{"title":"Belonging and the Power of Group in Stressful Times (The American Group Psychotherapy Association 2026 Conference Anne and Ramon Alonso Plenary Presidential Address).","authors":"Leonardo M Leiderman","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2690227","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2026.2690227","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The current paper is the Alonso Plenary Presidential Address given at the Annual American Group Psychotherapy Association's 2026 Conference. The plenary focuses on how we are uniquely suited to address the psychological stressors, trauma, and mass trauma group members carry into their therapy and support groups. We have at our disposal the multifaceted tools of healing, including (1) small groups, which provide a safe container to process, metabolize and create symbolic meaning; (2) large groups, where projections, stereotypes, racism, and unresolved social traumas can be expressed, examined, and transformed, and (3) support groups for communities facing manmade and natural disasters. The evidence-based support for the efficacy of group therapy, leadership considerations, the importance of DEIA constructs and community involvement, core values to enhance organizational cohesion and self-care strategies for group therapists are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148680322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Anxieties of the Group Psychotherapist: A Psychodynamic Perspective on Countertransference, Group Phases, and the Internal Work of the Therapist.","authors":"F Van Paassen","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2675255","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2026.2675255","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While patient anxiety is well-documented in psychotherapy literature, the anxieties of the therapist, particularly in group settings, receive considerably less attention. This article explores the specific anxieties experienced by group therapists, their origins, their impact on the therapeutic process, and strategies for their management. It is a theoretical review integrating psychodynamic (e.g. Freud, Bion), relational (e.g. Mitchell), and neurobiological perspectives, illustrated with clinical case material. Group therapists' anxieties are often rooted in early group experiences, narcissistic vulnerabilities, and unconscious conflicts. They manifest as fear of the group as a whole, performance anxiety, and dread of inadequacy or loss of control. These anxieties can lead to restrictive interventions and relational ruptures. However, when mentalized and contained, they provide crucial insight into group dynamics and can be transformed into a vehicle for therapeutic growth. Acknowledging and working through anxiety is not a sign of professional failure but an integral part of effective group therapy. The therapist's capacity for self-reflection and mentalization is paramount in containing these anxieties and facilitating a successful therapeutic process.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cassandra R W Harmsen, George A Langdon, Robert A Cribbie, Anna Baranowsky, Robert T Muller
{"title":"An Investigation of a Community-Based Phase-I Online Group Trauma Intervention.","authors":"Cassandra R W Harmsen, George A Langdon, Robert A Cribbie, Anna Baranowsky, Robert T Muller","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2025.2600104","DOIUrl":"10.1080/00207284.2025.2600104","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examined the feasibility of online group therapy for trauma survivors. Community-based participants (N = 178; 64% women; mean age = 43) self-referred for an eight-week psychoeducational, skills-based trauma therapy group, which was offered via secure video conferencing. Participants were diverse in terms of socio-economic status and ethnic identity. Participants completed the PCL-5 at registration (T0), pre-treatment (T1), and post-treatment (T2). T0-T1 reflected a waitlist period; T1-T2 represented the treatment phase. Mixed effects models showed significant overall PCL-5 reductions from T0-T2, with clinically meaningful change during treatment (T1-T2). PTSD symptom subtypes as measured by the PCL-5 (reexperiencing, avoidance, negative cognition/mood, arousal) also improved. Findings support telemedicine as a feasible option for fostering stabilization skills and reducing barriers to trauma treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":"76 3","pages":"522-550"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148593973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Navigating Social Enactments in Psychoanalytic Group Therapy.","authors":"Ellen L Wright, Aaron E Black","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2675254","DOIUrl":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2675254","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Addressing social enactments in group therapy requires integrating developmental theory with cultural identity dynamics. As social power dynamics emerge, the effectiveness of psychoanalytic group psychotherapy can be enhanced by modifying perspectives on transference, resistance, and the emotional transparency of the leader. This paper proposes theoretical and technical modifications to respond to repetitions of social inequities in the group process, including revised thinking about resistance analysis, the group agreement and the contact function. These changes aim to equip leaders to engage more skillfully with social microaggressions and enactments. Clinical examples illustrate strategies for resolving identity-based group conflicts. We argue that attention to social enactments extends, rather than contradicts, developmental aims. When leaders remain accountable to social power, groups can foster psychological growth and emotional repair.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"450-482"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148449907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transforming Mattering in Group Psychotherapy.","authors":"Aaron E Black","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2025.2570296","DOIUrl":"10.1080/00207284.2025.2570296","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article examines how mattering (the sense of being seen, valued, and needed) and anti-mattering (the belief one is invisible, insignificant, or expendable) are expressed symbolically and transformed in group psychotherapy. Anti-mattering symbols, such as lateness, withdrawal, a power struggle, relational devaluation, and an identity-based attack, are understood as expressions of <i>epistemic mistrust</i>: the expectation that relational recognition will be absent, unreliable, or irrelevant. Using five previously published clinical vignettes re-analyzed through a symbolic lens, a typology of mattering and anti-mattering symbols is presented, along with a six-step intervention sequence for transforming mattering. This process engages multiple members, sustains contact through interpersonal tension, and repairs ruptures in ways that are emotionally resonant and trustworthy, and ultimately transforms anti-mattering symbols. The framework integrates developmental, sociocultural, and psychoanalytic perspectives to restore epistemic trust, and expand the group's capacity for mutual recognition and interpersonal mattering.