65th Annual Conference

Saturday, February 23

Morning Open Sessions

8:45 A.M.-12:00 Noon

Session 313         

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Evidence-Based Group Therapy: Evolution of the AGPA Practice Guidelines

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Science to Service Task Force

Co-Chairs:         

Joseph Kobos, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Director, Counseling Services, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
Molyn Leszcz, M.D., FRCPC, CGP, Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Mount Sinai Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Head, Group Psychotherapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 

Panelists:         

Gary Burlingame, Ph.D., CGP, Professor of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Les R. Greene, Ph.D., FAGPA, Staff Psychologist, VA Medical Center, West Haven, Connecticut
Anthony Joyce, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
William Piper, Ph.D., CGP, DFAGPA, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
 

The Science to Service Task Force has produced evidence based guidelines for implementing dynamic, interactional and relationally based group psychotherapy. The rationale, history, and process of developing the document will be presented. The Guidelines will be reviewed and discussion will focus on how to implement the guidelines with different treatment populations in various settings. Complementary approaches that are evidence-based such as the current efforts to field test the CORE-R Battery will also be presented.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe the process of developing evidence based practice guides for dynamic, interactional, and relationally based group psychotherapy.
2. Identify resistances therapists often have toward evidence-based practice.
3. Describe ways in which practice guidelines for group psychotherapy may be applied clinically to various treatment populations in different clinical settings.
4. Describe how the Core Battery R can be implemented using computer technology to gather ongoing data on group processes which can guide the interventions of the leader(s).
 

Course References:

1. Norcross, J. C. (Ed.). (2002). Psychotherapy relationships that work: Therapist contributions and responsiveness to patient needs. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy: A cross-theoretical guide to developing and leading psychotherapy groups. http://www.agpa.org
3. CORE-R Battery. http://www.agpa.org