EP85 Panel 11 - Group, Individual or Family Therapy II - Albert Ellis, PhD; Robert L. Goulding, MD; Salvador Minuchin, MD; Zerka Moreno
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- Not yet rated
- Topic Areas:
- Topical Panels | Family Therapy | Group Therapy | Psychotherapy | Therapist Development | Psychodynamics | Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) | Family Systems
- Categories:
- Evolution of Psychotherapy | Evolution of Psychotherapy 1985 | Pioneers in Couples and Family Therapy
- Faculty:
- Albert Ellis, PhD | Robert L. Goulding, MD | Salvador Minuchin, MD | Zerka Moreno
- Duration:
- 58 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio Only
- Original Program Date:
- Dec 13, 1985
- License:
- Never Expires.
Description
Description:
Educational Objectives:
- To compare and contrast clinical and philosophical perspectives of experts.
*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*
Outline:
Evolution of Psychotherapy: Introduction and Panel Setup
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Panel introduced to explore group, individual, and family therapy approaches
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Featured panelists: Albert Ellis, Robert Goulding, Salvador Minuchin, and Zerka Moreno
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Moderator notes time constraints and the need for concise contributions
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Session begins with Albert Ellis offering the first remarks
Albert Ellis on Group, Individual, and Family Therapy
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Presents Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) as originally individual-focused but now adaptable to group and family formats
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Clients often begin individually, then move to group/family therapy as appropriate
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Group therapy screening excludes disruptive individuals but includes those with serious mental illness
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Individual therapy ideal for shy, inhibited clients; group work supports desensitization and real-time feedback
Dr. Robert Golding on Group Therapy Preferences
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Prefers group therapy, based on his background as a group therapy trainer
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Highlights benefits of both homogeneous and heterogeneous groups, including psychotic populations
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Endorses family therapy for youth still living at home
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Advocates tailoring modality to each case and maintaining flexibility
Zerka Moreno on Individual and Family Therapy
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Shares psychodramatic techniques like role reversal to aid grieving clients
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Describes a case where impotence resolved through symbolic interaction with a deceased spouse
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Uses empty-chair techniques and “doubling” to help clients surface unspoken emotions
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Worked with the American Cancer Society to support patients and families facing terminal illness
Salvador Minuchin on Family Therapy
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Focuses on family as a system—emphasizes relational context over isolated pathology
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Advocates for systemic thinking that extends beyond the family to legal and institutional structures
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Shares experience reforming welfare system approaches to better support families
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Promotes mutual responsibility and contextual thinking in therapeutic work
Discussion on Therapy Modalities and Institutional Change
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Ellis describes large workshops and intensives adapting RET to various group sizes
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Goulding emphasizes including family context in medical treatment decisions
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Minuchin highlights the difficulty of shifting institutional paradigms and the importance of systemic training
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Ellis reinforces the interactional nature of change: therapy can ripple into social reform
Panelists' Responses to Audience Questions
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Audience questions include critiques of DSM-III; Ellis sees it as insurance-driven and secondary to client needs
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Panelists agree diagnosis is context-dependent and often secondary to clinical intuition
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On choosing therapy modality, panelists stress flexibility, trial-and-error, and therapist competence
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Goulding and Ellis agree that responsiveness to client needs is more important than theoretical allegiance
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Minuchin reaffirms his foundational approach but acknowledges integrating diverse techniques
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All panelists agree that pragmatism and adaptability are essential in psychotherapy
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Session closes with recognition of panelists’ varied backgrounds, enriching the conversation
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Emphasizes that psychotherapy is an evolving discipline requiring lifelong learning and openness
Credits
Faculty
Albert Ellis, PhD Related Seminars and Products
Albert Ellis, PhD, was an American psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). He held M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Columbia University and American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He also founded and was the President of the New York City-based Albert Ellis Institute for decades.
He is generally considered to be one of the originators of the cognitive revolutionary paradigm shift in psychotherapy and one of the founders of cognitive-behavioral therapies.[2]
Based on a 1982 professional survey of US and Canadian psychologists, he was considered as the second most influential psychotherapist in history (Carl Rogers ranked first in the survey; Sigmund Freud was ranked third).[3][4] Psychology Today noted, "No individual—not even Freud himself—has had a greater impact on modern psychotherapy."[5]
Robert L. Goulding, MD Related Seminars and Products
Robert Goulding, MD, is one of the leading exponents of Transactional Analysis. Along with his wife Mary Goulding, they developed an approach called Redecision Therapy. Redecision Therapy also includes unique elements based on the Goulding’s own experiences as seasoned psychotherapists. Their goal was to create a psychotherapy, based on the strengths and complimentary objectives of Gestalt therapy and Transactional Analysis, that was both brief and highly effective. Robert Goulding received his M.D. in 1944 from the University of Cincinnati and practiced general medicine until he switched to psychiatry in 1958. With his wife Mary, he founded the Wester Institute for Group and Family Therapy in Watsonville, California, and authored two books. Dr. Goulding is a Distinguished Life Fellow and member of the Board of Directors of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. He served as president of the American Academy of Psychotherapists. An extraordinarily talented therapist, he has synthesized Transactional Analysis and Gestalt into his own model, Redecision therapy.
Salvador Minuchin, MD Related Seminars and Products
Salvador Minuchin, MD, developed Structural Family Therapy, which addresses problems within a family by charting the relationships between family members, or between subsets of family. He was Director of the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic. Although it was minimally staffed when he began, under his tutelage the Clinic grew to become one of the most modeled and respected child guidance facilities in the world. In 1981, Minuchin began his own family therapy center in New York. After his retirement in 1996, the center was renamed the Minuchin Center. Dr. Minuchin is the author of many notable books, including many classics. His latest is Mastering Family Therapy: Journeys of Growth and Transformation. In 2007, a survey of 2,600 practitioners named Minuchin as one of the ten most influential therapists of the past quarter-century.
Zerka Moreno Related Seminars and Products
Zerka Moreno, TEP, along with her late husband, J.L. Moreno, developed the theory and practice of psychodrama. Zerka has taught psychodrama worldwide for more than 30 years since J.L. Moreno's death and is recognized as a leader in further realizing his vision. Zerka T. Moreno is honorary president of the American Society of Psychodrama and Group Psychotherapy; president of the Moreno Workshops; and honorary member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Group Psychotherapy.
Zerka is the author and co-editor of many books and articles in the field of group psychotherapy and internationally known as a teacher, therapist and lecturer.