You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The authors of this book are a psychiatrist and a sociologist, both of whom have extensive experience in group psychotherapy and particularly in therapeutic community work and in clinical research. They make an excellent team and have produced a work of quality that fills a conspicuous gap in the literature. It is indeed largely a compilation and review of the very large literature of group psychotherapy, of group dynamics, therapeutic community, the large group, the recent 'experiential' groups, family therapy and, finally and importantly, an evaluation of group therapy. Their style is clear and issues are well presented. The 44 pages on group dynamics are a first-class summary of this complex field and are essential for introducing the clinician to the academic background of small group work. The authors define the person for whom this group is intended as the training psychiatrist, the social worker, the nurse or other aspiring group worker.
The authors draw on a wide range of approaches and provide an excellent bibliography and recommendations for a basic library of books of group treatment in psychiatry. They are sympathetic to the group analytic approach as represented by the work of S. H. Foulkes but do not set out to convince the reader of the superiority of any one 'school' of group psychotherapy. They have succeeded in their aim of presenting the wide range of group approaches comprehensively, concisely and objectively.
This book is strongly and unreservedly recommended to all persons interested or involved in group psychotherapy, both as a basic introductory text and for the more advanced student as an overview of the current scene. It fills a gap in the literature as it provides an introduction and overview of all the areas of psychiatry and of psychotherapy where group approaches are used and it should certainly be included in the list of volumes that they themselves recommend for a basic library.
The book is well produced and reasonably priced.