Discussion 03: Group Development & Therapeutic Factors
Please note: In order to successfully complete the program, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/show that you completed the given activity (if any). Read the post carefully and implement the learning in the chat rooms. If you didn't participate in Discussion 02: Building a Group, then check here!
Welcome back, crew!! It is good to see you again to take another step to learn and progress! Keep going!!
We’ve been talking about group building in the last discussion. But, in order to stay on track is to develop the group you built and ensure the therapeutic factors are utilized effectively to maintain group support success.
There are two parts to this discussion:
- Group Development
- Therapeutic Factors
Group Development: It is identified that there are 4 stages of a group once built.
Each stage has its own needs and goals that must be addressed as the group progresses through each stage. The role of the group facilitator and group members also changes as the group progresses.
All groups are progressive and unique. You cannot compare the development of the Relationship Support Room with Depression Support or any other chat room. Some groups would experience and gain a lot and some may not. That’s why the success of a group depends on how the leader leads & supports the group and how the group members participate.
Second, therapeutic factors.
To develop the group, therapeutic factors play a significant role. Dr. Irvin D. Yalom conducted research and outlined the key therapeutic principles derived from it.
- Instills hope: The group contains members at different stages of their struggle or challenges. And, seeing people who are coping or recovering gives hope to those at the beginning of the process. It is a reminder to them that they are not alone and they can also progress by taking the required steps.
- Universality: Being part of a group of people who have the same experiences helps people see that what they are going through is universal and that they are not alone. They develop a sense of belonging and feeling of part of the community.
- Imparting information: They can help each other by sharing information, stories to develop a connection, and a healthy discussion.
- Altruism: They can share their strengths and help others in the group, which can boost self-esteem and confidence. It allows them to have the courage to take steps to progress.
- The corrective recapitulation of the primary family group: The group is a sort of family. Within the group, each member can explore how different experiences contributed to personality and behavioral changes. They can also learn to avoid behaviors that are destructive or unhelpful for them.
- Development of socialization techniques: The group setting is a great place to practice new behaviors. The setting is safe and supportive, allowing group members to experiment without the fear of failure. Develop a sense of accountability and celebrate small and big wins to boost confidence.
- Imitative behavior: Each individual can model the behavior of other members of the group or observe and imitate the behavior of the leader to develop the same qualities or skills in order to develop and grow.
- Interpersonal learning: By interacting regularly with other individuals of the group and receiving feedback from the group or the facilitator, members can become more self-aware and develop self-love and esteem as well.
- Group cohesiveness: As there is a common goal, members gain a sense of belonging and community feeling.
- Existential factors: While interacting with the group and gaining support and feedback. They also learn they are responsible for their own lives, actions, and choices. They could progress by taking charge of it and making better decisions.
A therapeutic factor is an element of a group that potentially benefits one or more individuals in the group. A reminder that all therapeutic factors mentioned in this discussion shouldn’t be assumed to have the same impact on all but it should investigate their impact on different members of the group. Overall, it is helpful and keys for effective group development.
Discussion: Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
Activity: Respond to at least two of your fellow trainees' comments with thoughts on their share.
After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next discussion here! Ensure to implement the learning from these discussions in the chat rooms to build and support the group. You must take part in the brainstorming/activities given in all of these discussions to successfully complete the program.
@ASilentObserver
Discussion 3: I really identify with Altruism the most. I have been on the receiving and helping end of this and love how everyone is so willing to help one another out and I just love seeing the evolution of the confidence. For example, when I was helped with a member sharing circle and felt so unsure and confused, I was really supported by a moderator telling me that I can do this and giving me tips really boosted my confidence up. Asking for assistance in the listener support room is always met with a warm reception - moderators are willing to go into detail to help out, providing excellent resources and I can see everyone works as a collective unit. Another example I can give is when I wanted support as a member was explaining they had suicidal thoughts and refused to look at a crisis resource - I Pm a moderator as there were none in the room and they kindly helped. The moderators and peer supporters are a credit to this site as are the listeners who want to work on their skill set. We are all on the journey of growth and helping others out is a wonderful gift.
@GoldenRuleJG
I can relate to and agree with every single thing you mentioned here. It is easy to feel safe and helps confidence to help others when there is so much support ready to help however they can. When we are all free to ask questions and support each other free of judgement, the ripple effect of positivity goes a long way.
Imitative Behavior, Imitative Behavior is used in rooms through modelling after leadership roles like peer support, chat support and moderators. Now that I am a PS and Mod in some rooms I see how people follow your lead and imitate leaders. I used to do it and I see how it works now.
