Irvin D. Yalom
Irvin D. Yalom is a prominent American psychiatrist and psychotherapist, born on June 13, 1931, in Washington, DC, to Russian immigrant parents. Renowned for his contributions to group therapy and existential therapy, Yalom's influential works have shaped contemporary psychotherapy practices. He earned his medical degree from Boston University in 1956 and began his career with a residency at Johns Hopkins University, where he was introduced to group therapy by his mentor, Jerome Frank.
Yalom’s seminal book, *The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy* (1970), outlines key therapeutic factors in group settings, establishing him as a leading figure in this domain. He further explored existential themes in his writings, addressing fundamental human concerns such as death, freedom, isolation, and the search for meaning, notably in his book *Existential Psychotherapy* (1980). Throughout his career, Yalom has also written several novels interweaving historical and philosophical narratives, including *When Nietzsche Wept* and *The Schopenhauer Cure*.
Despite retiring from Stanford University in 1994, he remains active in the field, offering insights into therapy through his memoirs and public appearances. His later works, including *Staring at the Sun* and *A Matter of Death and Life*, reflect on mortality and the process of dying, emphasizing a compassionate approach to existential concerns. Yalom's legacy continues to resonate in psychotherapy and literature, as he engages with profound aspects of the human experience.
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Subject Terms
Irvin D. Yalom
- Born: June 13, 1931
- Birthplace: Washington, DC
TYPE OF PSYCHOLOGY: Psychotherapy
Yalom advanced the theory and practice of psychotherapy techniques for groups and existential therapy methods for individuals.
Life
Irvin D. Yalom was born to Russian immigrants Benjamin Yalom and Ruth Yalom, who owned a grocery store in Washington, DC. Yalom enrolled in George Washington University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952. He attended his alma mater’s medical school for one year and then transferred to Boston University’s medical program. Yalom married Marilyn Koenick in 1954 and earned his medical degree two years later.
Yalom completed a Mount Sinai Hospital internship in New York City in 1957 and began his residency at Johns Hopkins University’s Henry Phipps Psychiatric Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland. His mentor, Jerome Frank, invited Yalom to watch group therapy, assisting him to establish a group. Rollo May’s Existence: A New Dimension in Psychiatry and Psychology (1958; edited with Ernest Angel and Henri F. Ellenberger) influenced Yalom, who took philosophy classes to enhance his psychotherapy approaches.
In 1962, Yalom accepted a position at Stanford University’s medical school in Palo Alto, California. He wrote The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (1970), emphasizing what he called curative factors, including group cohesiveness and universality. That book has been translated into several languages and revised numerous times.
By 1973, Yalom had become a full professor and assistant director of Stanford’s Adult Psychiatric Clinic. The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital honored him with its 1974 Edward Strecker Award. He received the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Foundation’s Fund Award in 1976. Yalom was a Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences fellow in 1977 and 1978. He wrote Existential Psychotherapy (1980), addressing four basic concepts related to human existence: death, freedom, isolation, and meaning.
In 1981, Yalom began directing medical services for Stanford University Hospital’s Psychiatry Inpatient Unit. His book Inpatient Group Psychotherapy (1983) discussed treating patients in psychiatric wards. Reviewers praised Yalom’s Love’s Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy (1989) for honestly depicting therapist-patient interactions, revealing failures associated with therapy, and acknowledging therapists’ uncertainties.
Yalom’s novels When Nietzsche Wept (1992), Lying on the Couch (1996), and The Schopenhauer Cure (2005) feature historical existential figures and situations. Yalom was the general editor of the Jossey-Bass Library of Current Clinical Technique. In 2001, he received the APA’s Oskar Pfister Award. In The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients (2002), Yalom offered insights and criticisms regarding the psychotherapy profession. His Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death (2008) focused on and mortality. In 2015, he published Creatures of a Day: And Other Tales of Psychotherapy, which also examines the concept of mortality through the relation of ten specific patient cases.
Yalom retired from Stanford in 1994 but continued with a part-time private practice and remained professor emeritus at the university. He has also written and produced several documentaries on therapeutic techniques. In 2017, Yalom published his memoir, Becoming Myself: A Psychiatrist's Memoir, which offered insights into both his personal and professional life. After his wife Marilyn Yalom received a terminal medical diagnosis, the couple authored A Matter of Death and Life (2021), which explored each’s feelings on her imminent end of life. Yalom also continued to make public appearance and give interviews.
Bibliography
"Becoming Myself Irvin Yalom Memoir." Psychotherapy.net, www.psychotherapy.net/article/becoming-myself-irvin-yalom. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
"Biography — Irvin D. Yalom, MD." Irvin Yalom, www.yalom.com/biography. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
De Faoite, Aideen Taylor. Narrative Play Therapy: Theory and Practice. Jessica Kingsley, 2011.
Josselson, Ruthellen. Irvin D. Yalom: On Psychotherapy and the Human Condition. Jorge Pinto Books, 2008.
Schuster, S. "A Philosophical Analysis and Critique of Dr. Irvin Yalom's Writings Concerning Philosophical Counseling." International Journal of Applied Philosophy, vol. 27, no. 1, 2013, pp. 131–43.
Shaughnessy, Michael F., et al. "An Interview with Irvin Yalom." North American Journal of Psychology, vol. 9, no. 3, 2007, pp. 511–18.
Van Deurzen, Emmy, and Martin Adams. Skills in Existential Counselling and Psychotherapy. Sage, 2011.
Yalom, Irvin D., editor. The Yalom Reader: Selections from the Work of a Master Therapist and Storyteller. Basic Books, 1998.