For many years, group therapy was the preferred mode of treating adults who had sexually abused, quite simply because it is more efficient—in terms of both time and cost—than individual treatment. Today, however, we know that group treatment is about so much more than treating many clients at once.

This online training focuses on how treatment providers can create and facilitate high-functioning treatment groups that benefit clients and improve treatment outcomes. It provides a historical overview of what works in group treatment and what the research evidence has shown. Areas such as group cohesion, the therapeutic alliance, and how member interactions deepen the group’s impact on each group member will form the center of these discussions.

During this training, presenter Steven Sawyer discusses:

• The history of groups for support and healing
• Research that supports the benefits of group-based treatment
• Essential elements of effective groups
• Group facilitation techniques
• Clinical issues including topics such as “myopic thinking” and resisting the urge to intercede or micromanage clients’ daily lives feeling overly responsible for outcomes

This training further explores how to build adherence to a well-defined, clearly communicated structure in order to create a safe and positive emotional climate. Special attention is be given to the challenges this work can create for clinicians; for example, knowing when to intercede and when to resist the urge to micromanage clients’ interactions and unwittingly impair group processes.