Week 3: Analyzing Group Techniques
College of Nursing-PMHNP, Walden University
NRNP 6645: Psychopathology and Diagnostic Reasoning
19/12/2021
Week 3: Analyzing Group Techniques
Schizophrenia is a derailing mental illness leading to substantial suffering to patients
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and extensive burden to families and caregivers (Soliman et al., 2018). Group therapy is one
of the most accepted ways to help individuals with schizophrenia. Group therapies are
gaining recognition based on the fact that any slight progress made by an individual is
manifested in the rest of the participants. The supportive environment created with peers and
therapists helps to facilitate healing as it stabilizes their emotional shortcomings. Even more,
the therapeutic methods and techniques assist participants to learn alternative methods to
cope with and reduce the symptoms of their psychological conditions such as sadness,
depression, and anxiety. This essay is based on the video Psychotherapy Group for
Schizophrenia to explore therapeutic techniques used for individuals with the condition and
the different approaches that can be applied to ensure better results for individual clients.
Group Therapy Techniques Demonstrated
It is worth acknowledging that the therapists did well by having a plan of everything
they intend to cover throughout the session. Also, it was important that they began by spelling
the ground rules and expectations from every group member. They applied relaxation
techniques, such as the deep breathing strategy, where participants are asked to take a deep
breath through the nose and exhale via the mouth. In their everyday experience with the disease,
patients can apply the deep breathing technique to help them calm down when they encounter
challenging situations. It is a strategy for coping and helps them manage affective symptoms.
Most of the techniques utilized by the therapist are evidence-based. Chien et al.
(2019) found the use of emotional regulation in psychoeducation group programs as
imperative in the psychosocial performance of patients with schizophrenia. For example, the
leaders started the session by greetings and allowed every member to introduce themselves.
Commencing the session in this manner helped to promote participation and encouraged the
participants to regulate their emotions. It was also a great way to break the ice and alleviate
any tension and further help to create rapport.
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In their study, Derksen et al. (2017) aimed to investigate the influence of empathy in
primary care sessions. The researchers found a notable connection between empathy, trust,
and patient satisfaction. Similarly, the therapists demonstrated their concern and value for the
participants by asking them, before commencing the session, to rate how they feel on a scale
of 1 to 10. From the responses, they are able to gauge the patients' resilience in physical,
functional, and social well-being. These are all important domains in reflecting the patients’
quality of life and disease burden (Hofer et al., 2017). Hofer et al. (2017) found that utilizing
resilience-focused interventions enhance patients' quality of life. The therapists guided the
participants in recapitulating lessons from the previous sessions by asking each of them to
reflect on their recent encounters and how they utilized the lessons to manage the situations.
Allowing group members to share their personal experiences is vital in encouraging group
learning and coherence. It reveals how individuals use interpersonal learning to tackle their
challenges.
What I Would Have Done Differently
From an evidence-based study by Soliman et al. (2018) to assess the effect of
psychoeducation therapy on schizophrenic patients, the intervention was statistically
effective in promoting the patients’ quality of life. Therefore, if I found myself in a situation
of leading the group, I would consider incorporating psychoeducation to assist the patients
understand their conditions better and gain better skills to manage their symptoms.
Moreover, I would tentatively yet directly point out the group members’ challenges,
misperceptions, and problematic behaviors. Being candid in this way would boost the
treatment progress by enabling the patients identify and comprehend their conditions and
tackle their symptoms accordingly.
Insight Gained
Based on the video, I realized that co-therapy becomes even more effective if the
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two professionals are able to cooperate and work harmoniously for the clients' greater
good. In addition, I realized that it is important to keep notes of the session activities and
observations. Documenting is vital in evaluating the session's effectiveness and planning
for future sessions. Using the records to plan for future objectives is critical in avoiding
possible repetition and omission of therapy stages (Shamoon et al., 2017).
Reflection on Leading a Group Session
While conducting group therapy sessions, one may encounter difficult clients who
provoke discomfort, anxiety, and emotional reactions from the therapist. If such a situation
arises, it calls upon the therapist to be alert and always try to manage their own reactivity,
compassion fatigue, and projections (Shamoon et al., 2017). Being that we cannot avoid
encounters with difficult clients, I would try as much as possible to handle them by utilizing
cautious confrontation to depress their moody or distractive tendencies. Trying to remain in
control of my emotions would help avoid aggravating the situation and promote goal
attainment. To elicit participation, I would assure every member of their confidentiality.
Besides, I would establish rules to promote respectful behavior from every member. Such
strategies ensure every member has the nerve to freely share their concerns without the fear
of judgment. Through the different phases of group therapy, I expect to see gradual
improvement in each members behaviors.
Generally, group therapy can be ideal in promoting positive support mechanism. The
main advantage is that even with the myriad advantages, it is comparatively affordable than
individual therapy sessions. Group therapy is also a proficient way to alleviate solitude
among participants. It subjects them to new behaviors displayed by their peers and gives
them a sense of safety. Notwithstanding these advantages, group therapy is associated with
drawbacks such as interference from difficult members and risk of conflicts.
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References
Chien, W. T., Cheng, H. Y., McMaster, T. W., Yip, A. L., & Wong, J. C. (2019).
Effectiveness of a mindfulness-based psychoeducation group programme for early-
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stage schizophrenia: An 18-month randomised controlled trial. Schizophrenia
Research, 212, 140-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2019.07.053
Derksen, F., Hartman, T. C. O., van Dijk, A., Plouvier, A., Bensing, J., & Lagro-Janssen, A.
(2017). Consequences of the presence and absence of empathy during consultations
in primary care: A focus group study with patients. Patient Education and
Counseling, 100(5), 987-993. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.12.003
Gerber, B. (2013, November 21). Psychotherapy group for schizophrenia [Video]. YouTube.
Hofer, A., Mizuno, Y., Wartelsteiner, F., Fleischhacker, W. W., Frajo-Apor, B., Kemmler, G.,
Mimura, M., Pardeller, S., Sondermann, C., Suzuki, T., Welte, A., & Uchida, H.
(2017). Quality of life in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: The impact of
symptomatic remission and resilience. European Psychiatry, 46, 42-47.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.08.005
Shamoon, Z. A., Lappan, S., & Blow, A. J. (2017). Managing anxiety: A therapist
common factor. Contemporary Family Therapy, 39(1), 43-53. DOI
10.1007/s10591-016-9399-1
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