Group Techniques

This sourcebook of techniques, designed to supplement theory or practicum books, explores the place and the usefulness of techniques, as well as their abuse. The authors hope to stimulate creativity in the readers approach to group work and to encourage group leaders to develop their own therapeutic styles. They there-fore offer this book as an outline for leaders to build upon in adapting techniques for their own situations, not as a cookbook of recipes to be rigidly followed. The goal is not to catalog techniques for every conceivable situation, but to teach leaders how to adapt the techniques presented and to develop others sensitively, crea-tively, and appropriately..The authors primarily assume that techniques are means, not ends, and that they are fundamentally at the service of the client, not the therapist. The book is especially strong on the leaders executive functions in the group: maneuvering and facilitating the group to optimize its effectiveness and relying on the members themselves to do the majority of the therapy. In addition, the authors hope to stimulate interest in the philosophical and ethical dimensions of group work, and they make reference to the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) ethical guidelines when relevant.

Gerald Corey is Professor Emeritus of Human Services at California State University at Fullerton; a Diplomate in Counseling Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology; a licensed psychologist; a National Certified Counselor; a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Counseling Psychology); a Fellow of the American Counseling Association; and a Fellow of the Association for Specialists in Group Work. Dr. Corey taught undergraduate and graduate courses in group counseling, as well as courses in experiential groups, the theory and practice of counseling, and ethics in counseling. He is the author or co-author of 15 counseling textbooks currently in print and numerous journal articles. Along with his wife, Marianne Schneider Corey, Dr. Corey has conducted group counseling training workshops for mental health professionals at many universities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Germany, Belgium, Scotland, England, and Ireland. The two received the Association for Specialists in Group Work's Eminent Career Award in 2001. Dr. Corey earned his doctorate in counseling from the University of Southern California.

Marianne Schneider Corey is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California and is a National Certified Counselor. Marianne has been actively involved in providing training and supervision workshops in group process for human-services students and professionals; she regularly facilitates a self-exploration group for graduate students in counseling and co-facilitates weeklong residential workshops in personal growth. With Jerry, Marianne has conducted workshops in various countries.

Patrick Callanan is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in Santa Ana, California, and a National Certified Counselor. In his private practice he works with individuals, couples, and families. Patrick is on the part-time faculty of the Human Services Program at California State University at Fullerton, where he regularly teaches the internship course. He also offers his time each year to the university to assist in training and supervising group leaders, and co-teaches an undergraduate course in ethical and professional issues.

J. Michael Russell is professor of philosophy and human services at California State University at Fullerton, a psychoanalyst in private practice, and a core faculty member and training analyst of the Newport Psychoanalytic Institute. He has been leading workshops and teaching courses in personal growth since 1971, when he obtained his doctorate in philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He became a National Certified Counselor in 1984, a registered Research Psychoanalyst in 1985, and a Graduate Psychoanalyst in 1988. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Counseling Association and the Association for Specialists in Group Work.