Group Therapy Trainees’ Social Learning and Interpersonal Awareness: The Role of Cohesion in Training Groups

ABSTRACT

Despite the common use of experiential training groups for group therapy training, the essential features of training groups have not been fully realized yet. Few studies have tested the impact of cohesion on trainees’ session-to-session development over the course of a training group. As such, this study empirically tested the association between trainees’ perceptions of group cohesion and their interpersonal awareness and social learning session-to-session. Results indicated that within- and between-trainee cohesion was significantly related to trainees’ social learning and interpersonal awareness. Additionally, time significantly moderated the between-trainee cohesion–social learning relationship, such that this relationship increased over time.

KEYWORDS:

• Cohesion
• experiential training groups
• group therapy training
• interpersonal awareness
• social learning

Additional information

Notes on contributors

D. Martin Kivlighan

D. Martin Kivlighan III, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations at The University of Iowa.

Marie C. Adams

Marie C. Adams, M.S.Ed., is a doctoral candidate in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations at The University of Iowa.

Ashlie Obrecht

Ashlie Obrecht, M.S., is a doctoral student in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations at The University of Iowa.

J. Y. Cindy Kim

J. Y. Cindy Kim, B.A., is a doctoral student in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations at The University of Iowa.

Brianna Ward

Brianna Ward, M.S., is a doctoral candidate in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations at The University of Iowa.

Christian A. Latino

Christian A. Latino, B.A., is a doctoral candidate in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations at The University of Iowa.