chapter is inspired by personal understanding and psychotic processes are discussed in different contexts and levels of personal understanding, thus offering group psychotherapy of patients that suffer from psychosis in a more accessible and understandable way. By reading this book I am convinced that working with patients suffering from psychoses will enrich our knowledge about psychological processes, illuminating paths that should be followed in psychotherapy of difficult patients." --Ljiljana Milivojevic, M.D., Ph.D., neuropsychiatrist, training group analyst and training psychoanalyst in private practice, Belgrade, Serbia "A new star is shining in this necessitous sky. This book encompasses a great number of group approaches to psychoses in a plain language that is radiating with humanity, but also high professionalism. Authors from ten countries and two continents provide the reader with the most up-to-date information on group psychotherapy, illustrated with clinical examples. This book should certainly be read." --Eduard Klain, M.D., Ph.D., training psychoanalyst of IPA, certified group psychotherapist of AGPA, Professor Emeritas at the University of Zagreb Medical School, Croatia About the Author Ivan Urlić is a neuropsychiatrist, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and group analyst and professor of psychiatry and psychological medicine at the Medical School, University of Split, Croatia. He is a supervisor, training group analyst, and founder member of IGA Zagreb and IGA Bologna, where he is training analyst and supervisor. Manuel González de Chávez is former President of the ISPS. He is currently the President of the Foundation for Research and Treatment of Schizophrenia in Madrid, Spain. Until his retirement, he was Head of the Psychiatry Service at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón of Madrid and Professor of Psychiatry at the C