Group psychotherapy in a proprietary nursing home

A Death in the Family: Report of a Single-Session Trauma Group for Nursing Home Residents and Staff

This article describes a single-session trauma-debriefing group conducted at a nursing home following the death of a resident on an outing. The group had as its core an existing weekly therapy group in the facility, with the addition of affected staff, family, and other residents who were on the outing. The treatment illustrates four principles relevant to counseling and psychotherapy in nursing homes: 1) recognition of death; 2) treatment in and of the milieu; 3) flexibility and structure; and 4) dealing with countertransference. Along the way, we see how the residents are capable of giving, and not merely receiving.

Old People Talk about Suicide: A Discussion about Suicide in a Long-Term Care Facility for Frail and Elderly People

In the institution, talk of suicide, like talk of death, is often suppressed. This article presents some sociohistorical concepts about suicide as a framework for considering contemporary attitudes among elderly people in the United States. In this illuminating verbatim report of a group therapy session in a long-term care institution, the residents openly discuss their feelings about the suicide of a fellow resident. Their range of feelings, positive and negative, is revealed. Also illustrated is the importance of providing an emotional outlet such as this group discussion for the intense feelings generated by suicide. Implications for training and practice are suggested, as well as some unresolved human dilemmas.