Interpersonal Process Groups - The basics

A Continuing Education course for mental health professionals

This in-person course is designed to give therapists a basic understanding of facilitating interpersonal process groups. Participants will gain clinical skills for running groups, application of group therapy theory, and tools for navigating common challenges that arise in group setting. This course is a combination of both didactic teaching and experiential participation. Attendees must be willing to participate in an interpersonal process group as part of the training.

4 Saturdays 1-4:15pm

12 CE Hours

Cost: $350

Center for Psychotherapy and Integrative Health (Provider #_______) is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFT’s, LCSW, and LPCC’S. Center for Psychotherapy and Integrative Health maintains responsibility for the program and all its content.

Schedule

Day 1 (3 hours)

Check in
What is an interpersonal process group? (1.5 hours)
- History of group therapy
- Overview of Group therapy types
- Benefits and impact of Interpersonal process groups
- Indications for participation in interpersonal process groups
- Using a co-leader to facilitate the group
Live Group Experience (1 hour)
- Experiential group therapy (participants learn through participating in an interpersonal process group.
Q + A: (0.5 hours)
- Process/discuss and feedback on live group experience
- Open floor for questions about material or about group experience.
Sign out

Day 2 (3 hours)

Sign in
Screening and selecting members for group (1.5 hours)
- Contra-indications to participating in group therapy and interpersonal process groups.
- Limitations to group therapy
- Conducting an intake for group therapy
- Diagnosis that can and can’t be treated group therapy
- Introducing member to an existing group / starting a group with all new members.
- Choosing a demographic or topic for the group
Live Group Experience (1 hour)
- Experiential group therapy (participants learn through participating in an interpersonal process group.
Q + A: (0.5 hours)
- Process/discuss and feedback on live group experience
- Open floor for questions about material or about group experience.
Sign out

Day 3 (3 hours)

Sign in
Basic facilitation skills and interventions for running a successful group (1.5 hours)
- Running a group vs individual therapy
- Therapist’s orientation and stance when facilitating a group
- Types of group therapy interventions
- Managing different scenarios: Conflict, lack of participation, over-sharing, low energy, lack of depth…
Live Group Experience (1 hour)
- Experiential group therapy (participants learn through participating in an interpersonal process group.
Q + A: (0.5 hours)
- Process/discuss and feedback on live group experience
- Open floor for questions about material or about group experience.
Sign out

Day 4 (3 hours)

Sign in
Overview of the life of a Group (1.5 hours)
- Starting a group: Common themes, goals, and challenges.
- Middle stage of a group: Common themes, goals, and challenges.
- Ending a group: Common themes, goals, and challenges.
- Role of therapist at each stage of group
- Supporting group members with processing grief at end of the group.
Live Group Experience (1 hour)
- Experiential group therapy (participants learn through participating in an interpersonal process group.
Q + A: (0.5 hours)
- Process/discuss and feedback on training
- Open floor for questions about material or about group experience.
Complete surveys and sign out (15 minutes)
End of Training

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to define ‘Interpersonal process group’ and distinguish it from other types of group therapy through didactic and experiential learning in the training.
Participants will be able to identify and verbalize 4 guidelines for screening and selecting appropriate participants for group therapy through didactic learning and discussion in the training.
Participants will be able to articulate 5 facilitation interventions for running a successful group through didactic learning and experiential participation in group therapy during the training.
Participants will be able to state 4 common problematic behaviors in groups and 1 intervention to address each problematic behavior through the training’s didactic education and discussion on the training’s experiential component.
Participants will be able to identify and distinguish methodology for working with a group during the beginning, middle, and end stages of the group cycle through didactic learning in the training.

Instructor: Rudy Ruderman LMFT

Rudy Ruderman LMFT has a master’s degree in counseling psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy and depth psychology. He has been running groups for over 9 years in settings from inpatient psychiatric hospitals to community mental health centers and now runs two ongoing interpersonal process groups in Santa Barbara California. His passion for groups stays alive because of the synchronicity, dynamism, and powerful connection that occur when a group is functioning well.

Refunds: Please email Rudy@psychotherapysb.com or call 805-312-8078 if you need to cancel. Cancellations made 6 days or more before the start of the training (1/2/2024 or earlier) will be given a full refund minus a $25 processing fee. Cancellations made 5 to 1 days before the start of the training (1/3-1/6) will be given a 50% refund. Cancellation made within 24 hours of the training will not be refunded.

Accommodations: To request accommodations for special needs, please email the program administrator at Rudy@psychotherapySB.com

Grievances: To obtain the grievance policy or report a grievance please call 805-312-8078 or email rudy@psychotherapySB.com

Certificates: Course Completion certificates will be awarded at the end of the course in exchange for full attendance, signing in and out each day, and a completed evaluation form.

Hours: Course meets qualifications for 12 hours of continuing education credit for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, and LPCC’s, as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

To enroll please contact us by email, phone, or through the link below

Please reach out with any additional questions or concerns