Focused Brief Group Therapy

Martyn Whittingham, Ph.D., CGP., FAPA., FAGPA, is a licensed psychologist in Ohio and a consultant with a private practice. He has received national awards for group practice (with Dr. Erin Frick) in 2010 , from the Association for Specialists in Group Work and for teaching group dynamics from the American Psychological Association (2021). He is the former president of Division 49 of the American Psychological Association (2020) and is a former chair of the American Group Psychotherapy Association's Science to Service Task Force. He has authored numerous book chapters and journal articles and regularly presents on focused brief group therapy throughout the USA, China, the United Kingdom and Singapore. Dr. Whittingham is a fellow of both APA and AGPA. He lives in Cincinnati where he derives the greatest joy from moments spent with his wife and daughter and their cat, Envelope.

"Whittingham’s text is a rich, accessible, and creative synthesis of the evidence base that guides the expert practice of focused brief group therapy (FBGT). FBGT is tailored to real-world, time-sensitive, clinical environments. The FBGT model comes to life through Whittingham’s illuminating the central importance of interpersonal communication and connectedness, and the powerful ways group therapy fosters that connectedness. This book will be of great value to both beginners and experienced group therapists, students, and teachers." - Molyn Leszcz, MD, FRCPC, CGP, AGPA-DF, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Past-President, American Group Psychotherapy Association. "This book is an incredible resource for group therapists of all levels of experience—from graduate students to advanced group therapists. Whittingham seamlessly integrates evidence-based theories and assessment into a new model of focused brief group psychotherapy that offers short-term group treatment to people with diverse needs, including interpersonal struggles and loneliness. His model can be applied to groups in private practice, counselling centers, and hospital settings. He focuses on research-based assessment, thoughtful screening strategies, and important interventions for before and after group therapy begins. Readers will be able to quickly apply his model as he has provided many interesting and useful clinical examples throughout his book. I will definitely recommend this book to my students learning group therapy and to colleagues who are looking to strengthen their group practice." - Cheri L. Marmarosh, PhD, licensed psychologist in private practice and associate professor, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States "Whittingham takes an empirically sound model of interpersonal interactions and applies it skilfully to create an innovative brief focused group therapy. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to do brief group therapy that goes beyond simply educating patients and that harnesses the power of groups to create lasting change. Whittingham blends the best research evidence and clinical wisdom in his focused brief group therapy model." - Giorgio A. Tasca, PhD, Professor, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Overview and RationaleI. THE MODEL1. Theoretical Underpinnings2. Focused Brief Group Therapy Structure, Parameters, and Mechanisms of Change3. Interpersonal Scale Descriptions4. Leadership Attitudes, Foci, and SkillsII. THE MODEL IN PRACTICE5. Preparing for Focused Brief Group Therapy: Referrals and Assessment Integration6. Therapy, Pregroup Preparation, and Screening: The Importance of the TPS Session7. Leading the First Two Sessions8. Leading the Middle and Later Sessions9. Making Sense of Client Change: Triangulation of Data10. Debriefing as an Essential Bookend11. Research and Future DirectionsReferencesIndexAbout the Author