The Art of Group Therapy in Practice: A Conversation with Steven Sawyer
Please note: This webinar is not eligible for continuing education (CE) credit due to its informal, conversational format. Participants who attend the full live session will, however, receive a Certificate of Attendance.
This webinar is primarily for professionals who work with adults who have engaged in harmful behaviors and who use, or plan to use, group therapy in practice. It is especially useful for mental health clinicians, including social workers, counselors, psychologists, and other therapists.
Professionals who help individuals address harmful behaviors—including sexual offending, domestic violence, substance abuse, and other addictive behaviors—commonly use group therapy in their work. This approach offers many benefits: group members learn from others with similar experiences, gain understanding from peers who can relate to their challenges, and develop accountability for their actions and lives. When the focus of group therapy centers on the group itself, rather than a facilitator who teaches lessons and imparts information, members are better able to find their own motivation for meaningful change.
Over the course of 40 years, Steven Sawyer has advanced group therapy practices for people who have engaged in harmful behaviors, and is best known for his work in the prevention of sexual offending. His career has included international training and consultation, as well as authoring and co-authoring three of the field’s principal books on group therapy. This long and influential career ultimately culminated in his latest work, Mastering the Art of Group Therapy: A Guide for Facilitators.
In this webinar, moderator David Prescott leads a conversation with Sawyer that connects the evolution of Sawyer’s career to the insights presented in Mastering the Art of Group Therapy. They explore key elements that make group therapy more effective, including:
- Stages of group development
- The role of cohesion and group climate
- Creating a “group-centered group”
- The role of group therapy in preventing further offending
Sawyer also reflects on real-world scenarios and case examples, illustrating how group therapy remains a proven, well-established approach to achieving positive treatment outcomes.
Who's Presenting
Steven Sawyer, MSSW, LICSW, ATSA-F
Mr. Sawyer earned his MSSW from the University of Wisconsin in 1980. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and is founder and President of Sawyer Solutions, LLC, a private clinical and consulting practice. He was a founding board member and Executive Director of Project Pathfinder, Inc., a founding board member and past chapter president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (MNATSA), and is a past board member and chair of the Minnesota Board of Social Work.
In his clinical practice he provides clinical and consultation services to individuals, families and organizations. Over the past 40 years he has assessed and treated hundreds of men who have committed sexual crimes and has supervised or been involved in the treatment of several thousand men in sexual offender treatment.
For more than 20 years he served as a consultant to catholic religious orders on matters of sexual perpetrator assessment, and sexual abuse prevention and management. He has provided clinical supervision and training services for the State of Minnesota since 2013 and has provided clinical supervision to more than 40 clinicians. He has consulted with civil commitment programs, and provided full day trainings and webinars for state agencies and clinicians.
Mr. Sawyer is an experienced public speaker for the media and professionals. He has given lectures and trainings locally and nationally to public and professional groups about sexual offender treatment, group therapy and sexual abuse prevention. He has published more than 20 articles, workbooks, and book chapters on topics ranging from a program for men who use prostitutes, sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, group therapy with adult sexual offenders, sex dysfunction in sex offenders, and sex offender treatment program outcome research.