In July 1905, Internist Joseph Pratt unwittingly established the foundations of group psychotherapy by conducting educational sessions on hygiene and incorporating inspirational religious readings for tuberculosis patients. Pratt initially attributed the observed improvement in patients’ health to the medical information provided, but patients themselves attributed their recovery to the emotional support and hope gained through interactions with peers facing similar challenges. Pratt expanded these opportunities for patient interaction during his sessions, marking the inception of formal psychotherapy groups in 1905. This approach initially aimed to accommodate more patients simultaneously and evolved from lectures to prioritise patient-to-patient dialogue.
In 1921, psychiatrist E.W. Lazell further developed and applied this group therapy model at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., particularly for World War I veterans experiencing psychotic symptoms.
REFERENCES
Lazell, E. W. (1921). The group treatment of dementia praecox. The Psychoanalytic Review (1913-1957), 8, 168.