Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 group therapy, 
several unrelated people meet with a therapist 
to discuss some aspect of their psychological functioning. 
People typically discuss with the group their problems, which often 
center on a common diffi culty, such as alcoholism or a lack of social 
skills. The other members of the group provide emotional support and 
dispense advice on ways they have coped effectively with similar prob-
lems (Alonso, Alonso, & Piper, 2003; Scaturo, 2004; Rigby & Waite, 2007). 
Groups vary greatly in terms of the particular model they employ; 
there are psychoanalytic groups, humanistic groups, and groups corre-
sponding to the other therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, groups also 
differ with regard to the degree of guidance the therapist provides. In 
some, the therapist is quite directive; in others, the members of the group 
interpersonal therapy (IPT)
Short-
term therapy that focuses on the 
context of current social relationships.
group therapy
Therapy in which 
people meet in a group with a thera-
pist to discuss problems.
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 Module 
50 
Psychotherapy: Humanistic, Interpersonal, and Group Approaches to Treatment 
559
set their own agenda and determine how the group will pro-
ceed (Beck & Lewis, 2000; Stockton, Morran, & Krieger, 2004). 
Because several people are treated simultaneously in 
group therapy, it is a much more economical means of treat-
ment than individual psychotherapy. On the other hand, crit-
ics argue that group settings lack the individual attention 
inherent in one-to-one therapy and that especially shy and 
withdrawn individuals may not receive the attention they 
need in a group setting.