History and Prospect of Group Psychotherapy

Lee, Hoo Kyeong

Abstract

Recently, the Korean psychiatrists has faced to the difficult situation because of the separation of medical practice and pharmaceutical dispensing and the revision of mental health law. In this situation, this article was written for the desirable development and application of group psychotherapy in Korea in the basis of the history of foreign group psychotherapy. Introduction is composed of definition of group psychotherapy, reasons why the group psychotherapy is not applied so actively in psychiatric area, the present of group psychotherapy, therapeutic effect, and therapeutic outcome. Main subjects are the history of foreign group psychotherapy, the prospect of group psychotherapy, and Korean group psychotherapy. Group psychotherapy has been formally accepted as one of therapeutic modalities that must be as equally effective as individual psychotherapy even if group psychotherapy derives from individual psychotherapy. Those days, in psychiatric clinic in Korea psychophamacotherapy and brief symptom oriented therapy have been applied mainly due to the economic principle of medical environment and insurance policy. And psychiatrists apply psychotherapeutic modalities in there less and less. The importance of group psychotherapy should be emphasized one of holistic and humanistic therapy which provides the field of encounter for therapists and patients. As Community Mental Health Service in Korea are expanding and the separation of medical practice and pharmaceutical dispensing is being performed. The group psychotherapy and psychodrama should be perceived as a much more effective and efficient therapeutic modality in the settings of inpatient and outpatient clinics.