Group therapy with the terminally ill.
The authors describe their four-year experience with a therapy group for patients with metastatic carcinoma. Patients in the group are helped by helping one another, by moving out of a morbid self-absorption, and by finding that they have much of value to share and to teach. The most important aspect of the group experience is the "presence" it offers; patients find support and the opportunity to express their needs and fears openly. The authors believe that group therapy is a valuable modality for the treatment of terminally ill patients and that much can be learned from such groups for the everyday therapy of the living.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012934:Social Isolation; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013727:Terminal Care