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"417-449"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145490743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Blood from a Stone: A Rough Guide for Group Therapy Implementation in Community Mental Healthcare.","authors":"Jeff Brand, Eun Jeong Yang","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2653225","DOIUrl":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2653225","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite its demonstrated efficacy, group therapy remains underutilized in community mental health centers (CMHCs), where structural barriers and a chronic shortfall of funds impede implementation. This article examines the disconnect between academic research and the financial, organizational, and policy constraints that shape care in safety-net settings. Drawing from direct experience at a CMHC serving marginalized populations, we offer a financial analysis that illustrates how current reimbursement models create steep challenges for sustaining group therapy. Guided by domain theory, we present practice-based strategies-including standardized group formats, continuity-focused structures, and clinician cross-training-that respond to barriers across service, management, and policy domains. Rather than proposing one-size-fits-all solutions, we share adaptable frameworks rooted in the realities of CMHC work. We argue for a more context-sensitive approach to implementation-one that takes seriously the questions of access, sustainability, and equity that define group work in underresourced settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"497-521"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147785256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cassandra R W Harmsen, Kristina Cordeiro, Sara Rependa, Anna Baranowsky, Robert T Muller
{"title":"Online Group Trauma Therapy in a Community Setting: Group Climate and Satisfaction in Relation to Treatment Response.","authors":"Cassandra R W Harmsen, Kristina Cordeiro, Sara Rependa, Anna Baranowsky, Robert T Muller","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2025.2602009","DOIUrl":"10.1080/00207284.2025.2602009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Group climate and treatment satisfaction are increasingly relevant in determining therapeutic outcomes in group therapy. Despite the growing use of virtual formats, limited research has explored these factors in online trauma-focused groups. A free, skills-based trauma therapy program was delivered online to 80 individuals in an urban setting. Trauma-related symptoms were measured pre- and postgroup using the PCL-5 and TSC-40. Postgroup assessments of group climate and satisfaction were captured using the GSC-S and a custom service satisfaction survey. Participants reported a positive group climate and high levels of satisfaction. Treatment satisfaction emerged as a significant predictor of symptom reduction. Notably, satisfaction with the practicality and real-world applicability of the group's content was closely linked to improved outcomes. These findings support the feasibility of online group trauma therapy and underscore the central role of participant satisfaction-particularly the perceived utility of therapeutic skills-in driving meaningful clinical improvements.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":"76 3","pages":"551-578"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148593941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Leaning Into Termination: New Ideas in Modern Group Analysis.","authors":"Janice M Morris","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2696267","DOIUrl":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2696267","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper was originally a panel presentation at AGPA Connect, the annual meeting of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, held in March 2025. The author briefly reviews modern analytic myths about therapeutic terminations that may evoke feelings of failure in group leaders and impede their ability to work collaboratively with themselves and group members. These myths can interfere with making terminations a constructive and progressive experience. Three personal and clinical examples are offered to illustrate how the blending of the leader's personal and professional life deepened emotional connections in unexpected ways. The article proposes expansions of modern analytic theory and technique aimed at helping group leaders manage negative feelings around loss, thereby making room for therapeutic repair and emotional growth.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"483-496"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148550998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Danielle Baldwin, Giorgio A Tasca, Camille Garceau, Justine Braham, Catherine F Eubanks
{"title":"The Group Rupture Resolution Rating System (G-3RS): Therapeutic Alliance Ruptures and Repairs in Group Psychotherapy.","authors":"Danielle Baldwin, Giorgio A Tasca, Camille Garceau, Justine Braham, Catherine F Eubanks","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2026.2664422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2026.2664422","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We present the development and preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Group Rupture Resolution Rating System (G-3RS), an observer-based measure of therapeutic alliance ruptures and repairs in group therapy. The G-3RS is a companion to the 3RS, an observer-rating system for ruptures and repairs in individual therapy. The G-3RS incorporates different levels of group interactions: member-, therapist-, and group-initiated ruptures and repairs. Raters coded 62 sessions of 21 Group Psychodynamic Interpersonal Psychotherapy groups for binge eating disorder using the G-3RS. The G-3RS demonstrated good interrater reliability at most group-interaction levels, and preliminary evidence for convergent validity. Clinical examples illustrate ruptures and repairs at different levels of group therapy interactions. The G-3RS may help researchers and clinicians better understand ruptures and repairs within groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-28"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148144975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lisa Brownstone Libby, Erin N Harrop, Jade Cool, Devin A Kelly-Barnett, Hannah N Norling, Katherine L Daley, D Martin Kivlighan
{"title":"We Deserve Space: A Pilot Outcomes Study of a Group Psychotherapy Intervention for Internalized Weight Stigma.","authors":"Lisa Brownstone Libby, Erin N Harrop, Jade Cool, Devin A Kelly-Barnett, Hannah N Norling, Katherine L Daley, D Martin Kivlighan","doi":"10.1080/00207284.2025.2600103","DOIUrl":"10.1080/00207284.2025.2600103","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Experienced and internalized weight stigma (IWS) are associated with a plethora of health and psychosocial consequences. In this study, we tested the outcomes of a 10-12 week, online, counselor-facilitated support group (We Deserve Space; WDS) for individuals who had experienced weight stigma. Twenty-five large-bodied individuals participated in three iterations of the WDS group. Participants average age was 43.68 years (SD = 13.84, range = 28-78). Revisions to WDS curricula were made iteratively in response to feedback. Paired samples t-tests yielded statistically significant improvements on all variables (IWS, antifat attitudes, depressive symptoms, loneliness, eating-disorder functional impairment, belongingness) from baseline to end-of-group, with effect sizes in the medium to large range. This study provides preliminary evidence that WDS may improve IWS, disordered-eating functional impairment, and psychosocial well-being in large-bodied individuals.</p>","PeriodicalId":46441,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"336-373"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146150004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}