Group Interventions After Trauma

The American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) in collaboration with PsyBC and in response to the events of September 11th and their aftermath is pleased to offer two free online symposia on "Group Interventions After Trauma.”

These symposia will be conducted by a specially organized panel of experts in the group treatment of trauma. The panelists are: 

Bruce Bernstein, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Moderator
Bonnie Buchele, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA
Gary Burlingame, Ph.D., CGP
Robert Klein, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA
Nina Thomas, Ph.D., CGP

Discussions will center around the articles listed below. The articles will be available online for free** from the PsyBC library.

AGPA members will receive continuing education credits for free as a membership benefit.

Non-AGPA members wishing CEUs will receive continuing education credits at $10/credit. (The discussion is free. Only the CEUs require payment.)

The Program
The program consists of two online symposia each of which center around seminal papers about the group treatment of trauma. The format is a panel discussion. During the discussion members of the audience can email comments and questions to the moderator, which will then be responded to by the panelists. Each symposium takes place over the course of three weeks.

How To Register
Frequently Asked Questions

SYMPOSIUM #1
January 14—February 1, 2002

A discussion of "Introduction to Group Interventions for." by David W. Foy, Cynthia B. Eriksson, and Gary A. Trice in Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice, December 2001, Volume 5 (4), pp 246-251.

Educational Objectives:

  1. To understand the rationale for group treatment of trauma-related distress.

  2. To understand the difference between the following models of group treatment: supportive, dynamic and cognitive-behavioral.

  3. To understand the value and limitations of psychological debriefing following disaster.

SYMPOSIUM #2
February 4—February 22, 2002

A discussion of "Hazardous Terrain: Countertransference Reactions in Trauma Groups" by Maggie Ziegler and Maureen McEvoy, pp,116-140, and "When Trauma Affects a Community: Group Interventions and Suuport after a Disaster" by Mark L. Dembert and Edward D. Simmer. (Both chapters are in the book, Group Psychotherapy for Psychological Trauma, edited by Robert H. Klein and Victor L. Schermer. Guilford Press, 2000, New York, NY.)

Educational Objectives:

  1. To identify countertransference responses idiosyncratic to working with trauma groups

  2. To learn the special aspects of group trauma treatment when the events are experienced by an entire community

  3. To differentiate crisis debriefing groups from ongoing group interventions for trauma

** We wish to thank the Educational Publishing Foundation and Guilford Press for permission to provide these articles at no cost.

How To Register
To register, just send an e-mail to psybc@psybc.com with the subject line:
Group Trauma Symposium

However... if you attended PsyBC1s free symposium on Group Therapy and September 11th, do not register again. You will automatically be registered. 

If you do not wish to attend these symposia and did attend the Group Therapy and Sept 11 free symposia please send an e-mail to: psybc@psybc.com with the subject line: Remove from Group Trauma

That's all you have to do. We'll take care of the rest. After notifying PsyBC, you will be sent more information about how to find the associated texts and how to attend and participate in the symposium.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does an online panel discussion work?

The discussion of the panelists takes place entirely via email. The format emulates a face-to-face panel. You receive the comments of the panelists as the conversation unfolds just as you would be listening to panelists in a face-to-face situation—the difference being that the comments are in emails rather than oral. (See below for how you can participate.)

It is not "real time." That is, you can read the discussion whenever you wish just as you do with any email.

Are there CE credits and are these free?

There are continuing education credits available for free for AGPA members.

Non-AGPA members may receive continuing education credits at $10/credit. (The discussion is free but we have to charge for the CEUs).

At the end of the discussion you will be given instructions about accessing an automated online testing center. There you take the test, fill out an evaluation form, and print out your certificate. Most discussions are valued at 8 CEUs.

Can we, as members of the audience, participate?

Yes. If you wish to ask a question or make a comment you can email it to the moderator who will then send it out as part of the discussion.

What if we begin after the discussion begins?

You will be given instructions about how to access the archive of the discussion where you will find the entire discussion up to the point where you began.