Special Section: Contemporary Challenges for Research in Group Analysis

Abstract

In this paper, I underline the challenges for group-analytic research by demonstrating the immense difference in the amount of research done in group psychotherapy in general as compared to group analysis. After presenting an overview of findings from empirical, quantitative outcome studies in group psychotherapy at large, I will discuss some trends in contemporary group psychotherapy research, and finally, I will give a rough sketch of group-analytic research. I will focus on quantitative research and I will see group analysis as a clinical enterprise - a theory, model, art and craft that has been developed and can be used to treat psychiatric disorders, and toameliorate psychological problems.