INTERPRETIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY IN THE INPATIENT COMMUNITY MEETING ON A SHORT-TERM UNIT

The authors present a model of inpatient community meetings conducted as large-group interpretive psychotherapy. The model focuses on the ex amination of relationships between patients and staff in the here-and- now and the patient group's maladaptive ways of interpreting staff mem bers' behavior. The group leader and other staff members listen to pat ients' comments and questions and identify underlying group themes tha t reflect how patients are experiencing their relationship to staff. T his model is useful even on short-term, acute inpatient units because it can provide an up-to-date monitor of the millieu, illuminate undesi rable patient and staff behavior, uncover nontherapeutic tic activitie s or attitudes of staff, help improve patients' compliance with treatm ent, and reduce tension on the unit.