DBs Unit 1
DB 1.2: Yalom’s Viewpoints and Group Therapy
Yalom’s approach to group therapy highlights the powerful benefits that come from individuals sharing and learning in a collective setting. He isolates eleven desirable attributes of the therapeutic milieu, including the instillation of hope, perceiving hope through others’ changes, and universality, that is, not being unique in one’s problems. Another principle, catharsis, enables participants to share profound feelings, which results in people being healed. Yalom also strongly identifies with the concept of group fusion, which is when the members of the group feel they belong to that group. He posits that group therapy permits individuals to have corrective emotional experiences, built interpersonal learning, and deepest levels of individual change (de Witte et al., 2021).
The study conducted by McRoberts et al. (1998) affirms Yalom that group therapy is as good as single therapy for most problems. In their meta-analysis, they compared individual treatment and group treatment to determine that both were almost as effective in treating numerous conditions. This supports Yalom’s idea that, to some extent, the dynamics of the group, including, for instance, humiliation and understanding, are as effective as individual counseling. However, McRoberts et al. (1998) acknowledged the fact that the efficiency of group therapy depends on the preferences of an individual as well as the type of problem being treated. For instance, people who tend to have better reactions in interpersonal environments would be more suitable for group therapy. This is in concordance with Yalom, where not all the therapeutic factors are universal to all members of the group, yet the general group process offers a client some benefits that are not found in other forms of therapy.
Among Yalom’s therapeutic factors, five stand out: inoculation of hope, generality, self-sacrifice, unity, and discharge. For instance, in substance abuse treatment, members of the group observe others who are quiet, giving them hope to keep on practicing abstinence. Another aspect is universality, which is an important idea in domestic violence groups, as people lack support from others with similar problems (Hauber et al., 2019). Altruism is seen in ways through which members of the group act positively toward one another regarding self-development. Further, sociality enhances unity among individuals, and solidarity or group cohesiveness drives initial bonding within the nests, hence promoting group cohesiveness. At the same time, catharsis refers to the emotional release that is vital in healing in relation to the progress of a society or group. All these factors complement each other in developing group personality whereby there is a family-like setting.
References
de Witte, M., Orkibi, H., Zarate, R., Karkou, V., Sajnani, N., Malhotra, B., Ho, R. T. H., Kaimal, G., Baker, F. A., & Koch, S. C. (2021). From therapeutic factors to mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(12). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678397
Hauber, K., Boon, A. E., & Vermeiren, R. (2019). Therapeutic factors that promote recovery in high-risk adolescents intensive group psychotherapeutic MBT programme. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-019-0263-6
McRoberts, K. (1998). Canada and the multinational state. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 34(4), 683–713. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0008423901778055
DB 1.3: Group Therapy for Julia’s Case
When discussing group therapy with Julia, I would first acknowledge any concerns she may have about opening up in a group setting. I would inform her that group therapy is a group of people who share their experiences with others who may be going through the same thing. She could benefit from group therapy because she would not be alone in her fight against alcohol. I would tell her that one does not need to contribute what they have, that one can just sit down and listen and maybe participate later. In time, people get used to attending particular group therapy sessions due to the morale boost and the prompting that comes from fellow attendees (Begeny et al., 2021).
If Julia is resistant, I would validate her feelings and encourage her to try the group by attending a few sessions. It would be advisable to inform her that she has feelings of fear due to the change that comes with group therapy and then remind her that she decides how much of herself she will disclose (Sutton, 2021). Also, I would like to emphasize that people can often draw certain conclusions about themselves when they hear other people’s stories, which might engage her in group therapy.
In Julia’s case, curative factors such as universality and altruism could be crucial. Universality would help her realize that others have similar experiences, reducing feelings of isolation (Brouzos et al., 2021). Altruism would come into play as she helps others in the group, boosting her self-esteem and reinforcing positive behaviors.
To some extent, Julia’s case can be associated with four of Yalom’s factors: the description of hope, catharsis, and interpersonal work. Others’ ability to achieve a similar goal would, thus, inspire her to avoid alcohol similarly. Catharsis would enable her to work on her feelings, which she might have suppressed. Interpersonal learning would assist her in learning how to handle her relationships with her parents and peers; therefore, she would learn how to improve her relationships and handle conflicts mainly due to poor relations with her peers.
References
Begeny, C. T., Huo, Y. J., Smith, H. J., & Ryan, M. K. (2021). Being treated fairly in groups is important, but not sufficient: The role of distinctive treatment in groups, and its implications for mental health. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0251871. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251871
Brouzos, A., Vassilopoulos, S. P., Stavrou, V., Baourda, V. C., Tassi, C., & Brouzou, K. O. (2021). Therapeutic factors and member satisfaction in an online group intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 6(4), 609–619. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-021-00216-4
Sutton, J. (2021, September 1). What is validation in therapy, and why is it important? PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/validation-in-therapy/
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Question 
DB 1.2
- Your required readings discuss the concepts of Yalom and his viewpoints on the process of group therapy. Please summarize Yalom’s viewpoints in your own words (you can look to additional resources if desired in making your summary). How might McRoberts et al.’s (1998) article support or disconfirm the effectiveness of group therapy treatment according to Yalom (AGAG, 2007)? Additionally, please pick at least 5 therapeutic factors and discuss why these are important in group treatment. Additionally, please use an example from the field of human services for each of the therapeutic factors you choose and how it might come into play in your own groups using a real-life example.
NOTE: You also must use APA style in your posting and replies so please use in-text references and provide a reference to give proper credit to the authors.
DB 1.3
Julia has just met with her intake therapist for the first time since her mother set up the appointment. She is a 23 year old Caucasian female who is presently unemployed and lives with her parents. She stated her alcohol consumption was two glasses of wine or margaritas three times during the week nightly and five vodka drinks on Friday and Saturday evenings when going out with friends. This pattern had been ongoing for nearly 5 years. She enjoyed going out with her friends to meet men. She described how she always went home with her girlfriends, although she did not always remember leaving the establishments or how she got home. Further discussion revealed episodes of blacking out during drinking that had occurred two times in the previous 8 months. She described these events as having “no recollection of leaving one bar and heading to the next.” She discussed waking up at home the next morning, still wearing her previous night’s clothes; this had occurred a few times during the preceding 6-8 months. She said that most of her friends drink alcohol frequently, and it would have been hard for her to stop. She stated she wanted to cut back and thought she might have a problem but is only attending the session presently at the urging of her mother. Her parents have stated that if she does not complete “rehab” she will be kicked out of her home. Julia stated that her mother and father have been asking that she find a job and an apartment of her own for some time. However when “push comes to shove,” her parents back down and allow her to stay in the family home as Julia promises to continue to seek employment (but never actually does). Her parents also give her a $100 weekly allowance which supports her drinking at home and with her friends.
DBs Unit 1
- -In thinking about Julia’s situation, please discuss how you might talk about participating in group treatment for her issues. What would you say? How would you explain the process if she asks? How would you handle any resistance?
- -What are some curative factors that might apply to Julia’s case? Please discuss at least 2 in detail.
- -Which of Yalom’s factors might apply once she starts group treatment? Please discuss 3 in detail.
Readings:
- Please read Chapter 8 in Stevens & Smith (2018)
- Please read the SAMHSA (2021) Advisory in regard to the basic components of group therapy:
- Please read Roberts et al. (1998) in regard to group versus treatment efficacy