Nourishing the body through use of process prescriptions in group therapy

Objective This clinical report describes a creative process for developing between‐session prescriptions which sustain and strengthen the momentum of change occurring in group treatment sessions. Method: Therapists in this model use words and phrases depicting the group as a body in order to guide the treatment process and develop between‐session prescriptions. Maintaining a perspective of the treatment group as a body facilitates development of member commitment to the well‐being of a physical and psychological body, and between‐session assignments employ the developmental phases of the therapy for illuminating the disorder and effecting its resolution. This approach was developed in an ongoing, open‐ended treatment group provided at a community mental health center for 14 years. Results: Examples are presented of process prescriptions which simultaneously address several dynamic levels: (a) the theme of interactions between the individuals in each session; (b) the particular stage of the group's development, and the ways this level of maturation determines how interactions arise and themes are selected; and (c) the underlying functions of the eating disorder. Discussion: Using the metaphor of the body to guide the language of between‐session prescriptions links developmental group treatment process with members' day‐to‐day engagement with the eating disorder. By participating directly in the development of the treatment experience, the group members become committed to a developmental process that engages them in accountability and caring for a body, and, by extension, their own bodies. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 24:1–11, 1998.