Published in 1998, A Pragamatic Approach To Group Psychotherapy is a valuable contribution to the field of Psychotherapy.

Filling a significant gap in the clinical literature, this unusually practical manual addresses the nuts-and-bolts issues involved in conducting group therapy. Featuring contributions from leading experts in the field, the volume covers everything from determining which patients will benefit from a group experience to step-by-step instructions for running group sessions as effectively as possible. A hands-on manual, the volume is also an ideal companion to a basic text on group psychotherapy. Organized in a unique, logical sequence, the chapters begin with an explanation of how to select patients for a particular group intervention and how groups are composed. The different stages of group interaction over time are then covered in detail, as are the changing aspects of the therapist's role during the various stages. Setting forth basic principles of group technique--including the management of resistance, transference, primitive group dynamics, and countertransference--a clear distinction is drawn between the roles of therapists conducting group treatment and therapists working in other treatment modalities.

Web Site The interested reader is urged to contact the author and join a Pragmatic Psychology Dialogue Group at the following web site: http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~dfishman/ "At long last, a tightly reasoned, thoroughly grounded treatise showing that complex social programs can be understood far more profoundly and usefully than past mindsets have allowed." --Lisbeth B. Schorr, author of Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America "Fishman creates a new paradigm for advancing clinical science. Every mental health professional aspiring to be accountable and a scientist practitioner in their work should be aware of the ideas in this readable and entertaining book." --David H. Barlow, editor of Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders "Daniel Fishman cuts through rhetoric with clear writing and a razor-sharp wit. The chapter on education is like the welcome beam of a lighthouse in a fog." --Maurice J. Elias, coauthor of Social Problem Solving: Interventions in the Schools "Fishman makes the case for a pragmatic psychology in unusually lucid and forceful prose. This book should be read not only by professional psychologists but by anyone interested in the future of mind-related science." --John Horgan, author of The End of Science: Facing the Limits of Knowledge in the Twilight of the Scientific Age "Fishman's liberating insights will free his readers to set aside the intellectual quandaries that plague philosophers and psychologists at the end of the 20th century, and turn back with confidence to the practice of their work." --Stephen Toulmin, author of Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernity "As we try to steer a course through the public policy debates of the 21st century, Fishman's pragmatic psychology for enhancing human services provides a far-reaching new resource for meeting this challenge." --Pat Schroeder, President and CEO, Association of American Publishers. Former Congresswoman from Colorado. About the Book A cursory survey of the field of psychology reveals raging debate among psychologists about the methods, goals, and significance of the discipline, psychology's own version of the science wars. The turn-of-the-century unification of the discipline has given way to a proliferation of competing approaches, a postmodern carnival of theories and methods that calls into question the positivist psychological tradition. Bridging the gap between the traditional and the novel, Daniel B. Fishman proposes an invigorated, hybrid model for the practice of psychology–a radical, pragmatic reinvention of psychology based on databases of rigorous, solution-focused case studies. In The Case for Pragmatic Psychology, Fishman demonstrates how pragmatism returns psychology to a focus on contextualized knowledge about particular individuals, groups, organizations, and communities in specific situations, sensitive to the complexities and ambiguities of the real world. Fishman fleshes out his theory by applying pragmatic psychology to two contemporary psychosocial dilemmas —the controversies surrounding the "psychotherapy crisis" generated by the growth of managed care, and the heated culture wars over educational reform. Moving with ease from the theoretical to the nuts and bolts of actual psychological intervention programs, Fishman proffers a strong argument for a new kind of psychology with far-reaching implications for enhancing human services and restructuring public policy.

