ABSTRACT
This chapter contains two Clinical Pearls (CP), aphorisms that the author has used during his career as a psychotherapist and a supervisor to advance the therapeutic process. How is the group leader to handle outrageous behavior when it surfaces in the group? This CP addresses such a situation, “I’m concerned about poor Gloria. How outrageous will she have to act before someone recognizes her behavior and is willing to talk with her about it?” This chapter describes the therapeutic aspects of the leader’s comment and speculates on why group members have not addressed Gloria’s behavior.
The second CP, “It is at times like this that I am so grateful for our (group) contract” explains the importance of the group contract. Group members often mistakenly experience the group contract to be a set of rules to which strict obedience is expect. Just the opposite is true. Experience has shown when uncomfortable feelings in the group do not get talked about, violations of the group inevitably occur. The members’ willingness to take responsibility for the items in the group contract—which the therapist has obtained—provides the therapist with the leverage to expect members to talk about their contractual violations when they occur. This point is illustrated by a detailed case example.
