Introduction to Group Therapy

Dr. Brabender's textbook makes teaching an introductory course on group psychotherapy (to clinical psychology students who are often not positively inclined towards groups) look easy! In her book, she walks students through the process of building and leading a psychotherapy group step-by-step. She introduces students to a number of major theoretical backgrounds and invites them to think widely and critically about how to purposefully put together the crucial ingredients of a therapy group (e.g., structure of leadership, selection of group members, adoption of a theoretical framework). Dr. Brabender also offers a thorough review of the existing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the various therapy modalities she describes. The book is clearly written and each concept comes alive through the numerous vivid and dynamic clinical examples present throughout the book. I should add that the textbook comes with an extremely helpful instructor manual, filled with experiential exercises, discussion questions, video suggestions, role-plays as well as test questions. A must use for masters and doctoral students who are being exposed for the first time to the world of group psychotherapy through any field!