The Handbook of Group Counseling and Psychotherapy is a comprehensive reference guide for group practitioners and researchers alike. Each chapter reviews the literature and current research as well as suggestions for practice in the psycho educational arena, counselling, and therapy groups. The Handbook encourages the notion that the field is improved through increased collaboration between researchers and practitioners. Through a review of cutting-edge research and practice, the Handbook includes } 48 articles by renowned experts in group work } the history and theory of group work } topics across the lifespan } an entire section on multicultural issues } a variety of clinical problems and settings } appendices include the Association for Specialists in Group Work Training Standards, Best Practice Standards, and Principles for Diversity-Competent Group Workers The Handbook is divided into seven sections: Current and Historical Perspectives on the Field of Group Counselling and Psychotherapy, reviews and analyzes the many contributions and contributors that have made group counselling and psychotherapy a vital and potent treatment method. The chapter outlines review articles spanning four decades, and outlines the evolution of group themes over the last 100 years. Best Practices in Group Counselling and Psychotherapy uses research, theory, and group counseling experience to provide group leaders and researches with the most current and best practices in conducting group counseling and psychotherapy. Multicultural Groups follows the ASGW Principles for Diversity-Competent Group Workers and is intended to provide group leaders with essential information about different cultural groups and their world views, perceptions of groups, naturalistic healing methods, suggested group interventions, and implications for groups. Chapters cover Native-Americans, Latinos, Asians, and African-Americans, disabled persons, and gender and sexuality. Groups Across Settings includes examples of psycho-educational, counseling, and psychotherapy groups in a variety of settings. This section presents readers with theoretical and empirical support for group work in such settings as the Veterans Administration system, university counselling centers, and more. Groups Across the Lifespan consist of chapters across many age groups. For children and adolescents, cognitive and developmental issues are addressed. For adults, socialization and interpersonal issues are addressed, including separate chapters for male and female groups. Finally, a chapter on the elderly deals with cognitive, health, and life review issues. Special Topics Groups presents a continuum of different types of groups used to treat people with interpersonal and developmental issues, such as grief, substance abuse, depression, and others. Each chapter in this section provides definitions and descriptions of the issues along with theoretical and empirical support. Finally, Critical Issues and Emerging Topics attempts to reflect the zeitgeist and provide a glimpse into group interventions for the future. Emerging issues, such as online groups, prevention groups, and peer-led mutual help groups receive careful attention and analysis. The Handbook of Group Counseling and Psychotherapy, the first reference devoted to this emerging and rapidly growing field, is essential for academics, researchers, professionals, and librarians serving the group therapy community. There is no similar reference available, and it will prove a landmark volume for years to come.

This book presents a detailed description of a new group method called Planned Group Counseling (PGC). This method was created to cope with the very reluctant behaviors found in chemically dependent and psychiatric patients: lateness, irregular attendance, premature termination, and non-compliance with therapeutic directives. The book provides the readers with a step-by-step guide for implementing PGC, including plans and psychological exercises that are designed to further develop intra-and interpersonal skills. Detailed descriptions of interventions are also included to help the group leader with a variety of difficult behaviors.

Gain a practical perspective on group therapy as a treatment for addiction! As more and more researchers and clinicians recognize group therapy as the primary psychosocial intervention in the treatment of substance abusers, there is a growing need for a comprehensive resource that places the wide range of theories and ideas about the treatment into practical perspective. The Group Therapy of Substance Abuse is the first book to bridge the gap between substance abuse treatment and group psychotherapy by presenting expert analyses that address all major schools of thought. The book includes clinical examples and specific recommendations for treatment techniques, reflecting a variety of viewpoints from the leading clinicians, scholars, and teachers in the field. Because of its therapeutic efficacy and cost effectiveness, group therapy has come to play an increasingly important role as the psychosocial therapy of choice for an ever-increasing numbers of patients with substance abuse disorders. For ease of use, The Group Therapy of Substance Abuse is divided into several sections, including a discussion of the basic theoretical approaches on which most group treatments of substance abusers are based; the uses of group treatment approaches in specific treatment settings; and the uses of group treatment with specific patient populations. The Group Therapy of Substance Abuse also includes diverse perspectives on: interpersonal and psychodynamic approaches to therapy cognitive behavioral methods outpatient, inpatient, and partial-hospitalization groups network therapy and 12-step groups treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, adolescent, and elderly abusers therapeutic community groups Essential for professionals who treat substance abusers, The Group Therapy of Substance Abuse is also an excellent textbook for scholars and students in the mental health field. The book adds depth to the practicing (and soon-to-be practicing) clinician's understanding of how best to address the complex problem of addiction.

Annotation This Way Out, a report of work done six decades ago in Howard Hall, the maximum security section of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., is immediately pertinent to today's forensic and mental health crises. The two volumes of this work help fill a need for specific data on what transpires in psychotherapy, especially that of sexual and psychotic offenders. In an era prior to medication, the therapist employs a version of Freudian analysis and adapts it to groups, both large and small. A sophisticated program resulted, in which a spiritual component, messianism, is pivotal. The author relates this dramatic story through his narrative accounts of 629 sessions. Early in the work, he presents the microanalysis of a session, to make explicit what he and the members said and did to alter their severe personal and social alienation. An informal running commentary, journalist headlines, and annotated bibliography assist the reader in the exploration and comprehension of this extensive work.