Quality of mental health care: The dynamics of group therapy as a factor in therapeutic efficacy

OBJECTIVE To examine the dynamics of group therapy as an assessment criterion in the motivation of mental health professionals. METHOD Qualitative methodology was applied using in-depth individual interviews for data collection. The study sample included all the specialties of staff working in selected psychosocial rehabilitation facilities (boarding houses and sheltered apartments) in the region of Viotia, Greece in the period December 2016 to February 2017. Two rounds of interviews were conducted, and each interview was of one and a half hours duration. RESULTS Analysis of the interviews revealed that therapeutic groups can be used as an effective means of treatment for the resident patients, and that the feedback from the interaction with the patients is motivating and rewarding for the staff involved. Mental health professionals play an important role, not only as specialists but primarily as healers and caretakers, regardless of their specialty. It is considered that high quality services are achieved through the continuity of the care provided for the residents of the rehabilitation facilities. The multidisciplinary therapeutic team as a tool is fully applicable to these resident groups, with the result that the patients themselves work with improved social skills for their progressive integration into the local community. CONCLUSIONS The mental health professionals, through teamwork and group therapy, appear to succeed in meeting the demands and aspirations of the resident groups in the psychosocial rehabilitation facilities studied. In turn, the dynamics of the therapeutic groups enhance the professional satisfaction that the staff requires, as specialists and therapists. Mental health professionals are a major factor in the group work conducted with the residents in the environment of the psychosocial rehabilitation facilities, receiving, in turn positive feedback from the results of the team work with the patients.