Bond and work ruptures in group counseling

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the immediate effects of group counseling ruptures. Group ruptures were defined as discrepancies between (1) the member’s bonding and working ratings in a session and the member’s average bonding and working across all sessions, (2) the member’s bonding and working in a session and the group-as-a-whole’s (across all members and sessions) bonding and working, and (3) the member’s average bonding and working across all sessions and the group-as-a-whole’s bonding and working. Method: Participants were 232 counseling students (199 women and 33 men; age: M = 22.78, SD = 3.51) who participated in one of 13, 7-session, interpersonal process groups. At the end of each group session, group members completed the Group Questionnaire (Burlingame et al., 2016) and the Interpersonal Relations Scale Checklist (Shadish, 1984), an index of intimate behavior. Three-level (members within groups and sessions within members) polynomial regressions and response surface analyses were used to examine discrepancies in ratings of bond and work. Results: Group member’s bonding ruptures were unrelated to the number of intimate behaviors in a session. However, when a member’s perception of positive working in a session was lower than his or her average level of working (across all sessions), that member reported lower level of intimate behaviors. Moreover, when group member’s positive working in the session is lower than the group-as-a-whole’s working, that member’s intimate behaviors were lower. Conclusions: The findings show that group members’ working ruptures have a negative effect on their task engagement and need to be recognized and addressed by the group leader. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Highlights and Implications—•Ruptures in the bonding relationships in group sessions were not related to how many intimate behaviors in which group members engaged. •When a member’s rating of the working relationship in a session was lower than his or her average ratings of working relationships across all sessions, the member showed less involvement in the group task by engaging in fewer behaviors that promote intimate relationships. •When a member’s rating of the working relationships in a session was lower than the group-as-a-whole’s ratings of working relationship, the member showed less involvement in the group task by engaging in fewer behaviors that promote intimate relationships. •Low engagement in intimate behaviors can be a marker for group ruptures in working relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)