About Us
FBGT Research - The Story
FGBT was designed in a real-world setting - a counseling center. Its development was therefore tested on issues that matter in the real world - how to generate successful referrals; find ways to help the groups start; how to maintain cohesion while promoting change; how to achieve low dropout and last but not least, to achieve successful outcomes.
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It was also designed to be enjoyable for clients and stimulating for therapists. Rather than an approach designed around worksheets and homework, it was designed to capitalize on clients' desire to connect to each other in meaningful ways to each other. In other words, the group was designed to be a practice ground for working on issues that they struggled with in life - how to manage their own needs in relation to others. Multiple-method studies took place and the approach was constantly refined, learning from everything that happened in the groups and constantly improving.
From the beginning, the approach was designed to be semi-structured - with enough guidelines to help leaders know where they needed to go while working in the here-and-now of group process.
Over time, mechanisms of change, outcomes and processes were checked and the methods tweaked. FBGT was therefore designed to be a living, learning approach, with a balance between its proven methods and techniques but with a constant consideration of therapist judgment and skill and client preference.
Become an informed and reflective practitioner!
The emphasis placed on measurement-based care means that each therapist is their own, locally-based researcher. That means that as they learn and become proficient in use of assessment tools, they can become skilled in using those tools to make adjustments to the therapy, focus goals, help clients understand outcomes and to evaluate their own progress with FBGT. We invite you along on the journey to helping your clients while engaging with the work of being an even more reflective practitioner!
Research on FBGT
Mechanisms of change for FBGT have been supported (Whittingham et al, 2024; Allison, 2015)
Research has shown that when clients with clinical levels of overall distress work on their highest score related to IIP-32 interpersonal distress in FBGT, they achieve measurable change in overall mental health problems,
This illustrates a clear connection between interpersonal distress and overall mental health as well as providing validation for FBGT mechanisms of change.