Joe Miles, Psy.D.
Acknowledging the potency of Group Psychology & Group Psychotherapy
I am honored to be stepping into the role of President-Elect for the Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy and to be able to write this column for The Group Psychologist. As I step into this new role, I have been reflecting on the fact that it is an exciting time to be a “group person” and a member of Division 49. The naming of group psychology and group psychotherapy as a specialty and the efforts of current and past leaders of Division 49 (and other group organizations!) to bring recognition of the power of group are having an important impact on the discipline of psychology and beyond. For example, the recently published Education and Training Guidelines for Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy (Brown & Lefforge, 2023) and another excellent piece in the American Psychologist investigating the development of expertise as a group therapist (Hahn et al., 2022) are sure to shape the future of training in group psychology and group psychotherapy. Work like this (much of it by members and leaders of Division 49) is sure to shape the future of group research and practice in meaningful ways!
Another reason why I feel it is an exciting time to be a “group person” is that I believe the theory, research, and practice of group has the potential to help us understand one another and bridge divides and bring about positive social change. In our increasingly segregated and polarized world, I group research and practice can help us understand and have empathy for those who are different from us, and work together to address social problems that impact us all. A great example of the power of group to address societal challenges is the recent article in the American Psychologist by Whittingham and colleagues (2023) offering group therapy as a ready solution to issues of access to and inequity in mental health treatment. Recent special issues of Group Dynamics, Theory, Research and Practice also provide important ways that the science and practice can help us understand and address social issues. One of these issues provided group perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., Marmarosh et al., 2020) and our changing landscape as our lives, and groups, increasingly went virtual (e.g., Holtz et al., 2020). The other offered the theory and research of group dynamics as a way to understand the US Capitol insurrection (e.g., Hinsz & Jackson, 2022) and how group may help bridge divides and address increasing affective polarization (Miles & Shinew, 2022). I think these special issues are just two examples of how “group people” can and are using the power of group to understand and address social issues.
My area of group research and practice is inter-group dialogue, a small group intervention that brings people together for difficult conversations about social identities and inequities. Research suggests that these dialogues help people develop empathy for those who are different from them and a critical understanding of systemic inequality (Muller & Miles, 2017). In addition to its potential for bridging difference and bringing about social change, I like this work because I believe it also has the potential to bridge group psychology (with its theoretical basis grounded in social psychology) and group psychotherapy (as a co-facilitated, small group intervention). As I look ahead to my time on the Division 49 Board, I hope to continue to think about how we can use the power of group to address our pressing social issues, and how that important work can also bridge group psychology and group psychotherapy.
Brown, N. W., & Lefforge, N. L. (2023). Education and training guidelines for group psychology and group psychotherapy. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 17(2), 126–132. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000417
Hahn, A., Paquin, J. D., Glean, E., McQuillan, K., & Hamilton, D. (2022). Developing into a group therapist: An empirical investigation of expert group therapists’ training experiences. American Psychologist, 77(5), 691–709. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000956
Hinsz, V. B., & Jackson, J. W. (2022). The relevance of group dynamics for understanding the U.S. Capitol insurrection. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 26(3), 288–308. https://doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000191
Holtz, K., Orengo Castella, V., Zornoza Abad, A., & González-Anta, B. (2020). Virtual team functioning: Modeling the affective and cognitive effects of an emotional management intervention. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 24(3), 153–167. https://doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000141
Marmarosh, C. L., Forsyth, D. R., Strauss, B., & Burlingame, G. M. (2020). The psychology of the COVID-19 pandemic: A group-level perspective. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 24(3), 122–138. https://doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000142
Miles, J. R., & Shinew, H. J. (2022). A breakdown (and rebuilding) of intergroup dialogue. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 26(3), 274–287. https://doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000190
Muller, J. T., & Miles, J. R. (2017). Intergroup dialogue in undergraduate multicultural psychology education: Group climate development and outcomes. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 10(1), 52–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040042
Whittingham, M., Marmarosh, C. L., Mallow, P., & Scherer, M. (2023). Mental health care equity and access: A group therapy solution. American Psychologist, 78(2), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001078
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