Therapeutic Alliance Rupture and Repair in Groups

Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice publishes state of the art research on group psychology and group psychotherapy. Researchers and clinicians have given ruptures and repairs in psychotherapy a significant amount of attention. We know that identifying and repairing alliance ruptures early in treatment facilitates the therapeutic alliance, is related to less dropout
and promotes change in individual psychotherapy. However, there is little empirical work in group therapy related to ruptures and repairs.

Group Dynamics invites authors to submit papers to explore the assessment and management ruptures and repairs in group work, and to provide group researchers with methodological tools to study ruptures and repairs in groups. The special issue is for empirical studies, papers that describe statistical methods specific to group research, manuscripts that illustrate psychometric assessment particular to group contexts and evidence-based case studies that meet the journal’s guidelines. We may consider practice reviews that are of very high quality and that meet the guidelines for such manuscripts.

We encourage authors, whenever possible, to provide a running case example to illustrate the concepts and findings. Empirical studies must include self-report of the alliance or the use of observer coding systems to assess ruptures and repairs from videos and transcripts.

The special issue will prefer articles that connect alliance ruptures and repairs with other group processes and/or outcomes. Authors should consider the structural aspects of the group (member to member, member to leader, member to group) when discussing and analyzing ruptures and repairs in group contexts. Similarly, data analyses should account for the interdependent nature of within-group interactions.

Manuscripts must include the following:

• A conceptual introduction of the issues and their importance to group practice or research.
• A concrete running example to make the concepts come to life.
• Clear practice implications for group therapists and/or group researchers using the running
  example as illustration.

Papers should be no more than 35 pages in length, not including online supplementary material.

All submissions will be peer reviewed.

This special issue of Group Dynamics on therapeutic alliance rupture and repair in groups will bring together in one volume papers that will serve as a guide for researchers, clinicians, and students who wish to conduct and evaluate state of the art group psychotherapy research and practice related to this topic.

Deadline for submissions is Nov. 26, 2019. Submissions can be made through the journal submission portal. Authors should indicate in the cover letter that they intend the manuscript for the special issue on Therapeutic Alliance Rupture and Repair in Groups. Please note that invitation to submit to this special issue does not guarantee acceptance to the journal, and all manuscripts will undergo the normal peer review process.

Authors are encouraged to contact the guest editor, Cheri Marmarosh, or the journal editor, Giorgio A. Tasca, to discuss the suitability of a potential topic for submission.