@TrickyRicky
Me. Too. I am the way I am because of the example the leaders before me set. And it's interesting to watch others who have watched me lead, go from quiet to assertive and eager to help other new comers or people asking for help in the same overly friendly way i do sometimes :)
I commonly use imparting information in group settings. It makes it quite easy to empathize with members and share what works in my experience or how I cope and gives members something to try and look forward to. I find that if you engage everyone in a group chat to share common coping methods or things that work for them based on the discussion topics, it makes this sense of unity and everyone can walk away with a new skill or coping method to employ in their own personal lives which makes a lasting impact and positive difference in their routines for self-care and mental health management.
@MxSkeleton
That's amazing! I love that you are sharing your experiences and engaging other members of the group to share theirs as well, this way, they can reflect on what worked and really see how much the coping solution had helped! As you said, everyone can walk out with a new piece of information that can potentially help them as well!
Discussion: Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
Being a part of a group discussions instills hope by allowing the member to see they are not alone in their journey. There are others who have overcome challenges similar to theirs, which helps them feel like they can do it as well.
@MoonChild1206
Participating in group chats is honestly one of my favourite part of 7 cup and I'm glad that you enjoy it too!
Just like the 1-on-1 chats, group chats help support both members and listeners. It's an essential part of 7 cups and stumbling upon a friendly chat in of the rooms brings a smile to my face!
Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
the factor that stands out to me the most is definitely instilling hope , I cannot stress enough on How having the feeling that there is a "light" after this dark and long period one is experiencing , makes us stronger and more persistent in our journey. I would say its the primary reason of me being on the site itself and i think with group chats you can reach out to greater number of people and those on different points within the same journey , so people have more guidance and something to look forward to.
@BeTheLight111
Definitely, knowing that there is still hope is by far the most powerful way to stay optimistic and alive! And we will be the light 😜
@ASilentObserver
For me , I have used both Instilling hope, practised universality and imparted known and valuable information to the members/ participants who needed them.
Though I want aware that my actions and methods were actually Yalom's therapeutic factors 😁
@blissfulForest7074
That's great that you have used the Yalom Therapeutic Factors, are there moments that you have used them that you can share with us?
It's great that you still managed to implement them in the group chat! The fact that you managed to implement a lot of factors are great and I'm sure it contributed to the group chat as well
@ASilentObserver
Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
I picked universitality - I listen to all that are in a group discussion and have learned where they live is much different then where I live. We share our conflicts and learn that although we are all the same, we do have different cultures and upbringing and to where we differ in how we all handle our lives day to day. We share how maybe handling things the way we see it could help them and we share ideas on how to better ourselves.
@pamharley003
I enjoyed reading your post. 7 cups availability to all countries, cultures and races, is one of the things I enjoy most about this community!
I'm glad that it's been something you enjoy about 7 cups too! Learning ( and Appreciating) both people's differences and cultures, is what makes the 7 cups community a wonderful one!
Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
There are many useful factors that I have used, but the one that I recognized instantly was universality!
Universality: Being part of a group of people who have the same experiences helps people see that what they are going through is universal and that they are not alone. They develop a sense of belonging and a feeling of being part of the community.
@29amy
What a wholesome answer, I read this multiple times and it really hit me - Universality is a great thing it provides a sense of hope that they're not the only ones going through tough times and / or feeling down. It creates a sense of understanding as they then begin to realise we understand how they're feeling and understand how much it hurts
Overall universality creates a "close-knit" family, where we can express ourselves and know we are not alone
An amazing answer, thanks for sharing it
I can agree on that! It's wonderful how supportive everyone is and their warmth can really help newcomers to the group chat adjust quickly. Seeing how everyone has a response to that certain topic can help those who are struggling to know that they are not alone
Oops I meant to reply to 29amy but I misclicked
Question : Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
Answer : For me, I think one of the factors I applied was imparting information (Group members can help each other by sharing information, stories to develop a connection, and a healthy discussion.). I remember a moment in a listener sharing circle when someone was sharing about an issue they faced in a chat. After their share, other participants responded with methods on how they handled the situation and it turned into a wonderful discussion on how to handle the problem. The session overall was really informative and I'm sure it was helpful for everyone that participated.
@BloomingSakura
Great answer I agree with this completely by sharing information we can instil knowledge upon one another - If someone has an issue or a question we can provide answers and support to help them overcome this
A great answer thanks a ton for sharing
@BloomingSakura i love when sessions go this way ! it really helps to make members feel less alone and to create friends and connections as well ! at these moments, the whole room is so supportive and everyone shows each other so much love <3
@BloomingSakura
That sounds lovely, Sakura! 💜
@BloomingSakura wow I love this.
