Revised and updated edition of the book previously published in the United States as: Creating Contact, Choosing Relationship: The dynamics of unstructured group therapy. Unstructured Group Therapy: Creating Contact, Choosing Relationship offers a framework for the theory and practice of unstructured group therapy. The two essential goals of unstructured group therapy are described which include working on personal problems and learning how to develop mutually satisfying relationships. An integrative theory of group therapy is developed that is humanistic/existential in orientation and that integrates diverse perspectives about group therapy stressed by person-centered, existential, psychoanalytic, cognitive, and behavioral theories. This theoretical approach has applications not only to therapy groups but also to personal growth, organizational, family, and other types of groups. These groups can be applied in a wide variety of settings and with many different client or patient populations.

 

'This is a rare book. The authors have offered a mixture of timeless philosophical constructs and practical advice about unstructured groups. The universal themes of love, power, and justice are considered central concepts in the relationship processes that form the ‘heart and soul’ of unstructured group therapy.'

Jerold D Bozarth, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Georgia

 

 

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Process Goals in Unstructured Group Therapy

Chapter 3 Self-Actualization as a Central Theme

Chapter 4 Awareness, Freedom, and Responsibility

Chapter 5 The Dynamics of Love, Power, and Justice

Chapter 6 The Development of Therapeutic Process

Chapter 7 Responsibilities and Group Membership

Chapter 8 Application of Theory

 

Richard C. Page, PhD is Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia, Athens, USA and a Visiting Professor at ISMAI University, Porto, Portugal. He did two Fulbright Scholarships at the Department of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland and is a former Chair of the National Board of Certified Counselors. He has published over 80 articles in refereed professional journals.

 

Daniel N. Berkow, PhD, currently is Associate Director of a university counseling center. He has provided group therapy for students in university settings, and for adults, adolescents, and children in community settings. His areas of interest in publication and presentation include group dynamics, therapeutic inquiry, and intercultural understandings of counseling.