The theory and practice of group psychotherapy

Group Coping Skills Instruction and Supportive Group Therapy for Cancer Patients: A Comparison of Strategies.

Abstract: A propos du traitement de la detresse psychosociale chez les patients atteints de cancer: l'entrainement aux aptitudes a faire face a une situation fut trouve plus efficace que le groupe de therapie de soutien

Therapeutic alliance and outcome of psychotherapy: historical excursus, measurements, and prospects for research.

Abstract: This paper proposes a historical excursus of studies that have investigated the therapeutic alliance and the relationship between this dimension and outcome in psychotherapy. A summary of how the concept of alliance has evolved over time and the more popular alliance measures used in literature to assess the level of alliance are presented. The proposal of a therapeutic alliance characterised by a variable pattern over the course of treatment is also examined. The emerging picture suggests that the quality of the client–therapist alliance is a reliable predictor of positive clinical outcome independent of the variety of psychotherapy approaches and outcome measures. In our opinion, with regard to the relationship between the therapeutic alliance and outcome of psychotherapy, future research should pay special attention to the comparison between patients’ and therapists’ assessments of the therapeutic alliance. This topic, along with a detailed examination of the relationship between the psychological disorder being treated and the therapeutic alliance, will be the subject of future research projects.

Appreciating similarities and valuing differences : The Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity scale

Abstract: Universal-diverse orientation was defined as an attitude of awareness and acceptance of both the similarities and differences that exist among people. A 45-item scale developed to measure the construct was administered to 4 separate samples (ns = 93, 111, 153, and 135). Internal consistency and retest reliability for the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS) ranged from .89 to .95. The M-GUDS significantly correlated in theoretically predicted ways with measures of racial identity, empathy, healthy narcissism, feminism, androgyny, homophobia, and dogmatism (the last 2 correlations were negative). The M-GUDS displayed discriminant validity by failing to correlate with Scholastic Achievement Test Verbal scores, although mixed results were obtained with social desirability. In summary, the data suggest considerable reliability and initial construct validity for the M-GUDS.

The Link Between Teamwork and Patients’ Outcomes in Intensive Care Units

Abstract: • BACKGROUND Links between teamwork and outcomes have been established in a number of fields Investigations into this link in healthcare have yielded equivocal results • OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between the level of self-identified teamwork in the intensive care unit and patients’ outcomes • METHOD A total of 394 staff members of 17 intensive care units completed the Group Development Questionnaire and a demographic survey The questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of team development and effectiveness Each unit’s predicted and actual mortality rates for the month in which data were collected were obtained Pearson product moment correlations and analyses of variance were used to analyze the data • RESULTS Staff members of units with mortality rates that were lower than predicted perceived their teams as functioning at higher stages of group development They perceived their team members as less dependent and more trusting than did staff members of units with mortality rates that were higher than predicted Staff members of high-performing units also perceived their teams as more structured and organized than did staff members of lower-performing units • CONCLUSIONS The results of this study and others establish a link between teamwork and patients’ outcomes in intensive care units The evidence is sufficient to warrant the implementation of strategies designed to improve the level of teamwork and collaboration among staff members in intensive care units (American Journal of Critical Care 2003;12:527-534)