Group psychotherapy.

Group psychotherapy is a treatment modality used to assist patients in learning how they are perceived, what interactions and communication styles are effective, and which behaviors are acceptable. Emphasis is placed on self-knowledge and growth by using constructive feedback and support from others to make changes. Different types of groups can be classified broadly as open or closed. All group psychotherapists follow a theoretical framework and derive their interventions from this orientation. Groups follow the developmental stages of orientation, working relationship, and termination, and each phase has characteristic issues. Nurses make excellent group psychotherapists when they have received the additional education and supervision necessary to work with this modality. The education may be formal--via a master's degree in psychiatric nursing or specific courses on group psychotherapy--or it may be more informal--via seminars and workshops. Supervision is obtained concurrently while the new nurse group therapist is conducting clinical groups.