67th Annual Conference

Friday, February 26

Afternoon Workshops

2:30 - 5:00 P.M.

Workshop 60

What You Don't Know Could Hurt You: Secrets in Group Psychotherapy

Chair:

Oona Metz, LICSW, CGP, Private Practice, Brookline, Massachusetts

Open to participants with less than four years of group psychotherapy experience.

What is the difference between privacy and secrecy? Why do some members keep secrets in group?  How do we encourage the sharing of secrets in a productive way? What happens when we are unaware of a secret?  We will attempt to explore these questions and more in this dynamic workshop.

sharing of work experiences, demonstration, didactic, experiential 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Differentiate between privacy and secrecy.

2. Identify the different types of secrets that can be held in groups.

3. Identify countertransferential reactions to secrets in groups.

4. Describe several interventions to use when secrets occur in groups.

Course References:

Flapan, D.& Fenchel, G. (1983) Group member contacts without the group therapist. Group, 7, 3-16.

Nitsun, M. (1996). The anti-group. London: Routledge.

Silverstein, J. (1993). Secrets versus privacy in group psychotherapy. Group, 17, 107-114.

Smith, D. L. (2004). Why we lie: The evolutionary roots of deception and the unconscious mind. New York: St. Martin's Press.