PSYCHOTHERAPY IN A DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIAT RY - A REPORT ON EXPERIENCE

In this article the role of psychotherapy in the psychiatric departmen t of a hospital is outlined. The author tries to integrate psychothera py into inpatient treatment. The article reveals the problematic strug gle between the claims of theory and the range of method, on the one h and, versus the necessity for treatment and the working conditions of the hospital on the other. The article presents types of multidiscipli nary team approaches in the hospital and focuses especially on the rol e of the team in the psychiatric ward. Special emphasis is placed on t he method of group therapy for up to one-third of the inpatients, whic h has very different short-term goals than group therapy with outpatie nts. Such group psychotherapy and the psychodynamic approach for deepe r understanding of the patients will change the stereotype image of ps ychiatric clinics and broaden its possibilities.