GROUP THERAPY

GOALS:

1.        To provide a background of personal information

2.        To develop beginning levels of trust and disclosure within the group

3.        To eliminate feelings of isolation and shame by demonstrating similarities

4.        To develop the attitude that change and recovery are possible

STEP 1:

Explain the goals of the exercise.  Emphasize that group closeness can occur only through trust and that trust is established by sharing feelings and other personal information.

STEP 2:

Distribute newsprint and a felt-tipped marker to each member.  Ask participants to remember the events they believe contributed to the development of an eating disorder.  The midpoint represents the present.  The rest of the line represents hopes for the future, during and after recovery.  Positive events are marked above the centerline, and negatives are marked below the centerline.

STEP 3:

Request that one of the members volunteer to share his or her lifeline.  Display the lifeline so that all can see.  Ask that others listen for similarities and be aware of feelings that occur as they listen.  Request that questions not be asked until the sharing of the lifeline is completed.

STEP 4:

After all the members have shared (or as many as time permits), ask them to discuss what they have learned about themselves in relation to others in the group.  This includes feelings experienced when listening to the stories of others.

ANOREXIA NERVOSA

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