An Evaluation of Group Psychotherapy in a Borstal: the Arohata Project

Abstract

Group psychotherapy is a practical technique for the treatment of various emotional disorders, but its results have yet to be precisely measured. Many practitioners are confident that group psychotherapy is a valuable form of psychological treatment, but others are sceptical. I tried to resolve the differences of opinion by making an objective and experimental study of group psychotherapy, and I shall present my study in three volumes. I shall confine the first volume to a study of the outcome of group psychotherapy, the second to the process of group psychotherapy, and the third to approximately 900 pages of transcriptions from the tape recordings that I made of each session of group psychotherapy. I will submit the first two volumes for my doctoral degree but, for reasons of confidentiality, I will retain the third volume and restrict its use to those who are professionally concerned with research in psychotherapy.