Overcoming Obstacles to the Implementation of Yalom's Model of Inpatient Group Psychotherapy

‘Iedereen zit hier toch voor zichzelf.’

“…In de eerste plaats blijkt het telkens opstellen van individuele werkpunten een tijdrovende bezigheid te zijn. In de tweede plaats neigen veel therapeuten ertoe de sessie te gebruiken alsof het individuele therapie in groepen betreft (Froberg & Slife, 1987). Ten slotte is een dergelijk veeleisend programma, gericht op interpersoonlijk leren niet voor alle patie¨nten haalbaar.…”

The helping process in group therapy: A review and discussion

“…As Froberg and Slife (1987) point out, many inpatient psychiatric patients, for example, are resistant to group therapy because of doubt and uncertainty about the process. They may have come into the hospital with the expectation that they would be discussing their problems in private with a professional person.…”

The interpersonal model.

“…Another area in which the model might be developed further concerns the nature of the therapist's interventions. Frequently in an inpatient setting, patients have a very difficult time grasping the importance of processing their immediate experience (Froberg & Slife, 1987). The notion of working on personal relationships with people in the group seems to some odd if not outright absurd.…”

“…The notion of working on personal relationships with people in the group seems to some odd if not outright absurd. For the therapist to give this process more credibility in the eyes of the members, it may be necessary, either in a pre-group orientation or during the group itself, to make comments that establish a link between how a member relates within the group and his or her reported difficulties outside the group (Froberg & Slife, 1987). Research (e.g., Flowers & Booraem, 1990a, 1990b suggests that members' receptivity to hereand-now comments is enhanced if the comments contain a reference to members' difficulties in relationships outside the group.…”

“…In an average-sized group (6-10 patients), a session of at least 75-90 minutes is necessary to accommodate this requirement. As Froberg and Slife (1987) noted, some settings are not able to guarantee a session of this length because of scheduling conflicts with other activities. We suggest that one way to alter structured versions of the interpersonal model to make this feature less constraining is to have only a subset of members of the group form agendas.…”