The Persistently Neglected Sibling Relationship and Its Applicability to Group Therapy

Abstract

Despite the parallel between early sibling experiences and patients’ experiences of their fellow group members, there is a noticeable dearth of articles directly addressing this connection as its main thesis. This article describes the fundamental applicability of sibling dynamics to a wide range of group experiences and interventions, including the introduction of new members, the special case of only children, twinning between group members, and the cotherapy relationship. We explore patient dreams, the sources of resistance within the profession to the awareness of sibling dynamics, and the therapist’s management of group boundaries and norms through this lens of sibling dynamics.