Groups in OT
Something I've observed in many different treatment settings is the grouping of clients for the sake of being able to see and bill for more at one time. I understand the necessity of this, and oftentimes it works to the advantage of both the therapist and the client. Group treatment is great for social interaction and allows the therapist to consolidate his or her time when treating people with similar conditions and needs. However, at the same time, I've seen a few examples of this grouping working against both the therapist and the client.
In certain settings groups are absolutely essential. For children on the autistic spectrum, the social interaction provided by a group is a key to their treatment. The same often goes for psychiatric settings. I know these types of groups can be tremendously successful and provide excellent treatment to our clients.
Nonetheless, I still wonder how often people's needs are not met by group treatment. For example, if two children are grouped for their therapy time, but one requires substantially more attention, prompting, and follow-through by the therapist, is the other child being shortchanged? Is the benefit of social interaction cancelled out by the disparate amount of treatment? Also, if a person is too shy, inattentive, or unmotivated to participate fully in group activities, what benefit are they receiving?
What other options do therapists have in a situation like this? It seems like a case of too many clients to fit into an already jam-packed schedule. With the pressure from agencies, insurance companies, and school districts, who push for group treatment because it is frequently less costly to them, do therapists have to compromise their treatment?