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INTRODUCTION
The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy are a product of the Science to Service Task Force of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). This Task Force was formed in 2005 at the recommendation of Dr. Robert Klein, who was then President of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. The Task Force is part of AGPA's response to the recognition of its responsibility to support its membership and all practitioners of group psychotherapy to meet the appropriate demands for evidence-based practice and greater accountability in the practice of contemporary psychotherapy (Lambert and Ogles, 2004). The Task Force reflects the full breadth of scholarship and expertise in the practice and evaluation of group psychotherapy, and is composed of researchers, educators, and leading practitioners of group psychotherapy (membership of the Science to Service Task Force is noted at the conclusion of this introduction).
These clinical practice guidelines address practitioners who practice dynamic, interactional, and relationally-based group psychotherapy. This model of group psychotherapy utilizes the group setting as an agent for change and pays careful attention to the three primary forces operating at all times in a therapy group: individual dynamics, interpersonal dynamics, and group as a whole dynamics. The task of the group leader is to integrate these components into a coherent, fluid, and complementary process, mindful that at all times there are multiple variables, such as stage of group development, ego strength of individual members, the population being treated, group as a whole factors, and individual and group resistances, that influence what type of intervention should be emphasized at any particular time in the group. Clients seeking group psychotherapy in this context experience a broad range of psychological and interpersonal difficulties encompassing mood, anxiety, trauma, personality, and relational difficulties along with associated behaviors that reflect impairment in regulation of mood and self. These guidelines may also have utility for a range of group-oriented interventions. Many of the principles articulated here are relevant to diverse group therapy approaches which employ a variety of techniques, with various client populations, and in a variety of treatment or service settings.
Multiple perspectives on evidence-based practice have been articulated in the contemporary practice of psychotherapy. One approach emphasizes the application of empirically supported therapies, predicating treatment decisions on the efficacy data...