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 Highly Recommended Aug 14, 2009
The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy is a practical and informative book which all novice and seasoned psychotherapists should read. Yalom identifies interpersonal problems as a central reason why people are in need of psychotherapy. He illustrates Sullivan's use of the term "parataxic distortions," and the role it plays in group psychotherapy. Parataxic distortions characterize the individual's propensity to mangle their perceptions of others. It appears in an interpersonal situation when one relates to another on the basis of a portrayal occurring primarily in the former's fantasy, rather than on authentic characteristics of the other individual. According to Yalom, an effective psychotherapy group is one in which the primary focus is on the "here-and-now." In addition to recognizing one's parataxic distortions, concentrating on the here-and-now enables the patient to become more aware of how they interact with group members and can provide them with a more realistic view of how others perceive them. This eventually leads to improvement in their interpersonal relationships outside of the group, which in turn addresses many of their reasons for initially seeking therapy.
Yalom offers therapists several useful suggestions. In particular, he describes the most effective ways of handling "problem" patients (e.g. The Monopolist, The Silent Patient, The Characterologically Difficult Patient); the use of written summaries; therapist self-disclosure; the difference between long-term outpatient groups and short-term inpatient groups; and the importance of personal psychotherapy.
My only criticism is that there are portions of the book that are somewhat repetitive in explaining certain concepts (e.g., the selection of patients). A few of the case vignettes are repeated throughout the book and have been mentioned in other books of his, but I do not consider this a major drawback.
Not only do Yalom's concepts and recommendations make sense intuitively, he cites several research studies to support many of them. I have read most of Yalom's books and have found all of them (including his fiction novels) to be both engaging and educational. As a graduate student, I find the breadth and depth of his knowledge of psychology, philosophy and literature, along with his creativity and insight, to be quite inspiring.
Great Book! Aug 01, 2009
This is a great book. If you are interested in psychotherapy, specifically group therapy and consider yourself a psychodynamic, this book is definitely for you! It's an easy read, long, but fairly easy to take in. I completely recommend this!
Great book on group counseling Jun 17, 2009
This book has great information and many excellent examples to make all the skills more clear. It is a must have!
Group Therapy - For Real Jun 03, 2009
Initial reading of this book as part of my class for my Master's in Counseling Psychology, proved to be suprisingly delightful. Dr. Yalom tells it like it is. He really explains theory and then the practical applications. Not for the those that revel in esoteric words. This book is for those who really want to learn how to do successful Group Therapy.
Paul Feiger
 Up-to-date info, reader-friendly, great for textbook! Mar 01, 2009
This book contains the same basic information as a traditional textbook but in a more interesting and palatable format. Easy-to-read, great case stories!
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