title: Group therapy with schizophrenic patients: a short-term, homogeneous approach.
abstract: The author presents a short-term, homogeneous model for treating schizophrenic patients in discussion-oriented therapy groups. Typically, patients attend nine sessions in the open inpatient groups and 12 sessions in the closed outpatient groups. The two goals of this co-therapy approach are to help patients cope with psychotic experiences and improve their interpersonal relationships. Discussions focus on hallucinations, delusions, loose associations, and maladaptive relationships, and anxiety-producing topics are avoided. The format is interaction-oriented and emphasizes the here and now. Empirical evidence supports the value of this short-term group therapy approach when it is used in conjunction with antipsychotic medications and long-term follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanas
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology