Neuroses and personality disorders may be caused by conflicts and deficiencies in early relationships. Such patients often experience difficulties in relationships as adults. Reconstructive group psychotherapy seeks to directly tackle the interpersonal foundation of the disorder by providing an opportunity for a range of relationships to be formed.
This form of group therapy has the attributes common to all group psychotherapies, for example there is great benefit for each patient being able to talk about his feelings and worries, have the experience of, hopefully, being accepted into the group, and from the discovery that his problem is not unique etc.
The additional feature of reconstructive group psychotherapy is that the patient is able to learn about himself by analysing the relationships that he develops with other members of the group, including the therapist. His relationships will betray the same unconsciously motivated assumptions, feelings and behaviours which mar his relationships with people in his life outside the group. These factors can be examined and understood in the relative safety of the group in a way which may equip the patient to discard the old patterns of behaviour in favour of new, healthier relationships.
As in analytic psychotherapy, the therapist is a facilitator for the groups own spontaneous process of interaction and examination. The therapist will only contribute if the group as a whole is unable to overcome a particular obstacle to understanding.
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.