A group therapist must make

• A. Fewer decisions than an individual therapist
• B. The same number of decisions as an individual therapist
• C. Modality changes for each group
• D. More decisions than an individual therapist

Answer: (D)

Group therapy adds multiple moving parts that require ongoing decision-making for the whole group. The therapist must continually assess and decide how to guide interactions among several people, maintain group cohesion, and establish and enforce ground rules and confidentiality. Decisions come up about when to intervene in a discussion, how to balance individual member needs with group dynamics, what activities or processing techniques to use to move the group toward its goals, and how to handle conflicts, disengagement, or crises that affect multiple members. This level of complexity means a group therapist makes many more decisions than one working with a single client, where the focus is primarily on the individual’s goals, pace, and interventions. Hence, it requires more decisions than an individual therapist.