Hannah Smith – 2-Day Certificate Course – Group Therapy: Evidence-Based Strategies to Develop and Facilitate Dynamic, Purposeful and Effective Group Therapy

Outline

Group Therapy Today: Advances in Research and Efficacy of Treatment Approaches

• The evolution of group therapy practices
• Current trends in research and evidence-based treatment
• Benefits and barriers of a healthy group experience

Neuroscience-Informed Group Therapy: How Brain-Based Group Interventions Improve Outcomes

• Therapeutic application of the Polyvagal Theory
• The role of interpersonal neurobiology
• Attachment and attunement
  • Comorbidity between attachment and DSM-5® diagnoses
• What the research tells us about the benefits of group therapy
  • Building new neuropathways
  • Platform for modeling secure attachment-based interpersonal behavior
  • Reduce shame and increase sense of acceptance, connection and self-worth
  • Real-time practice and feedback for skill building
• Current research, potential risks & limitations

Evidence-Based Models of Group Therapy: Find the Right Fit for You and Your Setting

• Modern psychoanalytic
• Systems-centered
• Expressive
• Cognitive-based

PRINCIPLES & GOALS FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP PRACTICE

Pre-group Development: Setting the Stage for Success

• Group types and functions: psychoeducational, process, cognitive, expressive and more!
• Group structure considerations: logistics, duration/frequency, open/closed
• Topic, approach, rationale for group
• Member selection
• Consideration of unique client needs
• Who is not appropriate for group therapy?
• Engaging the skeptical/resistant client
• What to do when the members are chosen for you

Group Therapy in Action: Strategies for Building Cohesion, Trust and Therapeutic Progress

• Yalom’s 11 therapeutic factors
• Going beyond “forming, norming, storming and performing”
• Agreements and goal setting
• Stages of group development
  • Sub-grouping
  • ”Leveling out”
  • Synergizing
• Strategies to build immediacy, reciprocity, bridging
• How to navigate transference/countertransference
• Managing threats to cohesion:
  • Micro-aggressions
  • Affective dysregulation
  • Resistance
  • Aggression/passive aggression
  • Absenteeism/tardiness
  • Other therapy-interfering behaviors
• Vertical v. horizontal group cohesion
• The therapeutic value of silence
• Degrees of empathy
• Ongoing evaluation and responsive modification

Termination: Techniques for Facilitating a Healthy Transition and Continued Therapeutic Progress

• When, how, and why group therapy ends
• Common client reactions to termination (and how to handle them)
  • Grief
  • Ambivalence
  • Denial
  • Regression
  • And more!
• Rituals and celebrations
• How to facilitate a healthy goodbye process

Post-Group Evaluation: Essential Steps for Improving Efficacy of the Group Model

• Evaluation methods & tools
• Debriefing and self-evaluation
• Troubleshooting common issues and pitfalls

Ethical and Legal Issues Specific to Group Therapy: Protect Yourself, Manage Liability and Provide Quality Care

• Comprehensive informed consent
• HIPAA/confidentiality considerations
• Dual relationships/conflicts of interest
• Boundary setting
• Therapist use of self-disclosure
• Maintaining professional standards
• Providing ethical evaluation and course correction
• Documentation considerations
• Crisis management

Clinical Considerations

• Setting-specific concerns
• Modifications for children and adolescents
• Special populations
• School-based groups
• Tips for getting institutional support of the group model
• Multicultural factors
• Crisis management procedures

Faculty

Hannah Smith

Potential Finders

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Hannah Smith, MA, LMHC, CGP, is the founder of Potential Finders and is the group therapy program coordinator in a top partial-hospital rehabilitation treatment center in the Seattle area. She holds Masters degrees in both special education and counseling psychology and has nearly 20 years of experience both in the US and abroad. Her educational work has been with disorders of cognition and communication, where the role of the brain in learning and memory were primary areas of focus. Clinically, her practice is primarily devoted to the treatment of people recovering from trauma and anxiety disorders. Her experience, both personally and professionally, has allowed her to develop an expertise in incorporating neuroscience into therapeutic interventions in innovative ways. Hannah guest lectures in academic and clinical settings on a variety of topics related to neuroscience and the treatment of anxiety, trauma, and emotion regulation. She is an engaging presenter whose passion is to educate clinicians on practical, whole-person approaches and applications in therapy.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Hannah Smith is the clinical supervisor at The Center; A Place of Hope. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc.

Non-financial: Hannah Smith has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.