Therapeutic Factors

Therapeutic Factors
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

Abstract
Irvin Yalom and Molyn Leszcz researched therapeutic factors in group therapy. These factors include group cohesion, altruism, universality, interpersonal learning, catharsis, hope installation, imparting information, and development of socialization methods, imitative behavior, existentialism, copying of behavior, and altruism. Yalom and Molyn Leszcz believed that an understanding and effective application of these factors in group therapy would account to clients’ improvement. A review of the text leads to the understanding that some of the mentioned factors are closely related such as cohesion and catharsis. They depend on group members’ personality style and level of functioning. These factors create a conducive environment where members relate by sharing common experiences and finding solutions. They, therefore, promote a sense of belonging and self-worth. These therapeutic factors are still applicable today in psychotherapy due to their effectiveness in promoting positive client’s outcome. These components of group therapy surface during group process and they benefit members in different ways. Today, therapists use these components to treat clients with social anxiety, substance abuse, depression, and other conditions that work best in a group setting.

Therapeutic Factors
Therapeutic Factors is a text in the book The Theory and Practice of group psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom and Molyn Leszcz. It was published by Basic Books Company, New York, in 2005.

The book discusses the fundamental principles of group therapy. Yalmom and Leszcz (2005) believed that group participation in therapy played a significant role in improving a patient’s therapeutic outcome. They identified eleven therapeutic factors in group therapy as follows:
Hope inculcation
Universality
Imparting information
Altruism
The corrective recapitulation family group
Development of socialization techniques
Imitative behavior
Interpersonal learning
Group cohesiveness
Catharsis
Existential factors
Hope inculcation helps members of group therapy to renew their hope as they discover that they share common problems which allow them to continue receiving treatment. Similarly, as clients continue attending sessions, they may assume their challenges are unique and hard to overcome, but group therapy promotes universality in the sense that members discover they share most of their problems and they find solutions. Groups impart information to clients since they find out their illnesses and recovery process in the setting. Group therapy also promotes altruism by helping individuals to understand that they contribute significantly to the recovery process of other members. Clients recover fast because they perceive group therapy members as their own families. They also develop socializing technique since group therapy encourages bonding through talking and listening to each other. Members of group therapy can imitate the behaviors of others to find out if it brings a positive change to them. Similar to universality, interpersonal learning occurs when clients learn from each other that they share common problems hence gaining hope of recovery. Group cohesiveness is brought about by the fact that members develop a sense of belonging through decision making and teamwork. Catharsis occurs when members gain relief by venting as well as exploring their feelings in a group setting. Lastly, group therapy promotes the concept of existentialism through open discussion of life’s most difficult issues such as death and grieving.
In my opinion, Yalmom and Leszcz (2005) components of therapy play a significant role in the client’s recovery process. It is most effective in cases where members experience social anxiety, substance abuse, depression, and obesity. These therapeutic factors contribute to the client’s recovery by promoting a conducive environment where members trust each other and feel free to share their problems and find solutions. Notably, the effectiveness of some of these factors such as cohesiveness, catharsis, and interpersonal learning depends on the participant’s personality and level of functioning. Yalmom and Leszcz (2005) therapeutic factors are still relevant today in psychotherapy since therapists use them to help clients understand that their problems are not as unique as they thought and they can find solutions. Personally, the work of Yalmom and Leszcz (2005) has made me understand that an exploration of these therapeutic factors in group therapy can help patients open up, form cohesion, and learn from each other. This approach fastens the recovery process.
It is essential to understand therapeutic factors since it helps both therapists and patients in dealing with problems such as substance abuse and depression. Group members get a chance to recover by learning from each other, opening up, bonding with each other, and perceiving others and the therapy as a family. This approach is still relevant today in group therapy since it promotes a sense of belonging and self -worth.

Reference
Yalom, I. D. (2005). Therapeutic factors.In The theory and practice of group psychotherapy(5th ed., pp. 1-18). New York, NY: Basic Books.