Certified Group Psychotherapist
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The American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) is a not-for-profit multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to enhancing the practice, theory and research of
group psychotherapy Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group. The term can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format, i ...
.


Membership

American Group Psychotherapy Association is a national organization with over 2000 members internationally and 31 affiliate societies. Members come from disciplines such as
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
, creative art therapy,
psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior. ...
,
nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
,
social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
, professional counseling, addictions, and marriage and family therapy. AGPA's annual meeting attracts approximately 1000 attendees.


History

The inception of the American Group Psychotherapy Association began in 1942 with the actual decision to found the organization being made in February 1943 during a meeting of the American Orthopsychiatric Association in New York City. The organization was first named the American Group Therapy Association. In 1952, the name was officially changed to the American Group Psychotherapy Association. Samuel R. Slavson was one of the founders and served as the first president of the AGPA.


Certification

The International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists is a not-for-profit corporation formed to function autonomously from AGPA. The International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists (IBCGP) awards group therapists certification after they have presented documentation demonstrating the completion of a significant amount of training through coursework, experience, and supervision. A Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP) is also required to continue lifelong learning by obtaining continuing education credits (CEU's) in effective leadership of psychotherapy groups.


Organizational involvement

The diversity of AGPA membership has been actively involved in the promotion of
group therapy Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group. The term can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format, i ...
as an alternative treatment to the public and private sectors. The development of ethical and practice standards. AGPA membership has also responded to the nation's disasters; for example, September 11 and
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
. AGPA has also developed a set of standards of practice for group therapy for use by practitioners. This resource assists the clinician in the development of
evidence-based Evidence-based practice is the idea that occupational practices ought to be based on scientific evidence. The movement towards evidence-based practices attempts to encourage and, in some instances, require professionals and other decision-makers ...
and best practices. AGPA does not de-certify its members or monitor its membership for quality of practice, instead, they go by the state licensing. The only time an AGPA member would lose their CGP certification is if their license was suspended by their state's board of psychologists.


References

Official website
Scheidlinger, S., Schamess, G (1992)''Fifty Years of AGPA 1942-1992: An Overview''. MacKenzie, R. (Ed). Classics in Group Psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.

{{Authority control Psychology organizations based in the United States Group psychotherapy Counseling organizations Organizations established in 1943 Mental health organizations based in New York (state)