Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150:316-320
Copyright © 1993 by American Psychiatric Association
Quality assessment and improvement in group psychotherapy
JD Hamilton, TJ Courville, B Richman, P Hanson, C Swanson and J Stafford
Psychiatry Service, Houston VA Medical Center, TX 77030.
OBJECTIVE: The authors sought a practical means of monitoring and
evaluating group psychotherapy, using existing clinical resources, for
purposes of quality improvement and education on a large general hospital
psychiatric service. METHOD: Monitoring indicators were developed which
addressed 1) the integration of group psychotherapy into treatment planning
and 2) the competence and technique of group psychotherapists. The second
indicator was assessed by skilled observers using a newly constructed Group
Psychotherapy Rating Scale in direct observation of group psychotherapy
sessions. The rating scale was examined for interrater reliability and, as
a measure of construct validity, for its ability to distinguish the
performance of professional staff therapists from that of trainees.
RESULTS: The indicators provided useful monitors of the use and quality of
group psychotherapy. The rating scale had satisfactory interrater
reliability and construct validity. The immediate constructive educational
critique given by the observers of the therapy groups was highly valued by
group therapists. CONCLUSIONS: The monitoring and evaluation program proved
to be a practical, positive, and inexpensive means of assuring and
improving the quality of group psychotherapy in a clinical setting.
