ABSTRACT

The technique of bridging in group psychotherapy has been described as “any technique designed to strengthen emotional connections between members, or to develop connections where they did not exist before” (Ormont, 1992). As group therapists, we know that the more we are able to stimulate interactions between members, the more we create potential for therapeutic work in the moment and in

the future life of the group. Bridging is often used to move the focus from the leader to the members of the group. It is especially useful when a group is ready to move from its nascent stage of leader dependency into a more mature work group. But bridging is a technique that may be used throughout the developmental phases of the group. The following intervention demonstrates how bridging may be used to avoid a potentially destructive scapegoating situation during the later phases of group development.