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GROUP THERAPY FOR OFFENDERS:Learning in Groups, Humanistic Groups

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
Lesson 31
GROUP THERAPY FOR OFFENDERS
Objective:
To know that how group therapy works
When, where and with whom is GT more beneficial
To understand that how different approaches work in group settings
To get an insight about the disadvantages of GT
To intimate with the benefits of GT for therapist
How Group Therapy (GT) Works?
"A form of psychotherapy where there are multiple patients led by one or more therapists"
The presence of two or more therapists is important in Forensic settings because:
To manage a group of people , who are violent and aggressive
Another purpose is the supervision, unlike GT, situations involving individual therapy
usually supervisor is out of the room.
Presence of another therapist facilitate the therapeutic process and can provide Feed Back
Group therapy is very diverse. There are two general ways of categorizing group therapy, by the time
limits set on the duration of the group, and by the focus of the group and the way group members are
selected. Psychologists with different theoretical training will use group therapy for many different
types of psychological problems and concerns like:
Substance Misuse Treatment
Anger Managements
Thinking and Problem Solving
Sex Offender Treatment
Music Therapy
Art Therapy
When, where and with whom?
When, where and with whom is group therapy effective? A crucial thing to remember is that GT is not
alternative of Individual therapy, just to economize the therapy. A forensic psychologist must foresee
the real need of GT. Is GT is more effective for that particular individual or not? For instance if an
offender or an individual with Asperger's syndrome, who hate the presence of other people around, so
imagine if a therapist gathers a group of such people what will be the result, absolutely hoax and
banging situation!
Behind the prescription of GT there must be a solid reason. Usually in Forensic settings, groups are
established when incarcerated individuals are ready for group interaction and half of the treatment is
already done.
Learning in Groups
As discussed earlier different approaches significantly differ from each other. While working with
groups basic concern does not alter, the only difference is that here the gravity of therapeutic process is
not only the treatment and behaviour of one individual. Now let's understand that how different
approaches work in group scenario.
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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
Psychodynamic Groups
Psychodynamic groups are based on the same principles as individual dynamic therapy and aim to help
people with past difficulties, relationships and trauma as well as current problems. They aim to do this
with the help of the whole group of up to eight people plus one or two facilitators.
Groups are based on the principle that groups themselves are helpful, supportive and enabling to people
and that the whole group can be involved in change and understanding. Group therapists believe that
everyone attending a group has strengths and can contribute.
Offenders and ASPD are incompatible to their original group and legal system; it means that an
individual is like a single piece of the jigsaw, without much meaning on its own. On joining a therapy
group the individual tries to reconstruct the original jigsaw of his family, shaping the other people to fit.
In Individual psychodynamic therapy (IPT), therapist analyze transference, counter transference and
general behavior and assumes that client have similar behavioral pattern with other relations in non
therapeutic conditions. (relationship with siblings, parents and family). In GT family replicate other
group members (six or more people like siblings fighting to grasp the attention of parents)
If all such problems are solved then a healthy relationships emerges as a result and healthy societal
manners are adopted by the group members.
Humanistic Groups
HGT takes an entirely different point of view from psychodynamic approach, according to humanistic
view in offender's group therapy; we have a bunch of people learning to grow together. Therapist
cultivates the environment of respect and acceptance. It is made cleared therapist set a rule at the start of
GT that irrespective of the whole crimes and wrong deeds, group has to give respect and acceptance to
each other. Now imagine a group of offenders who have been indulged in different kinds of crimes
through out the life (may have involved in violent activity, rape, murder, child molestation and so on) so
according to the preset rule they are not suppose to frown while listening to others rather have to nod. In
this way the atmosphere of respect and acceptance is elicited.
When criminals share the darkest and ugliest parts of their criminal lives, the therapist and other group
members are not just listening with attention but also irrespective to all their deeds, giving them regard
as a human being. In this atmosphere criminal learn to regard, accept and honor other people and a
healthy interaction emerges.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Based Groups
A minimum educational level is required for this therapy because clients and therapists work together,
once a therapeutic alliance has been formed, to identify and understand problems in terms of the
relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The approach usually focuses on difficulties in
the here and now, and relies on the therapist and client developing a shared view of the individual's
problem. This then leads to identification of personalized, usually time-limited therapy goals and
strategies which are continually monitored and evaluated.
Social Skills Groups
These group therapies are conduct in class room like situations. Social-skills training helped reduce
suspiciousness and facilitate healthy interaction among inmates and staff as well. In which people are
trained social skills like how to say "no" with out fighting with others.
Assertiveness training
A polite but assertive `no' to excessive requests from others is taught to enable offenders to promote
balance in life with out fighting. Assertive communication can also help in handle difficult family,
friends and co-workers more easily, reducing drama, violence and stress.
