Reducing loneliness through social identity: The groups for health program
Tracks
Track 8
| Friday, May 15, 2020 |
| 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM |
Presenter(s)
Dr Tegan Cruwys
PhD/MCliPsy; PhB (Sci)(Hons)
Australian National University
Reducing loneliness through social identity: The groups for health program
10:30 AM - 5:00 PMAssumed knowledge of attendee
Beginner (casual familiarity with topic area e.g., treated one case)
Level of learning
Introductory
Outline
Loneliness is a common cause of suffering in Australia, particularly among young adults (15-25) and older adults (65+). Indeed, prior studies have found that loneliness tends to precede mental ill-health (particularly depression and social anxiety), and that working with group-based relationships to address loneliness can alleviate psychological distress. However, clinical psychologists typically receive little training in how to assess and treat these social group processes in their clients. This workshop will train participants in the science and delivery of the GROUPS 4 HEALTH program; an evidence-based brief group psychotherapeutic intervention to increase social group connectedness which is the translation to practice of the Social Identity Approach to Health. Training will focus on experiential learning and practice of specific activities involved in the program. All participants will be provided with a copy of the manual and workbook for use in their own practice.
Learning outcomes
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants should be able to:
• Describe the link between loneliness, social group connectedness, and mental health
• Assess loneliness
• Describe the evidence-base for interventions to address loneliness and their mechanisms.
• Deliver Groups 4 Health in accordance with the manualised, evidence-based program
• Describe the link between loneliness, social group connectedness, and mental health
• Assess loneliness
• Describe the evidence-base for interventions to address loneliness and their mechanisms.
• Deliver Groups 4 Health in accordance with the manualised, evidence-based program
Biography
Dr Tegan Cruwys is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Clinical Psychologist at the Australian National University. Cruwys’ core research contribution has been in advancing our theoretical and empirical understanding of how and why social relationships are protective of health. This work is at the intersection of social, clinical, and health psychology. Her research has dual goals of advancing our theoretical understanding of the social determinants of health, and translating this science to improved outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. Cruwys has published over 65 peer-reviewed journal articles and received over 2900 citations. She has also attracted over $2.4 million in competitive funding for her research.
Prof Catherine Haslam
Reducing loneliness through social identity: The groups for health program
10:30 AM - 5:00 PMBiography
Catherine Haslam is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Queensland. She has 27 years of experience as a practicing clinical psychologist and 17 as a clinical academic. Her research focuses on the social and cognitive consequences of identity-changing life transitions (e.g., trauma, disease, aging, retirement, addiction) and interventions that can be used to manage these. One line of research focuses on identifying the group processes that are vital in protecting health and well-being in periods of vulnerability and life change. This has contributed to a body of work on the social cure that has been published in two volumes on which she is co- and lead-author — Social Cure: Identity, Health and Well-being (2012) and The New Psychology of Health: Unlocking the social cure (2018).
