| Abstract [eng] |
Participation in an experiential group is the main method of training prospective group therapists. The encounter of therapeutic and learning contexts in an experiential group creates a distinctive twine of various experiences that is called experience diversity in this study. This experiential group feature was little researched. The study reveals how experiential group diversity presents itself in experiences of participants in a long-term experiential group, and what influence it makes on group dynamics. All participants at the Institute of Humanistic and Existential Psychology (Birštonas, Lithuania) group therapy program (stage I–8, stage II–5) took part in the study. The program consisted of two stages: an experiential group was guided by experienced group therapists in stage I, the experiential group was guided by participants themselves in stage II. The work in experiential group was discussed with supervisors. Participants were interviewed four times: two semi-structured interviews were performed in each stage. Interview texts were analyzed applying inductive thematic analysis and interpreted according to I. D. Yalow’s conception of group therapy and practice. Study results revealed that prospective group therapists’ experience diversity in the experiential group is reflected in interpersonal relationships, participant relationship to the experiential group and program structure. It slows down group cohesion, influences the perception of roles, and reveals the importance of learning motivation and collegial relationships in group. |
