Separating individual and group effects.

Presents a new multivariate statistical technique that includes both individual and group effects and allows for nonindependence between group members in hierarchically nested designs in small-group research. In the present statistical technique, the estimated correlation matrices for the individual and for the group can be used as input into multivariate procedures (e.g., multiple regression, factor analysis). The application of the technique is illustrated for data on crowding in university residential environments. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The roles of group supervision of supervision.

This article recommends that group supervision of supervision be an integral part of the curriculum of any senior professional who is involved in regular supervision of trainees. Work in the group setting enables use of group dynamics to understand therapeutic events as well as processes of mirroring and identification in the supervision. The supervisory group may promote feelings of security and containment in the supervisors while attenuating and minimizing their potential feelings of vulnerability and validating their perceptions of reality. At the same time, such a group gives rise to difficulties (owing to issues of trust and confidentiality) both inside and outside the group (e.g., among trainees who develop fantasies about the proceedings of the group). Some general resolution of such problems is presented here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical supervision from the standpoint of cognitive-behavior therapy.

This article presents an approach to supervising cognitive-behavior therapists that is closely related to the process and content of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT). The goal of CBT is to help therapists adopt the philosophy of CBT as the basic approach for changing clients' cognitions, emotions, and behaviors. A secondary goal is to teach therapists specific techniques. The seven major features of CBT and their implications for supervision are described: therapy as a meaning-making process; systematic and goal directed therapy; practicing and experiencing; therapy as a collaborative effort; person-focused therapy; the therapists as a facilitator of change and development; and empowerment of the client with self-change skills. Some of the major dilemmas and constraints in CBT supervision that are derived from adapting the principles of therapy to supervision are discussed as well as the need for supervision outcome research and recommendations for its implementation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hindering phenomena in group supervision: Implications for practice.

Although group supervision is practiced extensively, research on the subject remains scant. This study identified group supervision phenomena that hinder learning. Counseling and counseling psychology graduate students identified 61 group supervision experiences that they felt interfered with their learning. Then, 14 of the 49 original participants sorted the 61 phenomena on the basis of similarity. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify 5 types of hindering phenomena: between-member problems, problems with supervisors, supervisee anxiety and other perceived negative affects, logistical constraints, and poor group time management. Implications for supervisors, supervisees, and training programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dropping out from short-term group therapy.

Examined psychological mindedness (PSYM) as a patient suitability variable in an outcome study of 16 psychoanalytically-oriented short-term therapy groups. 109 patients began the immediate or delayed treatment phases of the study. 76 completed therapy, while 33 dropped out. Univariate analyses conducted with 49 pretherapy variables revealed that dropouts and remainers differed on 3 variables: SCL-90 total score, target severity (rated by the patient), and level of PSYM. Dropouts were less psychologically minded and more disturbed in terms of psychiatric symptomatology and the severity of their target objectives than were remainers. Patients with high PSYM whose symptoms and problems were within a tolerable range tended to remain in therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Focus group interviews: defining clinical supervision

In the companion article to a literature review published recently in Nursing Standard (Sloan 1998), the author demonstrates the use of focus groups as a data collection method. He details how the group discussion was analysed, and reproduces the findings relevant to the 'good characteristics' of a clinical supervisor from the supervisee's perspective.     

Group process and learning: A grounded theory model of group supervision.

While there is a small but growing body of literature on group supervision, it has been limited to a handful of qualitative studies, and quantitative studies that have focused on specific aspects of the supervision process. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical model of the process of group supervision and its relation to student learning. A grounded theory design with some features of consensual qualitative research was utilized to achieve this goal. Fifteen counseling psychology doctoral students and three supervisors comprising 13 supervision groups completed questionnaires following each group supervision session over the course of six semesters. Varying degrees of safety were reported by participants and group supervision was either facilitated by safety or inhibited by a lack of safety. However, when students reported feeling safe, a greater variety of learning occurred than when they reported they felt less safe. Also, within a supervision group, students experienced the group differently based on their ability to manage anxiety and develop supportive relationships with other peers in the group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The supervisee experience of group supervision: Implications for research and practice.

Group supervision is commonly employed in graduate psychology training but has received insufficient attention in research. Supervisees' own perceptions and experiences in group supervision can provide valuable information in guiding our understanding and exploration of the benefits and uses of this form of training. This paper reviews 11 empirical studies exploring supervisee perceptions of group supervision experiences. Research, to date, appears to be largely in line with conceptual hypotheses regarding the benefits of group supervision experiences, and implications are discussed with regard to current practice. However, this review also points to the need for more in-depth and advanced research efforts in the area that can further explore supervisee experiences and identify means of optimizing this experience as a component of clinical training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cohesion in group therapy.

Cohesion is the most popular of several relationship constructs in the clinical and empirical group therapy literature. This article reviews the most frequently cited definitions and studied measures of group cohesion. We briefly introduce a new measure, the Group Questionnaire, which elucidates group relationships by suggesting two latent factors of cohesion—relationship quality (positive bond, positive work, and negative relationship) and structure factors (member-leader and member-member). To further understand the literature, we conducted a meta-analysis examining the relationship between cohesion and treatment outcome in 40 studies. Results indicate cohesion that the weighted aggregate correlation was statistically significant with outcome r = .25, k (40), N (3,323), z = 6.54 (p     

Identification in group therapy.

