Group-Analytic Psychotherapy with Low-Income Patients in Brazil

The first analytic groups formed in Brazil were a psychiatrist initiative in the late 1950s to meet the substantial demand
for psychotherapeutic care for a large population with inadequate access to material resources. Although group-analytic psychotherapy
arrived in private practice a few years later with great success, such therapy has always been a privilege in public institutions
that provide free care for low-income populations. This article reports the development of a group-analytic psychotherapy
process performed for over 4 years with a neurotic low-income patient group in the psychiatric ward of a major urban hospital
in Rio de Janeiro. The department is responsible for clinical education and training of psychiatrists and psychologists. The
treatment provided is preferably performed in the group setting. The group report illustrates how group-analytic psychotherapy
is delivered in public institutions in Brazil, presenting both its difficulties and specificities.