An Historic Overview of the IAPG: The Beginnings of IAGP and its Later Development

<em>An Historic Overview of the IAPG: The Beginnings of IAGP and its Later Development</em> - This paper gives a brief historic overview of IAGP. When the first International Congress of Group Psychotherapy was held in Toronto, Canada, in 1954, J L Moreno initiated the formation of the International Committee of Group Psychotherapy whose name was later changed to the International Council of Group Psychotherapy. At the fifth International Congress of Group Psychotherapy held in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1973, the name was again changed and the International Association of Group Psychotherapy (IAGP) was born. Approximately every third year since that time an International Congress has taken place at different cities around the world. At the Board Meeting during the sixteenth International Congress held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2007, it was decided to change the name to the International Association for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes to reflect the larger interests of members. It will be under this name that the seventeenth International Congress will be held in Rome. In addition to the major International Congresses, Pacific Rim Regional Congresses and Regional Mediterranean Congresses have also been successfully organised, always attracting large numbers of participants. Since 1973 a number of subgroups have been formed for the different branches of Group Psychotherapy. The development of IAPG has been possible only because of the commitment of Board members and volunteers.

Raymond Battegay, An Historic Overview of the IAPG: The Beginnings of IAGP and its Later Development in "FORUM" 3/2009, pp 121-144, DOI: 10.3280/FORU2009-002011