"The Ss of this study were male and female adolescents (12-15 years of age) who were asked to volunteer to participate in groups that 'would discuss adolescent problems.' Those who volunteered were rated by their teachers on emotional adjustment. Ss rated as most poorly adjusted were eliminated from the study. Three therapy groups were organized, each composed of five boys and five girls, each in the charge of a different therapist. The members of the group were given a special questionnaire, designed to assess needs, and a group form of the Rorschach before therapy began. At the conclusion of therapy, all Ss again took the questionnaire… . The hypotheses that both rigidity and lability were inversely related to identification were tested by correlational methods. Results were positive in both instances." From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:1IG95B. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stages in psychotherapy supervision: From therapy skills to skilled therapist.

Describes the process of psychotherapy supervision as 4 increasingly complex stages of supervisory focus. The 4 stages are based on the belief that psychotherapy progress is determined by the interaction between clients' presenting problems, their personalities, the techniques used by the therapists, and the interpersonal interactions of the therapists. The proposed stages of supervision include developing basic therapy skills and adopting the therapist's role, expanding the range of skills and roles to match the client's problems and role expectations, developing the trainee's ability to assess the client's habitual and conflicting behavior patterns and select effective intervention methods, and helping the trainee learn to use the self in assessment and intervention. These 4 stages are not regarded as mutually exclusive but as primary focal issues during the process of supervision. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positive illusions and well-being revisited: Separating fact from fiction.

S. E. Taylor and J. D. Brown (see record 1992-16903-001) published an article that challenged the notion that accurate perceptions of self and the world are essential for mental health. The authors argued instead that people's perceptions in these domains are positively biased and that these positive illusions promote psychological well-being. In the current article, the authors review their theoretical model, correct certain misconceptions in its empirical application, and address the criticisms made by C. R. Colvin and J. Block (see record 1994-41047-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positive illusions and well-being revisited: Separating fiction from fact.

The differing interpretations of the relation between positive illusions and well-being held by S. E. Taylor and J. D. Brown (see PA, Vols 75:16903 and 41068) and by C. R. Colvin and J. Block (see record 1994-41047-001) cannot be reconciled. The authors urge motivated readers to evaluate their respective formulations closely and develop their own conclusions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The supervision of cotherapist teams in family therapy.

Explores difficulties for co-therapists in their work with families and provides a conceptual framework within which supervision can resolve difficulties and facilitate effective functioning by the co-therapist team. When the interaction between the 2 therapists is therapeutically useful, they are successful. Illustrations of functioning and dysfunctioning relationships are given in case excerpts. Supervision of co-therapists begins with the goals of helping each therapist achieve awareness, understanding, and a relationship with the patient and with each other. Difficulties may arise as a result of realistic perceptions, feelings, and interactions; distorted transferential perception; and distorted countertransferential perception. Supervision facilitates the development of a commitment and a subsequent contract between the co-therapists; the supervisor must maintain a family perspective. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond schools of psychotherapy: Integrity and maturity in therapy and supervision.

Discusses the greater importance of integrity and maturity over theoretical allegiance to a particular school of therapy—the lack of which may lead to "psychonoxious" therapy or supervision, done to meet the needs of the therapist rather than for the patient's or student's welfare. Male and female therapists lacking these essential qualities are described. The mechanism producing this immaturity is hypothesized to be the unresolved adolescent issue of insecurity over one's appeal to the opposite sex, resulting in a need for conquest and power. It is concluded that no therapist is above the potential for abuse of his/her emotional power; only self-awareness can assure the integrity and maturity essential in the therapeutic interaction. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Focus supervision: Management format for supervision practices.

Although supervision practices have received some attention from clinicians and researchers, they have also created new challenges for clinical practicum supervisors and coordinators. Because graduate-level trainees have learned more about supervision, they expect more from their supervisors; conversely, supervisors have sought limits on their comprehensive roles. This article outlines a supervision model consisting of 2 tiers: general and focus supervision. General supervision covers the global range of clinical cases, whereas in focus supervision, trainees address specific clinical skills and topics. The process of designing and implementing this model is described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Monitoring text comprehension: Individual differences in epistemological standards.

Examined individual differences in reading comprehension standards by asking 9 undergraduates enrolled in a "Fundamentals of Psychology" course to describe the criteria they used to decide whether or not they had comprehended textbook chapters. Ss were classified as having a dualistic (fact-oriented) or a relativistic (context-oriented) conception of knowledge on the basis of their ratings of attitude statements drawn from the work of W. G. Perry (1968). Comprehension criteria reported by dualists more often involved the knowledge category found in the B. S. Bloom et al (1956) book, Taxonomy, and those reported by relativists, the comprehension or application categories. The nature and number of reported comprehension criteria were found to be predictive of course grades. Ss reporting the use of comprehension or application criteria earned better grades than those reporting the use of knowledge criteria; Ss reporting the use of more than one criterion earned better grades than those reporting the use of a single criterion. These data suggest that one's epistemological beliefs may dictate one's choice of comprehension standards and that these epistemological standards, in turn, may control the effectiveness of one's text processing efforts. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A crisis in group therapy.

Four axioms related to group therapy are examined. Support for the two axioms concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of group therapy is reviewed. Initial evidence is noted supporting the axiom that confidentiality is important to the effective continuance of group-therapy process and that most people assume such confidences are protected. However, technicalities in the derivation of group-therapy privileges in most states may disallow coverage for information conveyed in group therapy. Also, recent Congressional rules of evidence make it improbable that federal courts will easily allow privilege in group therapy and possibly not in individual therapy either. Attention to this dilemma at the state and national level is urged. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The future of group therapy.

Reviews literature on the current status of and trends in group psychotherapy. It is expected that group psychotherapy will continue to play a pivotal role in mental health care. Projections for the practice of group therapy include the expanding application of short-term and self-help approaches, refinements in matching treatments and patients' needs, and the more effective integration of treatment modalities. More attention will be dedicated to the refinement of the conceptual foundations for group psychotherapy research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)