Why Group Therapy Works and How to Do It

Christer Sandahl is a licensed psychologist, licensed psychotherapist, and professor of Social and Behavioural Science at the Medical Management Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.Hjördis Nilsson Ahlin is an occupational therapist, a licensed psychotherapist, a group analyst, and a supervisor of psychiatric groups.Catharina Asklin-Westerdahl is a licensed clinical psychologist, licensed psychotherapist, group analyst, and team and organizational consultant.Mats Björling, BSc, is a licensed psychotherapist, group psychotherapist, and supervisor in private practice.Anna Malmquist Saracino, BSW, is a licensed psychotherapist, group analyst, and psychotherapy supervisor.Lena Wennlund, BSW, is a licensed psychotherapist, group analyst, and psychotherapy supervisor.Ulf Åkerström is a licensed psychologist, licensed psychotherapist, and specialist in clinical psychology.Ann Örhammar is a registered nurse, licensed psychotherapist, group analyst, and psychotherapy supervisor.

• Chapter 1 – Introduction Chapter 2 – The Significance of the Group Chapter 3 – What is a Group – Really? Chapter 4 – The Group as a Learning and Healing Environment Chapter 5 – Group Therapy Chapter 6 – Starting a Therapy Group Chapter 7 – Conducting a Therapy group Chapter 8 – Engagement and differentiation Chapter 9 – Interpersonal work and termination Chapter 10 – Semi-open groups Chapter 11 –Group Therapy with Pre-planned Content Structure Chapter 12 – Focused Group Therapy (FGT) Chapter 13 – Concluding remarks

"This excellent, multi-authored guide to group therapy is written in a clear, accessible and singular voice. Focused on enhancing the capacity of frontline practitioners to use group therapy effectively in a range of clinical settings, the book offers much to those who are beginning to work with therapy groups, and it is also a comprehensive resource for those with more substantial experience. This book meets a very important need in our field promoting the delivery of high-quality care." - Molyn Leszcz, MD, FRCPC, CGP, DFAGPA; President, The American Group Psychotherapy Assn; and Professor of Psychiatry, The University of Toronto, CA"Great on theory and how-to for group leaders. Drawing from Swedish group analysts as well as Yalom and Agazarian, the authors’ integrative approach is essential reading for new and experienced group leaders." - Susan Gantt, Chair, Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute"This will become a first-reference book at all levels of training. It was originally published in Swedish in 2016 and is now issued in English with a new introduction and conclusion. Practitioners will be grateful across the field and in many parts of the world. Written by a team of eight experienced clinicians led by Christer Sandahl, a pioneer in psychology and group therapy, it is fluent, accessible and applied. It provides a thorough and lucid guide for practitioners in a characteristic Scandinavian voice – temperate and inclusive - that assembles the contesting factions of a wide field and their histories in a measured, authoritative, focussed, coherent text. Their account of Focussed Group Therapy (FGT) is an original contribution that will be of value to all practitioners. Why Group Therapy Works and How To Do It, meets challenges posed at the outset. Why do groups with advantageous cost-benefits remain ‘the poor relation’ in practice? This book could help us change this." - John Schlapobersky, Institute of Group Analysis, London; Author, From The Couch To The Circle: Group-Analytic Psychotherapy In Practice (Routledge 2016)"It is clear, from the title, that this book’s ambition is to provide a practical guide to the activity of group therapy, that most difficult of the psychotherapies due to the complexity of group interactions and relationships and the vicissitudes of practice in an often sceptical world. How well does it achieve this goal? Well, in reading it I was envious that the current group analytic trainees will have access to this first-class coverage of the ideas and practicalities involved in setting up a functioning group. I wish that something like this had been available for me in my own training." - Terry Birchmore, review in Contexts"This book is an important initiative in the field of group therapy. It reveals the complexity of the work in groups, enhancing the benefits that a safe and healing environment provides to patients. Regardless of our professional theoretical or technical approach, it reveals ‘Why Group Therapy Works’ through fundamental encounters among human beings seated around a circle." - British Journal of Psychotherapy 38, 2 (2022) 403–407"Overall, this is a valuable and accessible contribution to the literature on group work, which will be useful for qualified practitioners and students alike. It is theoretically well grounded and provides a clear guide to the processes of setting up and leading groups. It is a valuable introduction to the field and a useful adjunct to training and supervision in any group work approach. " - Juliet Koprowska (2023): Why group therapy works and how to do it: a guide for health and social care professionals, Journal of Social Work Practice, DOI: 10.1080/02650533.2023.2185214