Movable group therapy for institutionalized patients.
Chronic psychotic inpatients at the Rochester (N.Y.) Psychiatric Center participated in a normalization program in which group therapy sessions were held in parks and restaurants in the community. The only guideline given patients was that no one observing the group should have reason to think members were from the state hospital. The patients were transported in an unlabeled car. The therapist consulted with staff before and after outings, thus providing integration with the over-all treatment plan. After one year 20 of the original 40 patients had been discharged; after three years only eight were still hospitalized. The author emphasizes the dynamics of observed emotional growth and symptom relief and cautions about interpretation of the rate of discharge.