Group Psychotherapy for People with Chronic Mental Illness

Walter N. Stone, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. A coauthor (with J. Scott Rutan) of Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy, he is past president of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, a Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association, and has written over 30 articles on group psychotherapy training and practice.

• 1. Introduction2. Defining Chronic Mental Illness3. History4. The Impact of Social Relations on Chronic Mental Illness5. Group Dynamics and Development6. Initiating a Group Program7. Therapeutic Goals and Supportive Treatment8. Forming the Group9. The Role of the Therapist10.The Beginning Sessions11. The Group Census: Attendance, Newcomers, Dropouts, and Terminations12. Special Leadership Considerations13. Special Treatment Considerations14. Conclusion

...The approach put forth in this text is both practical and clinically sophisticated...The author is able to support his model throughout the book with many case vignettes that add a richness to his writing. It is the type of writing that effectively introduces new group therapists to complex ideas, and it also evokes more seasoned clinicians' recollection of similar clinical experiences from their practice in a way that enriches clinical understanding...The author presents a great deal of clinical wisdom in a readable and concise fashion...Stone's clear thinking and humane approach are revitalizing to clinicians who work with the chronically mentally ill. All those considering development of such a group are encouraged to take advantage of this resource...Experienced group therapists will find much to put into use to keep their work intellectually stimulating and challenging and to better serve a group of individuals who have been unable to tolerate existing groups. --Stephen L. Spyres, MSSW, CGP Bulletin of the Menninger ClinicRelevant for the beginning practitioner, as well as the seasoned clinician, this is a book intended for psychotherapists of all disciplines and orientations. Stone's treatment model offers the first compelling approach to group treatment for this challenging population. It is flexible enough to structure group members' variable attendance, taking intervening factors and behavior into consideration...His delineation of treatment goals with this population--enhancing their verbal expression of needs, their assertiveness, and their management of everyday nuances of relationships--is clear and includes patient and therapist dynamics....case vignettes highlight specific points throughout. This is a useful and important book... --Rosemary Ciullo, PsyD, ReadingsThe chronically mentally ill have a new champion. In a compelling and sensitive book, Walter Stone has created an exceptional didactic experience that provides new enthusiasm for this too often neglected population. Group therapy comes alive in a manner that is comprehensible and applicable. This is a book for anyone interested in the chronically mentally ill; and for those who are not interested, beware, this book may alter your opinion. --Samuel J. Keith, MD, Professor and Chairman, Dept of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of New MexicoBasically intended as a treatise on group therapy for long-term mental patients, this volume has value beyond its sensitive contribution to clinical psychiatry. It is also an important conceptual work that delves into the definitional and semantic issues surrounding chronic mental illness. Clinicians will find great merit in the book's step-by-step descriptions of engaging and assisting patients in group therapy. Sociologists will profit from its excellent analyses of group process. All, however--clinicians, researchers, and academics alike--will appreciate Stone's efforts to clarify concepts and provide a broad theoretical framework for clinical interventions with members of a vulnerable patient population. --Leona Bachrach, Ph.D., Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of MedicineThe need for this volume is compelling. It comes at a critical juncture in the field of psychiatry, when resources for the mentally ill are dwindling and when psychotherapy is being neglected. Dr. Stone reminds us of the need for psychosocial rehabilitation of the chronically mentally ill and the viability of group psychotherapy over the long run. He has provided us with adequate theoretical background, guidance, practical advice, and rich clinical illustrations of the treatment process. The work described in this book is, or should be, at the heart of clinical practice. --Howard D. Kibel, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Group Psychotherapy, New York Medical CollegeIn this new book, Dr. Walter Stone, writing with great warmth and compassion, offers a fresh look at doing psychodynamic group psychotherapy with chronically mentally ill patients. It is a hopeful sign in these days when pharmacological agents seem to have taken over as 'the treatment' of this population and opportunities for human engagement through psychotherapy are few and far between for them. In a beautifully simple and straightforward style, Dr. Stone pulls together theory and clinical practice as he guides us through the basic ingredients of doing this type of group psychotherapy. This book will become a classic in the field. All individuals working with the chronically mentally ill should read it. It is enlightening for both the beginner as well as the experienced clinician. --Lawrence L. Kennedy, MD, Director, Partial Hospitalization Services, Menninger Clinic; Training and Supervising Analyst, Topeka Institute for Psychoanalysis - The book, in its comprehensiveness, practicality, and clinical wisdom, should appeal both to the training therapist who is thrown into the clinical arena with minimal conceptual grounding and to the senior clinician who will appreciate the collegial sharing of an approach that at times seems to be on the endangered-species list. --International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 2/4/1996