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The Impact of the “Troubles” on Therapy Groups in Northern Ireland

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Abstract

Since September 11, 2001, terrorism has become familiar to us. The word itself rolls readily off our lips and we wonder about, and struggle with, the lasting consequences of that late summer day. In this paper we speak about thirty-four years of civil strife and terrorism in Northern Ireland. We examine the traumatic impact of that chronic strife on the therapy groups in Northern Ireland. Specifically we examine its impact on therapy groups-as-a-whole, on therapy group members and their interactions with each other, and on the group therapists who lead those groups. A brief review of the history of the strife and its impact on the citizenry precedes these central discussions. We conclude with suggestions about how we may use specially designed groups to enable therapists to address those effects in their groups. Some of these suggestions are already underway.

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Correspondence to Cecil A. Rice.

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Rice, C.A., Kapur, R. The Impact of the “Troubles” on Therapy Groups in Northern Ireland. Group 26, 247–264 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021065211860

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021065211860

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