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Handbook of Community Psychiatry pp 233–245Cite as

Psychiatrist-Led Outpatient Groups: Putting Our Minds Together

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Abstract

Psychiatrist-led outpatient group therapy for patients with significant mental illness or substance use problems is a powerful treatment vehicle for combining medical and psychosocial treatments in an efficient and accessible format. It was once widespread as the focus of treatment for persons with severe illness as they were shifted from state hospitals to community mental health centers (Stone 1993). Despite significant clinical evidence for its effectiveness, few psychiatrists currently run groups for these patients. Most psychiatrists experienced with group psychotherapy do not treat patients with severe mental illness and most psychiatrists specializing in the treatment of severe mental illness do not run groups. Today, group psychotherapy is rarely part of psychiatric residency training. Despite this course of events, as economics create pressure for systems change, group medical visits as an alternative to individual appointments will likely be encouraged. Likewise, as mental health and primary care systems converge, group treatments offer an attractive and efficient option for people seeking care outside traditional behavioral health settings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai’i, 1035 Naalae Road, Kula, HI, 96790, USA

    Leslie Hartley Gise MD

  2. Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Augusta, ME, USA

    Benjamin Crocker MD

Authors
  1. Leslie Hartley Gise MD
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  2. Benjamin Crocker MD
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Correspondence to Leslie Hartley Gise MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The St. Luke's & Roosevelt Hospitals Columbia University College of Physician, New York, USA

    Hunter L. McQuistion

  2. Center for Public Service Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Wesley E. Sowers

  3. New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA

    Jules M. Ranz

  4. University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA

    Jacqueline Maus Feldman

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Gise, L.H., Crocker, B. (2012). Psychiatrist-Led Outpatient Groups: Putting Our Minds Together. In: McQuistion, H., Sowers, W., Ranz, J., Feldman, J. (eds) Handbook of Community Psychiatry. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3149-7_20

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