Primary Concepts of Therapy and Training Groups Essay

Primary Concepts of Therapy and Training Groups - Essay Example Therapy Groups These are groups organized for the sake of allowing therapists (one or more) to work with several people simultaneously. It is a form of psychotherapy. These groups are found in numerous places, for example in community centers, mental hospitals, private practices (therapy practices). Often, therapy groups are used to treat patients as the only treatment plan. However, they may also be used alongside other treatment plans such as medication of patients and individual therapy sessions. The groups are typically comprised of seven to twelve people, it is however possible to have larger or smaller groups. There meetings are either weekly or biweekly. The minimum number of total meetings is six, though some groups meet for a year. There meetings are either open or closed. With open meetings, new participants can take part any time while in the closed groups there are core members, who are the only allowed partakers. Meetings take place in a setting where seats are arranged in a circle to facilitate every member’s ability to see the all members. ... Therapy groups are based on a number of principles. Yalom and Lesczc (9) outline some of these principles in their 2005 publication. Key among the principles of therapy groups is that they act as wells of hope for the patients. This is because these groups are comprised of different individuals who are receiving treatment at different stages. Those who are at more advanced stages act as sources of hope for those who are only just beginning their respective regimes. Secondly, the group members draw reassurance from the fact that their problem are universal by getting lumped together with other people that are dealing with the same issues (Yalom&Lesczc, 17). A third principle is that of obtaining and sharing information, whereby group members learn how to cope with the problems facing them by learning from the experiences of others. Another principle is the fact that these groups act as a family for the members of the group. These groups allow the members to explore the impact of certa in undertakings in childhood and other stages of life impacted their temperament and behavior. Apart from these, the groups are based on the principle of developing new techniques of socialization. The group provides a venue for the members to adopt and practice new behaviors while reducing the fear of judgment due to failure. Another principle that Yalom and Lesczc (25) outline is learning by imitation, whereby individuals model their actions depending on the actions of other members of the group, or those of the therapists. There is also interpersonal learning, whereby the group interaction provides an opportunity for an individual to receive positive or negative feedback on their actions from other members. Another principle is catharsis, where the members achieve a sense of pain