<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Birutė   Jakubkaitė</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Rimantas  A.  Kočiūnas</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">EXPERIENTIAL GROUPS IN THE TRAINING OF GROUP COUNSELORS AND THERAPISTS: A VIEW FROM TRAINEES PERSPECTIVE</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Psychology in the 21st Century </style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">counselor in training</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">experiential group</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">group counselors</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">group therapists</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2014</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">April/2014</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2014/444-1403293563.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">8</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Continuous</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Many theorists and practitioners believe that integration of theoretical knowledge, observation of proficient group counselor work, supervision of personal work with groups and personal experience as a group member help future group therapists to acquire skills necessary for group counseling. Personal experience can be acquired through participation in experiential groups. As it is little known of the personal experience of experiential group members, it is not sufficiently clear whether insights and opinions of these members are consistent with those emphasized in the literature about experiential groups in the training context. The aim of this research is to provide a structured description of experiences of experiential group participants in the training context: how trainees perceive experiential groups in the training context. To achieve this aim, a qualitative study strategy was employed which is particularly appropriate in cases when a research object has been little explored and results of available studies are controversial. The research was organized and carried out on the basis of the principles and requirements of thematic analysis. Students from one and the same Group Therapy training program of the Institute of Humanistic and Existential Psychology (Birštonas, Lithuania) were chosen for this research. In addition to theoretical lectures, program participants went through three experiential groups that were led by experienced group counselors. The work of the group was observed by two program supervisors. Participants of the research were 8 persons aged from 29 to 48. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather research data. The participants were asked to share their experiences, mostly focusing on experiential groups. The analysis of the gathered data crystallized around 5 themes: preliminary expectations; goals of the experiential group; weakness and unsafety of the experiential group; experiential group process continuity; and experiential group as a tool for giving meaning to knowledge and personal transformations. The analysis of research findings revealed that the purpose of experiential groups in training, which is attached most attention in professional literature, i.e. giving meaning to knowledge and facilitation of personal changes, represents only one component in the perceptions of this group. A relationship between the experiential group participants and the group which determines the perception of the group also encompasses preliminary expectations of the participants, their concerns about the goals of the group, realization of weakness and unsafety of the group, and experience of the group process continuity. The analysis of findings paid attention to the importance of identification and definition of group goals. The participants of the group had ambiguous and vague understanding of the group goals, where the group itself was perceived as lacking coherence and commonness. In addition, the analysis of research findings also revealed that differences among group participants impede the formation of the feeling of commonness. This should encourage both researchers and practitioners to pay attention to the selection of participants to experiential groups and programs. </style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1</style></issue><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">36-46</style></section></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Birutė   Jakubkaitė</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Rimantas  A.  Kočiūnas</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">EXPERIENTIAL GROUPS IN GROUP COUNSELORS TRAINING: A VIEW THROUGH THE MULTIPLICITY OF CONTEXTS</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Psychology in the 21st Century </style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">counselor in training</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">experiential group</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">group counselors</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2013</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">April/2013</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://oaji.net/articles/2014/444-1400265939.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">5</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Experiential groups are one of prevailing forms of group counsellor training, which is devoted to exploring group dynamics and other aspects of group work through direct personal experience. However, there is still too little research carried out in this topic and some lack of consistency appears in this field of research. The research reported here was aimed at analyzing group participants’ perceptions of multiplicity of contexts, as a distinctive characteristic of such group, which appears due to different goals raised and variety of roles performed in the same group. A qualitative approach was employed in this study using semi-structured interviews with graduates from international group therapy program. 5 participants of the Group therapy training program at the Institute of Humanistic and Existential Psychology (Lithuania) were chosen for this study. Besides theoretical lectures, program participants went through three experiential groups that were guided by experienced group counselors and also gained sort-time group guiding experience. The work of all groups was observed by two program supervisors. Study participants were asked to share the experience about taking part in group counselors training program, mostly focusing on experiential groups and their discussions with supervisors. The data gathered during interviews then was subjected to thematic analysis. Based on the results, the main topics related to group multiplicity were revealed and discussed: intrapersonal context of participants; organizational context of the training program; interpersonal context and wholeness context. Intrapersonal context of participants was associated not only with their personal dynamics in experiential group process, but also with participant’s personal traits, motivation, anticipatory expectations, attitude towards psychological help, the training program, other participants, experiential group counselors and supervisors. Talking about organizational context of the training program participants mentioned analysis writing that assisted in better understanding of experiential group processes and structuring own experience. Experiential groups and their supervision processes were perceived by participants as extended and complementing each other. Interpersonal context encompassed interactions with group participants, group counselors and supervisors. Wholeness context involved the perception of group dynamics in experiential group as well as in participating in the whole training program. Perception of this wholeness helped participants understand the multidimensionality of training and adapt to it. According to data of this study it can be noted that these various contexts are intertwined together, therefore it would be useful to focus separately on each of them in the future. This could assist in more detailed and clear understanding of their interactions.</style></abstract><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">12-22</style></section></record></records></xml>