Group therapy in a public sector psychiatric clinic

Effective group therapy in a public psychiatric clinic involves recognizing that the cognitive style of many of these patients differs from the cognitive style of patients in private outpatient settings for whom insight-oriented therapy is appropriate. Specific differences in treatment techniques for many public sector patients include a focus on identifying and changing present-day behavior through advice-giving, emotional support, and concrete forms of social support in addition to modeling and direct teaching by therapists and fellow group members.