Parting gifts: termination rituals in group therapy.

Full Abstract

A patient's termination from group therapy is a powerful experience for the departing patient, the therapist, and all group members. Unless the feelings evoked are channeled into constructive expression, they may undermine this potentially valuable phase of both the departing patient's group treatment and the life of the group as a whole. A termination ritual, styled by a particular patient according to his or her own need, therapy goals, and personality may help the patient achieve a more clearly defined sense of self. The authors suggest that the group therapist's careful attunement to and thorough exploration of the significance of any termination ritual or gift will help to extract maximum therapeutic benefit for the departing member and the group as a whole.

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Author information

Author/s: Shapiro, Elizabeth L (EL); Ginzberg, Rachel (R);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Center for Psychoanalytic Studies, Massachusetts General Hospital, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Case Reports; Journal Article

Journal: International journal of group psychotherapy (Int J Group Psychother), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Jul; vol 52 (issue 3) : pp 319-36

Dates: Created 2002/06/26; Completed 2002/07/18; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 12082674, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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