Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy

A Conspiracy of Silence

Robert S. Pepper

Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy: A Conspiracy of Silence is unique in the field of analytic group psychotherapy. Many books assume that the frame of therapy, the boundary between what is and isn’t therapy, is a given. This book treats the frame as a variable, showing that alterations to the frame have consequences.

A moral dilemma exists when leaders choose to operate outside the ethics and wisdom of the field. The spoken directive to "say everything" is obviated by the unspoken directive not to, and hence a conspiracy of silence is created. There is potential for iatrogenic treatment reactions, constituting an abuse of power. There are at least seven dangers of blurring the boundary between therapy and not therapy: 1. Breaches of confidentiality; 2. Looping; 3. The pass along effect; 4. Gaslighting; 5. Overstimulation; 6. ‘The emperor’s new clothes’ effect; and 7. Scapegoating. Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy illustrates the need to avoid these seven dangers and effectively help therapists work within the group setting. Professional organizations that provide the opportunity for members to openly address their concerns about blurred boundaries in group treatment can help to mitigate their negative effects.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 146 • Trim: 6½ x 9½

978-1-4422-4401-6 • Hardback • September 2014 • $89.00 • (£68.00)

978-1-4422-4402-3 • eBook • September 2014 • $84.50 • (£65.00)

Subjects: Psychology / Psychotherapy / Group, Psychology / Emotions

Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy

A Conspiracy of Silence

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy: A Conspiracy of Silence is unique in the field of analytic group psychotherapy. Many books assume that the frame of therapy, the boundary between what is and isn’t therapy, is a given. This book treats the frame as a variable, showing that alterations to the frame have consequences.

A moral dilemma exists when leaders choose to operate outside the ethics and wisdom of the field. The spoken directive to "say everything" is obviated by the unspoken directive not to, and hence a conspiracy of silence is created. There is potential for iatrogenic treatment reactions, constituting an abuse of power. There are at least seven dangers of blurring the boundary between therapy and not therapy: 1. Breaches of confidentiality; 2. Looping; 3. The pass along effect; 4. Gaslighting; 5. Overstimulation; 6. ‘The emperor’s new clothes’ effect; and 7. Scapegoating. Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy illustrates the need to avoid these seven dangers and effectively help therapists work within the group setting. Professional organizations that provide the opportunity for members to openly address their concerns about blurred boundaries in group treatment can help to mitigate their negative effects.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 146 • Trim: 6½ x 9½

978-1-4422-4401-6 • Hardback • September 2014 • $89.00 • (£68.00)

978-1-4422-4402-3 • eBook • September 2014 • $84.50 • (£65.00)

Subjects: Psychology / Psychotherapy / Group, Psychology / Emotions

Author

Robert S. Pepper, PhD, is director of education and training of the Long Island Institute for Mental Health, and adjunct professor of behavioral science at the Metro Campus of the New York Institute of Technology.

Table of Contents

Preface: Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy—A Conspiracy of Silence
Chapter 1: The Importance of the Frame and Why Group Therapy
Chapter 2: Dual Relationships in Group Psychotherapy: The Pros & Cons
Chapter 3: The Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Systemic Forces of Cult-Like Group Training Institutes
Chapter 4: Paradoxes in Group Psychotherapy
Chapter 5: The Seven Dangers of Blurred Boundaries in Group Therapy
Chapter 6: Other People’s Stories
Epilogue

Reviews

Dr. Robert Pepper has shown courage and provided an important service to the field of analytic group psychotherapy....The passion with which Pepper writes reflects his personal as well as his professional motives...A refreshing honesty pervades Pepper's personal quest to unravel how frame alterations and dual relations cause harm....I recommend this book to neophyte and senior leaders alike.
— International Journal Of Group Psychotherapy

This volume represents a culmination of Robert Pepper’s carefully and thoughtfully considered thesis about the potential abuses of power by those who practice, teach or supervise group psychotherapy. Masterfully crafting together his own professional experiences with a comprehensive review of the extant literature, he cogently and compellingly warns of the ensuing, harmful consequences when psychotherapists embark on the slippery slope of boundary violations in their work.

— Les R. Greene, PhD, Yale University

Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy

A Conspiracy of Silence

Robert S. Pepper

Emotional Incest in Group Psychotherapy

A Conspiracy of Silence

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