Putting the illness in its place: discussion groups for families with chronic medical illnesses.
A new psychosocial intervention for families and patients experiencing the chronic phase of a disabling medical illness is described. The intervention, a short-term, highly structured, psychoeducationally oriented, multiple-family discussion group (MFDG), was developed within the context of a clinical research program and has been successfully applied to a heterogeneous range of disabling medical illnesses. This report includes a detailed description of the treatment model, the format and content of group meetings, and initial clinical impressions regarding MFDG efficacy.
Gonzalez
S
S
Center for Family Research, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20037.
Steinglass
P
P
Reiss
D
D
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005190:Family; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological