67th Annual Conference

Friday, February 26

Session 207

The Psychiatrist as Group Therapist: Does it Make a Difference?

Presenter:

George Max Saiger, M.D., CGP, FAGPA, Faculty, Washington School of Psychiatry, Washington, DC
 

The "medical model", though currently out of fashion in psychotherapeutic circles, brings a distinct approach to the field. The diagnostic approach of nonpsychiatric medicine has both advantages and disadvantages in the clinical arena.  This session will sharpen understanding of the differences between the medical model and other theoretical approaches to the conduct of group therapy. It will also discuss training psychiatrists as group therapists.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Apply medical decision making to group therapy.

2. Compare the medical model to alternative (eg. social structure) models of group therapy.

3. Formulate some elements needed for training psychiatrists as group therapists.

Course References:

"Introduction"  The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, Fourth Edition, TR.  American Psychiatric Association Press. 2000 pp. xxiii-xxxviii

Kernberg, O., and Clarkin, J: "Forward" and "Preface" to the OPD2. (Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis, A Manual of Diagnostic and Treatment Planning, second edition.  Hogrefe Publishing 2008. pp. iv-xi

Grob, GN. (1991) Origins of DSM-I: a study in appearance and reality Am J Psychiatry. Apr;148(4):421–31.