AN OVERVIEW OF 9 DECADES OF GROUP-PSYCHOTHERAPY

Group psychotherapy has experienced unprecedented growth in the nine d ecades of its existence. Begun by a Boston physician in 1905 as a ''cl ass'' for his patients with tuberculosis, it has achieved internationa l recognition as an effective modality for the treatment of emotionall y impaired children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Group psych otherapy's first growth spurt occurred during World War II, when under staffed military hospitals in both the United States and England were forced to use group treatment measures to attend to the large number o f psychiatric casualties. In the 1960s the community mental health cen ters movement, with its mandate to serve many people in large catchmen t areas, became another impetus for the employment of group approaches in both remedial and preventive contexts. Group intervention measures , ranging from clinical group psychotherapy to derivative approaches, have expanded to virtually all human services. They are bound to play a major role in the current move toward managed health care, with its emphasis on cost containment and accountability.