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.
Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
Instilling hope. In group support rooms, I've often witnessed members being afraid to share due to the thought of being judged etc playing the role of listener I instil hope upon people who are going through hard times. I believe that telling them that it's going to be okay and that I am there for them helps create positivity, hope, empathy and compassion and also helps calm a stressful situation.
Offering support, telling them you're there for them, etc. all contribute towards instilling hope and supporting one another
@KyleBorg instilling support is very important <3 you're absolutely right about how it helps members to not feel so afraid about sharing or being judged. it really helps them make progress when they are encouraged to share and shown that everyone's there to support them and understand them :)
Hi!
The one that I've chosen, and to me seems like It has had the best success rate and all over most positive response, is-
- Imparting information: They can help each other by sharing information, stories to develop a connection, and a healthy discussion.
Telling people that you've been through something similar always manages to get the chat flowing. Many people may simply be shy about sharing, or about might feel like their story isn't relevant, or too far away from the current line of conversation to want to engage.
Sharing honestly helps people and, at least I believe, makes them feel less alone
@Nyvastark I completely agree! I that this is a very important factor for those who are recovering as it gives them a sense of hope.
- Instills hope: My sessions are based on positivity and hope mainly. So that participants leave the session with smiles.
- Universality: Open topics so that all can contribute
- Imparting information: Sharing is encouraged
- Altruism: hi5
- The corrective recapitulation of the primary family group: Reminder of guidelines
- Development of socialization techniques: Hugs
- Imitative behavior: Observing helps
- Interpersonal learning: True. Interaction does help in feeling better
- Group cohesiveness: Common topic or subtopic
- Existential factors: Discussions can give insights that lead to improvement irl
@ASilentObserver
In many of the discussions that I have been in, I have experienced many Yalom Therapeutic Factors including:
- 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.
I personally think that this is extremely important among people especially during discussions and when someone is talking about something hard they are going through. This factor is very helpful because it gives people a sense of hope seeing that others who are going through the same thing and are recovering.
@Reemhelp
That's a good point. I need to apply that one more often during discussions.
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.
I like this idea and I apply it quite often in discussion. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that we aren't alone in our struggles and that humans are resilient and capable, as we've seen throughout time.
@GoldenNest2727
I absolutely agree, golden! You said that so nicely 💛
@ASilentObserver
Discussion: Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
Instil Hope: I applied this to make sure that everyone felt welcomed. There were certain members in the group chat that felt left out and letting them know that there was light at the end of the tunnel seemed to help.
@ASilentObserver
Discussion: Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
Experience:
I actually think that Universality is really important for every support room. If other people can understand, they automatically feel less alienated and more validated and understood. And feeling understood is one of the most important things to me, when it comes to group dynamics.
So to answer the question correctly, I always try to relate or at least show my understanding when someone has the courage to share how they feel in a room, and in my experience, that always helped at least a little, tiny bit.
Thank you for reading this! 💙
@MelodyoftheOcean Nice catch, Melody. I think that empathizing with what
they feel and trying to explain it in terms of what you have
experienced can be a really good way of incorporating universality in the group :)
I definitely see imatative behavior often! Especially with new members who will follow suit of the mods, room supporters, hosts or community leaders in the room. It's a good way to develop empathy and respect, for sure
@WarmLightXO Good catch, Light! Setting the tone and making it consistent is really important for room supporters, mods, or people from the chat support group, as the members are going to imitate our behavior accordingly :)
@ASilentObserver
I think that enabling every one to help will instill moreo activity is the group. and steer the conversation in the right direction always
- Imparting information: They can help each other by sharing information, stories to develop a connection, and a healthy discussion.
@ASilentObserver One of the therapeutic factors I used is instilling hope. By sharing personal stories relatable to the member's issues, I can help instill hope in the group that their problems are solvable, temporary and that they are not alone in their journey :)
@RandomAravyre
GLDD mentors: Richuyulin, blissfulForest7074 , 29Amy , HealingFox210 , AriadneLove, CaringHeart123
@RandomAravyre That's a great approach! Personal anecdotes can serve a lot to someone going through something similar.
