2-Day Certificate Course - Group Therapy: Evidence-Based Strategies to Develop and Facilitate Dynamic, Purposeful and Effective Group Therapy

CPD

Handouts

Speaker

Hannah Smith, MA, LMHC, CGP Related seminars and products

Potential Finders Network, LLC

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Hannah Smith, MA, LMHC, CGP, an author, business owner, and innovator, is a licensed mental health therapist and internationally board-certified group psychotherapist, consultant & clinical trainer with nearly 25 years of experience in her dual passions: helping others recover from multiple difficult life circumstances and improve their well-being and enhancing the knowledge of clinicians who work in the field of clinical care. With undergraduate degrees in hard sciences and master’s degrees in in special education and counseling psychology, she combines her knowledge in unique ways to analyze and synthesize difficult concept into "feet-to-the-pavement," practical applications for clinical practitioners at all levels. She has done extensive study and work in neuroscience-informed treatment of anxiety and trauma and is certified in interpersonal neurobiology through the Mindsight Institute. Her work experience, both in the US and abroad, has given her a unique perspective, cross-cultural awareness, sensitivity & respect, and a relatability that puts people at ease and makes her highly approachable. Her dynamic and thought-provoking, teaching style is invigorating, making learning fun, personal, and practical.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Hannah Smith maintains a private practice and receives a speaking honorarium from Cascadia Training. She receives royalties as a published author. Hannah Smith receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Hannah Smith is a member of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association.

Objectives

1. Analyze the core principles of popular modern theories, methods, and approaches in group psychotherapy, such as Modern Psychoanalytic, Systems-Centered Therapy, Expressive, and Cognitive-based models.
2. Apply neuroscience understanding of human attunement, Polyvagal Theory, interpersonal neurobiology, and the whole-person approach to the practice of group therapy.
3. Evaluate the benefits and challenges of the group therapy modality to increase effectiveness and encourage institutional understanding and support.
4. Critique various types of groups and their aims and functions in order to select appropriate group structure, topic choice, and membership to enhance client engagement and reduce adverse outcomes.
5. Consider various stages of group development, including the creation of subgroups, “levelling out”, synergizing, and identification of termination needs and practices, to promote participation and growth at each phase.
6. Test traditional paradigms regarding the value of silence, resistance, and degrees of empathy in group interactions.
7. Explore the ethics involved in group therapy, including HIPAA/confidentiality, facilitator role, dual-relationship issues and more.
8. Assess your leadership style, orientation, approach, and methods of self-care to boost leader engagement, and reduce burn-out.
9. Practice transference, countertransference, immediacy, bridging, reciprocity, and other group-related experiences to increase group connections and build intimacy.
10. Utilize new skills in addressing microaggression, resistance, and other threats to vertical and horizontal group cohesion.
11. Connect group modalities and their issues as they apply to children, adolescents, adults, and special populations.
12. Create a plan for effective evaluation of group progress and responsive modification.

Outline

Group Therapy Today: Advances in Research and Efficacy of Treatment Approaches

• The evolution of group therapy practices
• Current trends in research and evidence-based treatment
• Benefits and barriers of a healthy group experience

Neuroscience-Informed Group Therapy: How Brain-Based Group Interventions Improve Outcomes

• Therapeutic application of the Polyvagal Theory
• The role of interpersonal neurobiology
• Attachment and attunement
  • Comorbidity between attachment and DSM-5® diagnoses
• What the research tells us about the benefits of group therapy
  • Building new neuropathways
  • Platform for modelling secure attachment-based interpersonal behaviour
  • Reduce shame and increase sense of acceptance, connection and self-worth
  • Real-time practice and feedback for skill building
• Current research, potential risks & limitations

Evidence-Based Models of Group Therapy: Find the Right Fit for You and Your Setting

• Modern psychoanalytic
• Systems-centred
• Expressive
• Cognitive-based

PRINCIPLES & GOALS FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP PRACTICE

Pre-group Development: Setting the Stage for Success

• Group types and functions: psychoeducational, process, cognitive, expressive and more!
• Group structure considerations: logistics, duration/frequency, open/closed
• Topic, approach, rationale for group
• Member selection
• Consideration of unique client needs
• Who is not appropriate for group therapy?
• Engaging the sceptical/resistant client
• What to do when the members are chosen for you

Group Therapy in Action: Strategies for Building Cohesion, Trust and Therapeutic Progress

• Yalom’s 11 therapeutic factors
• Going beyond “forming, norming, storming and performing”
• Agreements and goal setting
• Stages of group development
  • Sub-grouping
  • ”Leveling out”
  • Synergizing
• Strategies to build immediacy, reciprocity, bridging
• How to navigate transference/countertransference
• Managing threats to cohesion:
  • Micro-aggressions
  • Affective dysregulation
  • Resistance
  • Aggression/passive aggression
  • Absenteeism/tardiness
  • Other therapy-interfering behaviours
• Vertical v. horizontal group cohesion
• The therapeutic value of silence
• Degrees of empathy
• Ongoing evaluation and responsive modification

Termination: Techniques for Facilitating a Healthy Transition and Continued Therapeutic Progress

• When, how, and why group therapy ends
• Common client reactions to termination (and how to handle them)
  • Grief
  • Ambivalence
  • Denial
  • Regression
  • And more!
• Rituals and celebrations
• How to facilitate a healthy goodbye process

Post-Group Evaluation: Essential Steps for Improving Efficacy of the Group Model

• Evaluation methods & tools
• Debriefing and self-evaluation
• Troubleshooting common issues and pitfalls

Ethical and Legal Issues Specific to Group Therapy: Protect Yourself, Manage Liability and Provide Quality Care

• Comprehensive informed consent
• HIPAA/confidentiality considerations
• Dual relationships/conflicts of interest
• Boundary setting
• Therapist use of self-disclosure
• Maintaining professional standards
• Providing ethical evaluation and course correction
• Documentation considerations
• Crisis management

Clinical Considerations

• Setting-specific concerns
• Modifications for children and adolescents
• Special populations
• School-based groups
• Tips for getting institutional support of the group model
• Multicultural factors
• Crisis management procedures

Target Audience

• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Counselors
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counselors
• Therapists
• School Counselors
• School Psychologists
• School Social Workers
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals