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Evidence Based Treatments for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders pp 433–448Cite as

Group Treatment for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders

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Abstract

The technique of organized group therapy began around 1905 with J. H. Pratt. Pratt led instructional groups with tuberculosis patients designed to provide information about their illness, when he realized the emotional support that patients were experiencing in the group format (Barlow et al. 2000). Other early pioneers included the social worker Jane Addams, who organized immigrant support groups in Chicago, as well as the psychoanalyst Trigant Burrow, who began experimenting with group psychoanalysis techniques in 1925 (Ward 2010). Group therapy for trauma-related difficulties appears to first be documented after World War II, when large numbers of veterans struggled with “battle fatigue” and the resources of support and treatment were deficient (Grotjahn 1947). Group treatment of trauma-related problems was further popularized with the introduction of “rap groups” for combat veterans in the 1960s (Foy et al. 2000). Since this era, substantial advances have been made in individual psychosocial treatment approaches for trauma-related disorders, including the development and testing of several empirically supported treatments (see Beck and Sloan 2012). Unfortunately, group treatments for trauma-related disorders have lagged behind these efforts, owing to considerable methodological issues that are intrinsic to the study of group therapy (see Beck and Sloan 2014; Sloan et al. 2012). This gap in our knowledge of effective group treatments is problematic as the group approach is frequently used in clinical settings (e.g., Rosen et al. 2004). In this chapter, we will briefly review what is known about group treatment for trauma-related psychological disorders and describe the advantages of group treatment relative to individual-format therapies. Also, clinical aspects of group treatment for trauma survivors will be discussed, including various facets of clinical lore about treating trauma-related symptoms in a group setting. Finally, we will summarize key directions for clinical applications of group treatments for trauma-related disorders, as well as needed research directions.

This work was supported in part by Grant I01 CX000467-01A1, Veteran’s Administration MERIT program awarded to D.M. Sloan and W. S. Unger, as well as funds provided by the Lillian and Morrie Moss Chair of Excellence at the University of Memphis (J. G. Beck).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA

    Scott D. Litwack & Denise M. Sloan

  2. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Scott D. Litwack & Denise M. Sloan

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA

    J. Gayle Beck

  4. Behavioral Science Division, National Center for PTSD, Boston, MA, USA

    Denise M. Sloan

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  1. Scott D. Litwack
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  2. J. Gayle Beck
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  3. Denise M. Sloan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Ulrich Schnyder

  2. Dissemination & Training Division, National Center for PTSD, San Franciso, California, USA

    Marylène Cloitre

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Litwack, S.D., Beck, J.G., Sloan, D.M. (2015). Group Treatment for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders. In: Schnyder, U., Cloitre, M. (eds) Evidence Based Treatments for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07109-1_23

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