ABSTRACT
It is wise to prepare prospective members for a group psychotherapy experience (Mayerson, 1984; Meadow, 1988; Ogrodniczuk, Joyce, & Piper, 2005; Richman, 1979). The consensus of these articles is that group members who have been adequately prepared for their therapy experience show more desirable group behaviors in the early stages of the group and get on with the therapeutic task much sooner than unprepared members. Moreover, prepared groups become cohesive sooner and have fewer absences and dropouts (Garrison, 1978; Piper, Debbane, Garant, & Bienvenu, 1979; Roback & Smith, 1987). Indeed, the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) includes group member preparation under its “Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy.” Its Web site suggests that benefits of membership preparation include meaningful participation, and treatment compliance.
