--- title: "PPRNet Clinical summary: Group Psychotherapy Is Not Well Represented in Practice Guidelines" description: The director of the Psychotherapy Practice Research Network (PPRNet) is Dr. Giorgio Tasca. Dr. Tasca is an Associate Professor with the School of Psychology, in the Faculty of Social, University of Ottawa. His research focus is on psychotherapy process, mechanisms of change, and outcomes, as well as eating disorders. image: https://collabzium.com/hubfs/chub_backup/Therapy%20Session%20Man%20in%20Calm%20Room-1.png --- [![FAC\_SOCIAL\_SCIENCE\_HEADER\_BAR](https://collabzium.com/hubfs/FAC_SOCIAL_SCIENCE_HEADER_BAR.svg "FAC_SOCIAL_SCIENCE_HEADER_BAR")](https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-social-sciences/) [![Collabzium](https://collabzium.com/hubfs/CollabziumLogoEnglish(Name)-COLOUR.svg "Collabzium")](https://collabzium.com/) - Articles - [Collabzium Guide](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/author/collabzium-guide) - [All articles](https://collabzium.com/en/articles) - Research - [Chairs and Labs](https://collabzium.com/en/chair-and-labs) - [About](https://collabzium.com/collabcrew) [Subscribe](https://20500402.hubspotpagebuilder.com/subscribe-now) [Subscribe](https://20500402.hubspotpagebuilder.com/subscribe-now) [PPRNET](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/tag/pprnet) # PPRNet Clinical summary: Group Psychotherapy Is Not Well Represented in Practice Guidelines [Dr. Giorgio Tasca](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/author/dr-giorgio-tasca) calendar icon Oct 06, 2026 · Reading time 2 min read [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email) There is high global demand for mental health care. Over 12% of the population lived with a [mental disorder](mailto:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00395-3), such as anxiety and depression. These disorders have a significant impact on quality of life, mortality, physical health issues, and functional impairment, causing considerable [economic and social burdens](mailto:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02141-3). Current resources do not meet the growing demand for mental health care, leaving many in the world without adequate care. One solution would be to shift treatments from individual therapy to [group therapy](mailto:https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001078). Group therapy is a Triple-E treatment: effective, equivalent to individual therapy, and efficient in terms of cost and time. Some estimates suggest that expanding group therapy would [save the U.S. health system](mailto:https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001078) more than $5.6 billion annually. Yet group therapy is not widely used by health systems, studied by researchers, or taught in academic institutions. To close this gap, an international task force recently developed an evidence-based group treatment [(EBGT) website](mailto:https://evidencebasedgrouptherapy.org/) that lists evidence-based group treatments for many common disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, OCD, substance use, eating disorders, and others). However, arguably the most influential source for clinicians’ treatment choices is practice guidelines such as those published by the American Psychiatric Association ([APA](mailto:https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/Clinical%20Practice%20Guidelines/Guideline-Development-Process.pdf)), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ([NICE](mailto:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance) ), and the World Health Organization ([WHO](mailto:https://www.who.int/publications/who-guidelines) ). In this study, Koementas-de Vos and Rosendahl reviewed these guidelines to determine whether they reflected the current state of research on the efficacy of group therapy and whether they recommended group therapy for several of the most common mental disorders. The authors found that most clinical practice guidelines generally acknowledge the efficacy of group therapy for various mental disorders. However, most guidelines do not provide a clear recommendation when group formats are indicated, or they describe group treatment as optional, with individual therapy or medication as the first choice. This is often despite evidence of the efficacy of group therapies for many mental disorders. They also found that many of the guidelines were outdated and did not reference the most up-to-date literature on evidence-based group therapies. If the guidelines mention group therapies at all, it is often group CBT, and they rarely describe other group treatment orientations with supporting or promising evidence. Practice Implications  Even though group therapy holds great promise to reduce the burden of mental distress on individuals, systems and societies, these treatments are less frequently offered. One of the barriers is the outdated and biased treatment guidelines from the APA, NICE, and WHO. Certainly, there are logistical challenges to organizing and running a group, and clinicians need specific skills and training to be effective group therapists. The American Group Psychotherapy Association ([AGPA](mailto:https://agpa.org/guidelines-ethics/practice-guidelines-for-group-psychotherapy-2/)) Practice Guidelines provide guidance for practitioners and stakeholders on how to effectively organize, start, and run a therapy group.   > Koementas-de Vos, M. W., & Rosendahl, J. (2026). Group psychotherapy for common mental health disorders: It is time to close the gap between scientific evidence and guideline recommendations. *Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 36*(3), 231–246. [https://doi.org/10.1037/int0000382](https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftrk.cp20.com%2Fclick%2Fgs5t-323y3p-wey9oc-l89bayk9%2F&data=05%7C02%7Csbake3%40uottawa.ca%7C31bf5787b0ef47cd716a08df23e1ce8f%7Cd41fdab17e154cfdb5fa7200e54deb6b%7C1%7C0%7C639269124883470046%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hSlBcN8UAHvOY4Ax43%2B5iZYZTO8YDHzuCoHpAeb6FUE%3D&reserved=0) calendar icon Oct 06, 2026 · Reading time 2 min read [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email) --- ### [By Dr. Giorgio Tasca](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/author/dr-giorgio-tasca) The director of the Psychotherapy Practice Research Network (PPRNet) is Dr. Giorgio Tasca. Dr. Tasca is an Associate Professor with the School of Psychology, in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa. His research is centered around psychotherapy process, mechanisms of change, and outcomes, as well as eating disorders. ## Also Read - [PPRNet Clinical summary: Group Psychotherapy Is Not Well Represented in Practice Guidelines](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-group-psychotherapy-is-not-well-represented-in-practice-guidelines) - [PPRNet Clinical summary: Suppose All Psychotherapies are Equally Effecive: What Then?](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-suppose-all-psychotherapies-are-equally-effecive-what-then) - [PPRNet Clinical summary: 1.Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Social Anxiety Disorder](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-1.short-term-psychodynamic-psychotherapy-for-social-anxiety-disorder) - [PPRNet Clinical summary: Defense Mechanisms and Change in Psychotherapy](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-defense-mechanisms-and-change-in-psychotherapy) #### RELATED NEWS ![Collabzium Logo in White](https://collabzium.com/hubfs/Brand%20Images/Brand%20-%20Faculty%20of%20Social%20Sciences/CollabziumLogoEnglish(Icon)-WHITE.svg)   ##### CONTACT 120 University Ottawa ON K1N 6N5, Canada [Contact Us](mailto:collabz@uottawa.ca) ##### [AI CONTENT CREATION POLICY](https://collabzium.com/ai-artificial-intelligence-content-creation-policy-for-collabzium) ##### ##### SUBSCRIBE TO COLLABZIUM Want to stay in the loop? 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