Group therapy in family medicine: part 1

Group psychotherapy may often be the treatment of choice for patients whose somatic symptoms are a reflection of interpersonal difficulties which are not of sufficient magnitude to warrant referral to a mental health professional. This type of treatment can be offered in the context of family practice, with benefit to both patient and physician. The physician may function as co-therapist with a more experienced group leader; it is essential, also, that competent supervision be available. Such a group was established in a family practice center; it met for 20 weekly sessions. Patient improvement ranged from minimal to considerable; in addition, the frequency of visits to the Center for essentially non-medical reasons decreased considerably, with the greatest decrease in such visits occurring 6 to 15 months after termination of group treatment. This is the first part in a four-part series dealing with group therapy in family medicine.