This website has been developed by an international team of renowned mental health professionals and supported by the American Psychological Association’s Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy (Division 49), the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) with funding provided by the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health, and the German Health Ministry. The development team was chaired by AGPA President Gary Burlingame, PhD, CGP, AGPA-DF’s lab at Brigham Young University and Bernhard Strauss, PhD’s lab at the Institute of Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy, and Psycho-oncology at Jena University Hospital in Germany.
The importance of this resource in the mental health field is underscored by a recent analysis published in the leading American Psychological Association journal, American Psychologist showing that if 10% of the unmet need for psychotherapy in the US was met with group therapy and not individual therapy:
- 3.3 million more people would be served, providing significantly improved access to mental health treatment.
- The need to add new therapists to the workforce (currently at 34,473 additional therapists) would be reduced.
- Savings of over $5.6 billion in mental health care costs would be realized (Whittingham, Mallow, Marmarosh & Scherer, 2023).
Full citation: Whittingham, M., Marmarosh, C. L., Mallow, P., & Scherer, M. (2023). Mental health care equity and access: A group therapy solution. American Psychologist, 78(2), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001078
Group Therapy is a “Triple E” Treatment. The meta-analytic research and state of the field contained in this new website demonstrates that group therapy is:
Effective – Effective for a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to: depression, social anxiety and addictions
Equivalent – Equivalent outcomes to individual therapy for a wide range of conditions
Efficient – Group therapy increases access to therapy as it allows therapists to see more clients per week
The Whittingham, Mallow, Marmarosh & Scherer article indicated that group therapy is underutilized in private practice which can lead to bottlenecks of care due to full caseloads. The use of group can address this issue, and this website can serve as a resource for treatment information and the basis of trainings to increase practitioner’s comfort in providing group therapy. Moreover, agencies who provide the highest percentage of group treatment in the US could extend their group treatment offerings by employing evidence-based protocols found on the website for the most common psychiatric disorders.
Gary Burlingame, AGPA President, who has spent 25 years conducting meta-analyses researching the efficacy of group therapy stated, “Group therapy can play a major role in addressing the mental health crisis in which needs outpace availability of providers. This website is a valuable resource in providing access to information on the most effective treatments for common mental health challenges.”
For more information on group therapy, please visit https://www.agpa.org/home/practice-resources/what-is-group-psychotherapy-. Additionally AGPA will be holding its annual group therapy training week, AGPA Connect 2024 “Turbulent Times: Using Groups to Overcome Divisions and Foster Engagement” February 26-March 2 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland and press is invited to attend select sessions. You can view the program here and contact Diane Feirman at [email protected] for more information or to attend as press. Leadership is also available for interviews during the Meeting week.
About AGPA
The American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) is the foremost professional association dedicated to the field of group psychotherapy, operating through a tri-partite structure: AGPA, a professional and educational organization; the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health, its philanthropic arm; and the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists, a standard setting and certifying body. AGPA represents over 2,000 mental health professional members including psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, as well as mental health, family, and pastoral counselors, many of whom have been recognized as specialists through the Certified Group Psychotherapist credential. Its members are experienced mental health professionals who lead psychotherapy groups and various non-clinical groups. Many are organizational specialists who work with businesses, not-for-profit organizations, communities and other “natural” groups to help them improve their functioning. The association also has 21 local and regional societies located across the country.
AGPA is committed to supporting the dignity and psychological safety of every individual without discrimination regarding race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sex, age, or disability. Central to our mission is a belief in the power of groups to treat mental illness, heal the scars from traumatic events, and enhance the well-being of adults and children in their families, schools, corporate settings, and communities.
About APA Division 49
The Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy (APA Division 49) provides a professional home for all psychologists interested in the study and application of group dynamics. The division promotes the development and advancement of the field of group psychology and the modality of group psychotherapy through research, teaching and education and clinical practice.
About German Health Ministry
To enable the transatlantic cooperation between the US researchers and German (and European) researchers, the Federal German Health Ministry was funding the implementation of web-pages in German with the aim to provide information about evidence based group treatments via scientific organizations in Germany and other European countries in the near future.
SOURCE AMERICAN GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY ASSOCIATION
