Welcome to the Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy's website. Div. 49 is committed to the understanding of groups in all their forms. Our membership cuts across counseling, clinical, social, organizational, health and sport psychology. Our members share the belief that it is vital to understand the features that these groups share, and the features that they uniquely hold, and that the best way to achieve this understanding is through interaction with groups researchers in many different areas of psychology.

The Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy was established in 1991 as Division 49 of the American Psychological Association. The purpose of the Society is to promote the development and advancement of the field of group psychology and the modality of group psychotherapy through research, teaching and education, and clinical practice.

As Don Forsyth, Past-President of the Society wrote, “We champion the value of groups and all their uses: in making decisions and solving problems, as sources of solace in a far too impersonal world, as networks that link together individuals laboring on shared tasks, as the means to provide therapeutic experiences for members suffering from psychological dysfunction, and so on. And, true to our basic perspective, we do not rely on the work of single individuals to accomplish our goals. Instead, the division is a nexus of any number of groups whose members contribute their time, energy, and talents to the division.” (TGP, 2008, Vol. 18, No. 1).

We invite you to learn more about our Society and to consider joining. It is not necessary to be a psychologist or a member of APA to join the Society. Once you become a member, there are many ways to get involved.