From group therapy to the therapeutic relationship to working in the here-and-now, Irvin Yalom has been a leading force behind some of psychotherapy’s most enduring principles and techniques. His narratives are a uniquely informed blend of the psychological, the historical, and the philosophical, and have parlayed his clinical insights into a thriving literary career. In this illuminating interview with Orah Krug, one of Yalom’s longtime protégées, you’ll get a glimpse of the warmth, authenticity, and incisiveness of this renowned luminary, along with clinical takeaways to enliven your practice.
Here, Yalom speaks to Krug in front of a live audience to highlight the core themes of his long career. He takes us on his journey from psychiatrist to writer, noting that his “writerly mind is operating whenever I see a patient.” It’s this fascination with the human experience that unifies his work, and Yalom stresses the need for today’s therapists to creatively engage in their clients’ lives, as much as a novelist (or reader) would engage in a character’s arc. Numerous anecdotes from over fifty years of clinical work add depth and educational value to this interview, and give you the background behind such books as Love’s Executioner, When Nietzsche Wept, and The Spinoza Problem.
The interview also highlights Yalom’s major clinical contributions, including his early introduction to the philosophies that would shape existential psychotherapy; his exposure in the 1950s to group therapy, and how he crafted the modality into the relational style practiced across the field today; and his focus on the here-and-now—the “pay dirt” of the therapeutic relationship. Yalom’s signature teachings are distilled into an enlightening hour of interview and Q&A, and you’ll find him a pleasure to watch.
If you’re looking for a window into the man behind the theory—in addition to an overview of his ideas in his own words—then this delightful video is a must-have.
