Group therapy as an effective treatment modality for people of color

Minority stress and academic outcomes among ethnic minority college students: Anxiety as a mediating mechanism

Objective: The present study examines the relationship between minority stress and academic outcomes for ethnic minority college students in the U.S. We explore to what extent anxiety functions as a potential mediating mechanism for these relationships. Participants: Data were obtained from 347 undergraduate ethnic minority college students attending a public university in West Texas. Results: Results revealed that minority stress was significantly related to anxiety symptoms when controlling for ethnic minority group membership. Additionally, it was found that anxiety symptoms significantly mediated the relationship between minority stress and major satisfaction, controlling for ethnic minority group membership. Conclusions: This study contributes to the existing psychological literature on ethnic minority college students by highlighting the extent that minority stress is related to certain academic outcomes, taking a step further to investigate anxiety as a mechanism that may explain these relationships.

Group Psychotherapy in Specialty Clinics for Substance Use Disorder Treatment:The Challenge of Ethnoracially Diverse Clients

Minimal research has explored how clinicians address race and ethnicity considerations in the context of group psychotherapy within substance use disorder (SUD) specialty treatment settings. This article is an exploratory qualitative study in an effort to narrow this gap, using data from semi-structured interviews with 13 group clinicians at three outpatient SUD specialty clinics in the United States. Results are drawn from the portion of coded material pertaining to ethnoracial considerations. A predominant theme from the interviews was the importance of individualized care in terms of "meeting clients where they are at." However, minimal attention appears to have been given to addressing clients' demographic diversity. Overall, ethnoracial considerations were minimally addressed in groups, with clinicians framing such primarily in terms of "cultural" factors relevant to clinics' treatment philosophies. Moreover, limited attention was reportedly given to acknowledgment of social inequities faced by ethnoracial minority clients (e.g., racial discrimination), even though a few clinicians reported concern that minority clients were less engaged in treatment. Clinical implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Sibling dynamics and group psychotherapy

The role of sibling dynamics in group psychotherapy has received relatively little attention in the literature. Our clinical experience suggests that sibling issues regularly arise in the practice of group psychotherapy. This article provides an integrative view of sibling relationships from a family systems and self psychology orientation to group therapy. Special emphasis is placed on developmental and cultural differences as they affect sibling dynamics and the group leader's role. A number of case examples are offered to illustrate ways to view clinical challenges in a manner consistent with the influence of sibling relationships on group members and group process.

Ethnocultural considerations in group psychotherapy

The increasingly heterogeneous populations of the industrialized countries necessitate a reappraisal of the sociocultural norms and group-therapeutic approaches that were based primarily on White Judeo-Christian values. This author reviews the literature on the treatment of ethnically different patients and discusses socio-cultural phenomena relevant to group therapy that differ from the mainstream culture. The culturally determined contrasts in perception, attitude, communication, and behavior, which minority members may exhibit in the group, are examined. The specific demands on the therapist working with ethnic group members are highlighted along with the modifications in therapeutic technique. Recommendations for a culturally sensitive and broader training of group therapists are offered.