The Interactional Model
Model Adopted from Yalom
Arose out of Harry Stack Sullivan’s Interpersonal
Psychiatry
Jerome Frank’s Work (Psychiatrist / Psychotherapist)
Yalom’s Basic Tasks
Ensure the physical survival of the group
Build a group culture and establish therapeutic norms
Teach and model for the group members in the here and
now work in the group setting
Building a Group Culture: Establishing Group
Norms
Crucial to the Interactional model is the creating an
atmosphere where group members feel free to comment
on the immediate feelings they experience toward each
member and toward the leader(s) in the group
Six Essential Norms
1. Honest and Spontaneity encouraged and sanctioned
2. Ensure high level of involvement from all participants
3. Self-disclosure model (reciprocal vulnerability)
4. Establishing nonjudgemental acceptance of other group
members’ shortcomings, personal failings
5. Instillation in every group member of the desire for selfunderstanding
6. Recognition of dis-satisfaction with self experienced
desire to change dissatisfaction and behavior related to
encouraged
Development of these Norms
Predispose...
Group members discard social norms that they have been
conditioned by
Try new behavior and take risks with there interactions
with other group members
Mirroring Interpersonal Honesty and
Spontaneity
“Honesty with bad intentions is worse than a lie”
Timing of interpretations (making safe to disclose and tell secrets)
“holy insecurity and the narrow ridge” (no absolute knowledge)
Establishment of Group Norms:
Critical Questions and Meta-disclosures
(cont).
Questions for evaluation and reflection
1. I see a half hour has gone by and how has the group done today?
2. Is each of you satisfied with its direction and content? If not, why haven’t you
said anything?
3. What could you have done differently?
4. What stopped you from taking action?
5. How would you rate group on a scale between 1 and 10 - how would you rate
yourself?
Big Secrets and Metadisclosures
Group’s big secrets (when and how to handle these)...
Group goes only as far and as deep as its most guarded
member
Not forced confessional
Meta-disclosures (talking around big secrets, working up
to them)
For example, tell what is so scary if you reveal? Who might you be worried
about? What do you think you might feel? Who do you think might judge you?
What is the worst thing that might happen if you shared?
Norm of Self-Disclosure
No dirty fighting
Encourage group members to share about their own reactions to conflict
between members and developing coalitions or reactions to distant
members
In all we are trying all to be real with ourselves and with others in the group
and change or act differently that our primary attachment group from the
past
Loved and accepted for who we are instead of trying to act a particular way
to be loved, feel part of, accepted, and in turn love ourselves
I am worth something if I am real!
Here and Now
Activation and Process
Illumination
Process and Intrapsyhic
Focus
Group leader ensures group members focus their attention on
their immediate feelings and thoughts toward the other group
members, the group leader, and the group as a whole.
Immediate events in the group take precedence over the events
in the past or current life of each member outside the group
Here and now events primary for group leader
We must remember though that events outside group can shape
present behavior, feelings, and thoughts
Getting Inside Social
Macrocosm
Individuals behavior outside will mirror inside - this is what
we are trying to change
Achilles heel of each individual group member will emerge
in the here and now process
Here and now requires us to examine: 1) content (current
feelings of group members, and 2) process (reflective
examination of what has occurred sequentially)
The Content
Experience of events understood, felt, and realized by all group
members
Paying attentional to behavioral domain, cognitive, emotional, spiritual,
etc.
How the individual understands themselves, while paying attention to
how each individual interprets and understands events - are we seeing
the same thing!
Process: The Big-gee... No Not
Boogey
Group taught and guided to reflect back on itself and understand it’s own transactions
For instance, examine reasons Joe responded to Mary and not to Bill at this particular
time in this particular manner.
Why does Barbie pick only men to respond to and does not respond to members in the
group who might be most helpful
Why does Sharon make a broad, general statement such as “I trust everyone” at a time
when Sandra is talking about her fears of being judged?
Here and Now Techniques
Watch that not to much time is spent on there and then allow there and then, but shift theme of there and then
into the here and now with members
Continually think about - the why of the question, why
now, what is the question really about, how is about an
unconscious projection into the here and now.
Parallels and unconscious repression - uncoded disguises
IM’s Model Behavior Change: Six
Points
1. Members must recognize what they are doing with other people
2. Then, they must appreciate the impact of their behavior on others
3. They must, in turn, understand how their behavior influences others’ opinions of
them
4. Eventually they must decide if their are satisfied with this interpersonal style
5. If they decide to change, they must exercise their will to change
6. The group and the leader must help members solidify this change and
generalize to the outside
Change in Depth:
Yalom’s 4 Ultimate
Concerns
Responsibility: Only I Change the World I
Have Created For Myself
Each person is born anew in the group
Clean slate
Each group member shapes his or her space and destiny in the
group
The group affords and allows learning, growing, risk-taking,
adoption of new behaviors group members will eventually realize
that is not because they cannot change they continue to suffer...
It is because they will not change!
Death: There is no Danger in
Change
Failure to transform death anxiety (root of pathology)
Fear that one may fail
You behave as though some danger will befall you if you attempt to
change
Group leader’s task detoxify fear in self to change, fear and anxieties
about transforming self and attachment to current self
Anxiety cements rigidity
Examine fantasy of calamity
Isolation - To Attain What I Really Want,
I Must Change
Understand payoff attain from continuing to engage in behavior that
is counter to best interests
What goal is being satisfied currently
What is the underlying fear of change
We have counter goals in our psyche both cannot be achieved (be in
committed relationship vs. need to be nurtured and cradled)
What needs are no longer useful as adult - where is group member
developmentally?
Meaninglessness - I can Change; I am
Potent
Rutan (1983) was quoted as saying: “As group leaders, we must not lose sight of
the fact that what we see as therapist’s is a child’s normal and even at times
creative adaptation to a maladaptive situation.
Give them an experience
Help clients realize that are potent, help them take risks, help understand true
context of behavior - for which for the most part our clients we forced to make
decisions on how to survive based on erroneous info usually before they were
consciously able to understand there cognitions and emotions
Even after these positions change - their behavior continues
Watch for I can’t, I’ll try, I need, if only, I don’t