67th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 25

Early Morning Colloquies

Session 202

As Good As It Gets: Group Training For Psychiatric Residents When Dual Relationships Cannot Be Avoided

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Psychiatry SIG

Chair:

Charles S. Pohl, M.S.W., Social Worker, Boise VA Medical Center, Boise, Idaho

Presenters:

Seamus Michael Bhatt-Mackin, M.D., Staff Psychiatrist, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina

Russell Paul Hopfenberg, Ph.D., CGP, Consulting Associate in Medical Psychology, Duke University Medical Center & UNC Medical Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Wendy Taylor, M.S.W., MFT., Clinical Social Worker, Boise VA Medical Center, Boise, Idaho

There are inherent difficulties with dual relationships impacting the solidity of training group containment functions in psychiatric residency programs.  The development of a training group for a new residency program will be described, alternative models of group training explored and important key administrative ingredients delineated for successful group training programs.   

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1.  List the inherent educational opportunities in a residency training group.

2.  List the inherent difficulties and obstacles of dual relationships in a residency training group.

3.  List and describe several models of training groups.

4.  List the key administrative components of a successful training group program.

5.  Describe the experiences of training group members and new co-facilitators.

6.  Describe the use of structured exercises to teach group psychotherapy.

Course References:

Alonso, A. (1984). "T-Groups: An Essential Model in the Training of Groups Psychotherapists." Group, pp 45-50.

Gans, J. S., Rutan, J. S., & Wilcox, N. (1995). "T-Groups (Training Groups) in Psychiatric Residency Programs: Facts and Possible Implications." International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 45, (2), pp. 169-183.

Pepper, R. (2007). "Too Close for Comfort: The Impacts of Dual Relationships on Group Therapy and Group Therapy Training." International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 57 (1), pp. 13-23.