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Trebinski, William (2007) How do the participants of psycho-educational groups construe the experience? Doctoral thesis, London Metropolitian University.
The growth of a group approach to psychotherapeutic work seems inevitable within a resource constrained National Health Service (NHS), which is becoming increasingly focused on efficiency. From a utilitarian perspective it seems desirable, in making best use of the few (psychologists) to help the many (clients). Advocates of psycho-educational groups offer some compelling arguments, e.g. group sizes up to 100, as to why we should adopt this form of therapy. However, there is some disagreement over what constitutes the principal mechanisms of therapeutic change within such groups. If we accept the prevailing view amongst the advocates of psycho-educational groups, that information provision and skills training constitute the principal mechanisms of change, then this has practice implications for psychologists at an individual and organisational level. The existing (largely outcome related) literature offers only a limited insight into the therapeutic process within psycho-educational groups. At best, it meets the needs of the 'scientific practitioner' who seeks assurance that his methods are effective. The sparse, process related research typically takes the form of quantitative studies, in which participants rank the therapeutic significance of arbitrary hypothetical constructs proposed by the researcher. Such research tells us little about how participants experience group membership or the meanings that they attribute to events occurring within groups. This study, through nine in depth interviews with participants of psycho-educational groups, contributes to understanding in this area and gives 'voice' to the clients' experience. The findings challenge prevailing assumptions and beliefs about the experience of such individuals. Whilst the participants of this study did indeed value the skills and understanding that they acquired within their groups, for many there was also an acknowledgement of the powerful interpersonal impact that attending the groups had. Through the experience of meaningful 'here and now' interpersonal exchanges within the group, many of the participants appeared to experience profound change at the schema level. Consistent with Kellet et al. (2006), it appeared that the clients who experienced the most significant changes were those who experienced a greater interpersonal impact within their groups. For these individuals the groups appeared to represent far more than an opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills through didactic instruction. Additionally, they provided an opportunity for a supportive emotional experience, in which these participants were able to disconfirm their maladaptive schema.
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