Evaluation in the Psychological Help: Psychological Group Counseling Experience from Members' Eyes

Abstract

Psychological counseling groups are distinguished from other groups by their intense therapeutic effect. This study was conducted to address questioning and disclosing members' perceptions of the group counseling process which is considered a gap in the literature. The study participants consisted of eight members who completed the psychological counseling process (14 sessions) with dynamic-oriented individual-centered groups in 2019-2020. Data were collected through a focus group interview, with a phenomenological research design to define and interpret detailed descriptions of members' perspectives and specific meanings. The Thematic Analysis template was used to analyze the data. Six themes emerged from the results: Feelings and thoughts in the first phase of the process, feeling of being group, effects of the process, the leader and the influence of his practices, separation anxiety experiences, and suggestions. This study, which aims to reveal the experiences of the members at the beginning, middle, and end of the process and the meanings they derive from these experiences, can be useful for intern students, supervisors, leaders, and co-leaders who will conduct group counseling.