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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
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Anger management skills are also taught in this group training
Better ways to handle frustration/anger
Counting to 10 before reacting
Distracting oneself to a pleasurable task
Learning an internal dialog to cool oneself down and reflect upon the best course of action
Acceptable ways to resolve conflict are also part of social skill trainings, like
Using words instead of physical contact
Seeking the assistance of the teacher or conflict resolution tea
Psycho-education Groups
These groups are also based on class room format, people are taught about their emotions, difficulties
and their remedies. This type of psychoeducation is a some times family-based treatment modality that
typically begins by attempting to form a collaborative relationship between the therapeutic team and
family members. In general, psychoeducation efforts are designed to teach family members about a
given mental disorder, its course, prognosis, medications, and management. At times, such education is
provided to individual families, whereas at other times it is offered in a multi-family workshop.
Disadvantages of Group therapies in forensic settings
Along with many advantages, major disadvantages of GT include:
Much gain is not available if offender is not willing/ready for group therapy
GT is absolutely not recommendable for individuals with Asperger's syndrome, as they hate
company of others.
GT is not beneficial with the group of severe mental disorders.
Group Therapy of Therapists
Can we run groups of therapists, staff and doctors e.t.c? Personally I found it very beneficial as a group
discussion takes place with usually a senior and experienced therapist. Therapist gets strength, feed back
and suggestions from such groups. A person who is continuously working with offenders who have
been involved in devilish nature of crimes and as a human being it is really difficult to work with them
maintaining an unbiased positive attitude. So in such condition analysis of counter transference and
discussion can be very helpful. Techniques of art therapy are used to understand the internal mental and
unconscious processes of therapist for better understanding. Psychodynamic is the best approach for
therapy of therapist, no matter from which perspective therapist is.
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Future of Forensic Psychology
  2. INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOOGY:Way of police investigation
  3. FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY AND POLICE:Violent Criminals
  4. POLICE PSYCHOLOGY:Use of excessive force, Corruption, Personnel Selection
  5. POLICE PSYCHOLOGY:Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation (FFDE), False Confessions
  6. INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:For instance, Empirical and logical approach
  7. INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:Crime Scene Investigation, Staging
  8. PSYCHOLOGY OF VIOLENCE:Law of Conservation of Energy, Super ego
  9. PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Fixation at Oral Stage
  10. PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Defense Mechanism, Rationalization
  11. JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND VIOLENCE:Freudian Methods, JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY
  12. JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND VIOLENCE:Religion and mental illnesses
  13. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Shadow’s violence, Child’s violence
  14. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Operant Conditioning
  15. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Schedules of Punishment
  16. SOCIAL LEARNING MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Observational learning, Vicarious punishment
  17. MORAL DEVELOPMENT AND VIOLENCE:Symbolic functioning, Formal operational stage
  18. BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL MODEL:Mental hospitals are factories of abuse
  19. ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ABOUT VIOLENCE:Morality is essential
  20. ISLAMIC MODEL:Nafs al-Ammara, Nafs al-Lawwama, Nafs ul Naatiqa
  21. TREATMENTS FOR THE SOUL:Tawba, Sabr o Shukr, Niyyat o Ikhlaas, Taffakkur
  22. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY:Personality Disorders, Common Crimes
  23. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY AND VIOLENCE:Mnemonic, Similarities
  24. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY AND VIOLENCE:Terrorism and Psychopaths
  25. LEARNING DISABILITIES/MENTAL RETARDATION AND VIOLENCE
  26. ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Reasons for referral, Personality Inventories
  27. ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Different cutoff scores
  28. RISK ASSESSMENT:Violence reduction scale, Stability of Family upbringing
  29. TREATMENT OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR / PERSONALITY PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
  30. JUNGINA THERAPEUTIC MODEL:Limits of re-parenting, Personality Typologies
  31. GROUP THERAPY FOR OFFENDERS:Learning in Groups, Humanistic Groups
  32. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Narrative Therapy
  33. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Solution Focused Therapy
  34. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Avoiding reactance, Externalization
  35. PSYCHOTHERAPY IN FORENSIC SETTINGS AND SPECIAL CHALLENGES
  36. FORENSIC PSYCHOTHERAPY:Exploring therapeutic alliance, Music Therapy
  37. VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAM:Target Population, Lack of motivation
  38. VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAM:Criminal attitude, Interpersonal Aggression
  39. VICTIM SUPPORT:Main features of PTSD, Emotional Support
  40. VICTIM SUPPORT:Debriefing, Desensitization, Eidetic Therapy, Narrative Therapy
  41. SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Marijuana, Unconventional drugs
  42. SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Stages of Change, Homosexuality
  43. EXPERT WITNESS:Insanity Pleas, Sexual Offence Risk, Instructions
  44. COUNTER TERRORISM:Misconceptions, Psychologists & Propaganda war
  45. SUMMING UP FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Problems with Risk Assessment, Expert Witness