Harold S. Bernard

Time-Limited Group Treatment of Genital Herpes Patients

This article discusses short-term group psychotherapy with individuals suffering from an adjustment reaction or reactive depression precipitated by genital herpes. The authors describe their experi...

Brief group psychotherapy for herpes patients: A preliminary study

Three time-limited group interventions for patients with genital herpes were compared: a cognitive-behavioral stress-management approach, a dynamically oriented psychotherapy approach, and a self-help approach. A posttherapy questionnaire was administered to all subjects to assess the relative impacts of the different treatment approaches and the therapeutic factors which subjects perceived as most salient in each form of treatment. Subjects in the cognitive-behavioral stress-management groups reported greater benefits than subjects in both other conditions. It is suggested that the high degree of structure and goal orientation which characterize this approach may produce superior results, at least when the group experience is time limited.

Two models of brief group psychotherapy for herpes sufferers

The psychological consequences that often follow from contracting genital herpes fall into four general categories: sexual functioning, interpersonal relations, emotional life, and self-esteem. After detailing these, a rationale for treating genital herpes sufferers in group is offered, and then two models for the time-limited group treatment of this population are described. The first is a cognitive behavioral stress management program which has three component parts: relaxation training, rational-emotive training, and assertiveness training. The second is a dynamically oriented group in which the group focus shifts over time from the difficulties associated with the disease itself to general exploration of interpersonal styles and themes. Some comparisons between the two models are drawn.

Anti-therapeutic dimensions of a community meeting in a therapeutic milieu

A central feature of many inpatient settings, especially those that attempt to be “therapeutic communities,” is the community meeting. Such meetings are often quite large and difficult to manage, and therefore susceptible to confusion and chaos. The present article documents the difficulties associated with a community meeting in a particular hospital setting, which is often psychonoxious for patients and debilitating of staff morale. The need to define achievable tasks that are commonly understood and agreed upon is addressed. The confusion and paralysis that results when roles are not clearly delineated is described, as is the destructive potential of not carefully managing the various boundaries that define the relationship between the community meeting and the context in which it is conducted. Finally, the danger of insufficient structure in a community meeting is illustrated. Suggestions for conducting successful meetings are offered.

Experiential Group Psychotherapy Supervision

Following a review of various traditional models of supervising group therapy, an experiential model of supervising group in a group setting is presented. The model stresses the group aspect of the supervisory process, encourages group interaction, here-and-now responses and associations, and employs concepts from both object relations and group-as-a-whole theory to understand what is taking place. The models premise is that case material presented in a supervision group stimulates parallel material in supervisees, which is then used to elucidate what has taken place in the therapy group being presented. Excerpts from one supervisory group are used to illustrate major features of the model.

Group interventions for patients with cancer and HIV disease: an introduction.

It is my pleasure to provide an introduction to the series of articles that will be appearing in this and the next three issues of the Journal, a series entitled Group Interventions for Patients with Cancer and HIV Disease. I think it would be useful to provide some background as to how the project that has resulted in these four articles came about. In 2001, the American Group Psychotherapy Association signed a contract with the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), a U.S. government program within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a subdivision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Our responsibility under the terms of the grant was to write a White Paper, which is an official governmental document that the program owns and disseminates as it sees fit, on the subject of the group treatment of patients with medical illnesses. After securing the contract, we went about creating a task force to carry out the project. On the recommendation of one of our most senior members, we began talking with Allen Sherman, a psychologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr.

The Future of Training and Credentialing in Group Psychotherapy

High-quality group psychotherapy training is seen as more important than ever in the current health care environment. The training opportunities available at present are assessed. It is argued that there is a body of knowledge about generic group psychotherapy that can and should be taught, and that there are appropriate people to teach it. Credentialing is discussed, and it is suggested that the assessment of actual work in clinical situations must be emphasized if such efforts are to be meaningful.

A Short-Term Group Intervention in the Context of Ongoing Individual Psychotherapy

During the spring of 1989, while the senior author was a psychology intern at a large medical center in New York City, she co-led a short-term, insight-oriented psychotherapy group for patients who had contracted genital herpes. Her co-leader was a male psychology intern. The second author was their supervisor in his capacity as Chief of the Group Psychotherapy Program at the same medical center.