STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF THE MIRROR EFFECT WHILE STUDYING GROUP COUNSELLING

Everyone encounters challenges and hardships. Some problems are easily handled, while others may never be resolved, causing serious issues later in life. Therapeutic healing in psychology refers to achieving relief or cure through specific psychological processes. Some therapies used to deal with unresolved issues and managing setbacks centre around experience-sharing in group settings. Therapeutic healing does not happen randomly. There are recognizable stages in the process of integrating experiences and gaining insights from group therapy. This study explored the stages in the therapeutic process of the mirror effect as experienced by students who observed group therapy in a group counselling class. Thirty registered social workers, each of whom had taken the counselling course, voluntarily participated in a semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis was used to identify and analyse themes within the qualitative data. Results showed that students who observed group therapy experienced the therapeutic impacts of the mirror effect, helping them understand how the effect works. Students reported undergoing five-stages in the process: exploration, retrospection, imagination, reconversion, and significance. The research confirmed that mirror effects take place during counselling education, and students may experience self-healing through the witnessing of the counselling process, giving them direct experience with a technique they can use for others. The implications are that observers of group therapy experience mutuality in the healing experience. This phenomenon has never been thoroughly examined, and our work suggests future studies involving student observers may provide insights into healing processes and benefits of experience-based education for counsellors. (C) 2019 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org .UK