Therapeutic Factors in Group Counseling: Implications for Audiologic Rehabilitation

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe therapeutic factors that constitute mechanisms of change in group intervention. These therapeutic factors occur in groups with varied populations in varied settings and have important implications for group approaches to aural/audiologic rehabilitation. Factors included in the review are universality, instillation of hope, imparting information, altruism, imitative behavior, group cohesion, interpersonal learning, development of socializing techniques, recapitulation of the family, catharsis, and existential issues. The discussions largely are based on Irvin Yalom’s therapeutic factors but include references from a wide-range of sources throughout the medical, psychological, and rehabilitative fields.

Fatores terapêuticos em grupo de suporte na perspectiva da coordenação e dos membros do grupo

“…The identification of TF as a form of assessment of group activity has been used by scholars of the subject and is considered a good strategy to estimate the efficiency of the groups (7)(8)(11)(12) . Although the process of change in groups with psychotherapy objectives, generally, includes the entire set of TF, the ones identified by the GRAPF coordinators (information sharing, group cohesion, universality and existential factors) are the most commonly observed in any group (3) .…”

“…The TF, universality, is an important force that helps the group construct itself as a group (3) . In the GRAPF, sharing many common experiences provided the participants with the perception that they were not alone with their problems and feelings, which invalidates the feelings of uniqueness and strengthens the group (3,7,12) . Also present within the sessions of the GRAPF were the existential factors, related to the existential questions of human life that place the person face to face with human mortality and the recognition that life sometimes is unfair.…”

“…On the other hand, if the perception of the coordinators about the TF in the session is crucial for monitoring the effects of the group on its members, it could be that the assessments of the participants ought to be more valued because it represents the individual's lived experience (7) . The divergence between the perceptions of participants and coordinators of the group indicates that some important and useful experiences for some members cannot influence other individuals, or are overlooked by the coordinator of the session (3,12) . However, the coordinators of the group must always be attentive to the differences in the use of the TF provided by the group experience for its members, using this observation to plan and promote new opportunities for everyone to benefit equally from the TF (3) .…”

“…The analysis of statements shows that this TF contributed, effectively, to the families of hospitalized children feeling a sense of unity and belonging to a group of "equals", supported by each other, and to a warm environment of confidence and solicitude, where people could talk about their fears and anxieties. Cohesion favors acceptance, facilitates the participation of members in group activities, and contributes to many expressions of feelings and sharing of experiences in an authentic and sincere manner, causing the group to strengthen the group itself (3,12) . The presence of the TF, information sharing, both in meetings of the GRAPF as well as in other support groups (7)(8)(9)(10)(11) may be a consequence of the collective construction of knowledge, in which the information/ orientation in the shared sessions is not only coming from the coordinators, but also from members of the group.…”

Fatores terapêuticos identificados em um grupo de Promoção da Saúde de Idosos

“…Evidence in the literature indicates that study of TFs helps in guiding coordination in order to achieve more efficient results, with the objective of reaching the group's highest therapeutic potential (9)(10)(11)(12)(13) .…”