About the Book
How to Create and Sustain Groups That Thrive is an accessible manual for group leaders of all kinds, from psychotherapy groups to discussion groups.
This thoroughly updated third edition of the author’s popular group psychotherapy guide provides a wealth of tools for starting and maintaining groups, including sample group agreements, a screening and preparation system, and an innovative collaborative goal setting system. The book also discusses the importance of online ‘netiquette’ as well as an overview of diversity and inclusion concepts in group work, offering a range of modifiable leadership and facilitation interventions that can be tailored to meet the needs of specific groups.
Specifically designed to help both seasoned group therapists and clinicians who find themselves leading groups, How to Create and Sustain Groups That Thrive is an easy-to-use, fully practical resource for a variety of mental health professionals.
Table of Contents:
1. The World of Groups 2. Interest Groups 3. Self-Help Groups 4. Overview of Different Kinds of Groups: From Support Groups to Psychotherapy Groups 5. How to Plan a Group 6. Screening, Selection, Preparation, and Planning 7. Sample Screening Forms 8. Group/Life History Questionnaire 9. Group Guidelines/Group Agreements 10. Sample Online Group Agreements 11. Marketing Your Group 12. Understanding and Dealing with Difficult Situations in Groups 13. Termination: Saying Goodbye Matters 14. The Therapist's Professional Will 15. Closing
About the Author :
Ann Steiner, PhD, is a Certified Group Psychotherapist, licensed Marriage and Family therapist. Dr. Steiner served as an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California Medical School, San Francisco, and was instrumental in the design and formation of The Psychotherapy Institute's Group Therapy Training Program, where she is a faculty member. She is a Fellow and former board member of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and has a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she has been leading a variety of groups for 30 years.
Review :
"This handy guide provides a broad yet systematic approach to developing groups, helping you think through what is unique about your group and what you want it to become."
Louis D. Brown, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston and Former Chair, Self-Help Interest Group, American Psychological Association.
"This excellent book is so much more than a workbook. It gives readers a thorough understanding of groups in general as well as a comprehensive and practical guide for successful leadership of all types of groups. This very readable and accessible resource gives beginners and experienced leaders the tools and techniques to approach group leadership with confidence."
Howard Kahn, Ph.D., Assistant Clinical Professor in the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
"I love that this book provides a detailed, practical, and psychologically sound guide for group leaders in all kinds of settings. Anyone who wants to take his or her group/organization to the next level should read this book. The rich collection of forms, assessments, and templates will help you increase your group’s effectiveness. It is rare to find a book that explains group work from such a broad perspective. It will quickly become your go-to-source. So go Help Your Group Thrive!"
John B. Molidor, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and Past President, National Speakers Association.
"Ann Steiner’s Help Your Group Thrive offers an abundance of nuts and bolts information—straightforward and easy to use, with wonderfully useful sample forms and group agreements.
I sure wish I’d had access to this information during the 10 years I was leading support groups. Luckily now, with the publication of this book, I have Dr. Steiner’s valuable tools to help me out whenever I facilitate groups."
Elayne Savage, PhD, Author: Don’t Take It Personally! The Art of Dealing with Rejection and Breathing Room—Creating Space to Be a Couple
"If you lead any kind of group, you must have this book. It contains a bundle of can’t-do-without wisdom from a 30-year veteran in group facilitation. Here you will find a treasure chest of group-related information – from forming one to running one, from groups that last to those that don’t, and from marketing tips to sample agreement forms. This book is overflowing with powerful ideas for anyone who is starting a group to someone who has been running one for years."
Allen Klein, M.A., CSP, author of L.A.U.G.H.: Using Humor and Play to Help Clients Cope with Stress, Anger, Frustration, and more.
"Being an experienced group therapist, I had the idea that I did not need any new literature concerning this field. But when I got a copy of Ann Steiner’s books it struck me how much I still could benefit from other colleagues' works and thoughts. So every week before my group sessions I read a few pages from one of her books and find myself highly inspired, which I think my group members can notice. I felt slightly younger again! Never too late to learn something new!"
Per Anders Øien, M.D., private practice, Drammen, Norway, former head of the educational board, Vestre Viken Hospital, Drammen, Norway, and leader of the committee for psychotherapy in the Norwegian Medical Association
"This book is an illuminating road map for a group leader. Ann Steiner takes this complex and at times perplexing experience of preparing, screening, and leading a group and makes it immediately understandable. Ann provides very workable ideas and highly valuable group resource worksheets that will give your group enhanced direction, purpose and clarity. The book embraces many different therapeutic models and its emphasis is on how the preparation and planning is a key to making groups work effectively! Get this book!"
Greg Crosby, MA, LPC, CGP, FAGPA, Crosby Integrative Training; private practice in supervision and therapy; Adjunct at Lewis and Clark Graduate School in Art Therapy Department, and former Group Coordinator of Kaiser NW Region for Oregon and Washington.
"What an enjoyable read! This latest edition is full of pearls of wisdom and bulges with reference gems that should be read far and wide. Ann’s passion for groups, especially community and self-help groups shines forth on these pages. This edition is even more thorough and comprehensive: a must read for new group facilitators and a great update for those more senior. Guaranteed to inspire!"
Namita Trensky BA, B.Ed (Couns), Supervising Psychologist for the Mental Health team and Group Therapy Programmer and Facilitator, Hepburn Health Service, Victoria, Australia.
"Dr. Steiner has written an excellent workbook that is remarkable in the detailed attention it provides for beginning and experienced group leaders to be most effective. She brings a depth and understanding to the art and science of group therapy and to general group leadership principles and practices. I am pleased to be able to recommend the book to all who want to increase their knowledge and skills in leading groups."
Nina W. Brown, Ed.D., LPC, NCC, FAGPA, Professor and Eminent scholar, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA; Author, Psychoeducational Groups: Process and Practice.
"Dr. Steiner’s remarkably thorough and practical workbook covers everything from leadership style, to the needs of different groups, to screening and group agreements. There is no more difficult task in the world of therapy than beginning a therapy group. This is a rich resource for anyone starting and maintaining a group – any group."
J. Scott Rutan, PhD, Co-Author of Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy, Distinguished Fellow and Past President, American Group Psychotherapy Association.
