The Status of Psychiatric Inpatient Group Therapy: Past,Present, and Future

This article examines the history, current conditions, and future possibilities of psychiatric inpatient group psychotherapy. Attention is directed toward exploring the purpose, structure, theoretical perspectives, and empirical research of inpatient group therapy. Trends in inpatient care are contextualized within a historical perspective and current politics of care. Future challenges to the viability of inpatient groups, including fiscal pressures, high patient acuity, shorter stays, and pressures for evidence-based practices, are considered.