Hope for all? Investigating the moderating effect of social inhibition on the association between hope and outcome in an integrative group therapy program.

Existing research supports the therapeutic value of hope in different therapies and for diverse patient groups. Patients who are socially inhibited tend to have a particularly difficult time in group therapy, and the experience of hope in that context may be especially poignant for them. The present study investigated the impact of hope on the outcome of a group-based treatment and whether this impact differed for patients depending on their level of social inhibition.

The efficacy of group psychotherapy for adults with perfectionism: A randomized controlled trial of dynamic-relational therapy versus psychodynamic supportive therapy.

Objective: This randomized controlled trial investigated the efficacy of group dynamic-relational therapy (DRT) relative to group psychodynamic supportive therapy (PST) in treating perfectionism and improving psychological functioning.

Hypothesis: Psychodynamically informed therapies, particularly DRT, will be efficacious in treating perfectionism and functioning outcomes.

Method: Based on a comprehensive conceptualization of perfectionism, 80 community-recruited, highly perfectionistic individuals were randomly allocated to 12 sessions of group DRT (n = 41; 5 groups) or group PST (n = 39; 5 groups).

Take me back to move me forward: Re-enactment of the family system as a pathway to better quality of life for alexithymic patients in group therapy.

Background: Despite much attention in the clinical literature, research on alexithymia in the treatment setting has only recently gained traction. While several reports indicate limited benefit from therapy amongst patients with high alexithymia, this seems to be less so in the context of group therapy. This study considers a specific aspect of the group therapy process - family re-enactment - in facilitating improvement in overall quality of life for patients with high levels of alexithymia.

Psychometric validation of a Danish version of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire - Child Version (OBQ-CV).

Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Danish version of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire - Child Version (OBQ-CV). The OBQ-CV assesses dysfunctional beliefs concerning responsibility/threat estimation, perfectionism/uncertainty, and importance/control of thoughts, which according to cognitive theories are important in the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Methods: The study included a pediatric sample (age 7-17 years) consisting of 57 children and adolescents with OCD, 49 children and adolescents with an anxiety disorder (AD), and 58 typically developing (TD) children and adolescents without a psychiatric diagnosis.

Predicting Compliance in Group CBT Using the Group Therapy Questionnaire.

This study examined the clinical applicability of the Group Therapy Questionnaire (GTQ) for identifying individuals at risk of poor attendance in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) groups for depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Participants (n = 80) completed the GTQ prior to their involvement in one of five types of CBT groups. Participants' attendance was recorded by the group therapists.

The relation between outcome expectation, therapeutic alliance, and outcome among depressed patients in group cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Objective: Although patients' expectation for improvement correlates with their treatment outcome, there remains limited information regarding the mechanisms through which outcome expectation influences outcome. Although several studies have revealed alliance as a mediator of the expectancy-outcome relation, most have focused on individual psychotherapy only. More research is needed examining mediators, including alliance quality, of the outcome expectation-outcome relation in group therapy.

Treatment preferences among men attending outpatient psychiatric services.

Background: The assumption that men dislike psychotherapy has been espoused by clinicians, health care administrators, and those in the popular media. Whether this assumption holds true among help-seeking men has not been tested.

Aims: Treatment preferences of men attending outpatient psychiatric clinics were investigated to assess their willingness to engage in psychotherapy.

An integrative group therapy model for depression and anxiety in later life.

Research shows that elderly patients are fully capable of benefiting from psychotherapy, and often prefer this non-pharmacological treatment option. Further, there is consensus among geriatric clinicians and researchers that a group format for psychotherapy is likely especially helpful for the elderly. In this paper, we describe a unique group therapy program for elderly patients referred to a community outpatient setting for depression and/or anxiety.

A naturalistic study of alexithymia among psychiatric outpatients treated in an integrated group therapy program.

Objectives: Alexithymia is common among psychiatric outpatients and can complicate treatment. There has been little research into whether alexithymia can be modified by psychological intervention, and whether change in alexithymia is related to other areas of improvement. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether participation in an integrated group therapy program could effect change in alexithymia, and whether such change is related to improvement in interpersonal functioning.

Behavioral group treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence: a pilot study.

This pilot study is a preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral outpatient group treatment (CBT) protocol for adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Seven adolescents were treated in a 10-session group CBT program with weekly 2-hour sessions. The treatment protocol was an adaptation of approaches with established effectiveness and emphasized three main components: externalizing the OCD by cultivating mindful detachment; exposure and response prevention (ERP); and refocusing on alternative, constructive behaviors following exposure.

Development and initial validation of the obsessive belief questionnaire-child version (OBQ-CV).

Background: Cognitive models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) propose that beliefs are important in the etiology and maintenance of OCD and that these beliefs develop during childhood [Neal et al., 1991: Psychol Bull 109:400-410; Rachman, 1997: Behav Res Ther 35:793-802; Cronbach, 1951: Psychometrika 16:297-334]. However, the ability to test these predictions has been hampered by the lack of a standardized measure of OCD-related beliefs for youth.

Bridging the practitioner-scientist gap in group psychotherapy research.

Bridging the practitioner-scientist gap requires a different clinical research paradigm: participatory research that encourages community agency-academic partnerships. In this context, clinicians help define priorities, determine the type of evidence that will have an impact on their practice (affecting the methods that are used to produce the evidence), and develop strategies for translating, implementing, and disseminating their findings into evidence-based practice. Within this paradigm, different roles are assumed by the partners, and sometimes these roles are blended.

A survey of Canadian group psychotherapy association members' perceptions of psychotherapy research.

The present study reports on the findings of a Canadian survey of group therapists. The survey was conducted to solicit their perspectives of psychotherapy research. The goal of the survey was to identify topics and issues that were important to group therapists.

Integrated group therapy for a heterogeneous outpatient sample.

This pilot study examined the effects of an innovative 12-week integrated group therapy program for a diagnostically heterogeneous sample of psychiatric outpatients. The study also investigated whether locus of control could predict outcome. The sample consisted of 52 patients who completed treatment.

Clinical observations of a Cantonese cognitive-behavioral treatment program for Chinese immigrants.

In this article, the authors describe our clinical observations about the process of delivering a Cantonese-language cognitive- behavioral therapy program to treat depression in Hong Kong immigrants to Vancouver, Canada. Our experiences indicated that standard referral and assessment procedures were not optimal for this population. Other factors that required consideration were how to convert Cantonese terms for dysphoric affect into English equivalents and how to implement cognitive modification strategies when dealing with culture-syntonic beliefs about social relationships.