The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy

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As a psychologist working in a college counseling center, I found this book to be a useful review of Yalom's prior publications. The first part of the book draws from Yalom's definitive text on group therapy, THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY. In this section, he addresses some of the most salient therapeutic factors to group treatment as well provides vital guidelines for therapists serving as group facilitators. He also describes group therapy with several different types of specialized groups: hospitalized patients, patients addicted to alcohol, the terminally ill, and the bereaved (although this last group was aimed at widows/widowers, I have been able to adapt some of the concepts to my work wtih college students). Part two centers on existential therapy, as Yalom provides excerpts from his previous text by that same name. He spends time examining each of the four ultimate concerns--death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness--and he focuses particularly on death and anxiety in psychotherapy. In the final section of the book, Yalom espouses on psychology and writing, and he reviews his journey from therapist to fiction writer. Yalom is a thoughtful and engaging writer who provides intelligent insights into some of the most critical areas of psychotherapy in this enjoyable and important book. As a psychologist working in a college counseling center, I found this book to be a useful review of Yalom's prior publications. The first part of the book draws from Yalom's definitive text on group therapy, THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY. In this section, he addresses some of the most salient therapeutic factors to group treatment as well provides vital guidelines for therapists serving as group facilitators. He also describes group therapy with several different types of specialized groups: hospitalized patients, patients addicted to alcohol, the terminally ill, and the bereaved (although this last group was aimed at widows/widowers, I have been able to adapt some of the concepts to my work wtih college students). Part two centers on existential therapy, as Yalom provides excerpts from his previous text by that same name. He spends time examining each of the four ultimate concerns--death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness--and he focuses particularly on death and anxiety in psychotherapy. In the final section of the book, Yalom espouses on psychology and writing, and he reviews his journey from therapist to fiction writer. Yalom is a thoughtful and engaging writer who provides intelligent insights into some of the most critical areas of psychotherapy in this enjoyable and important book.