Does the Group Conductor Make a Difference? Communication Patterns in Group-Analytically and Cognitive-Behaviourally Oriented Therapy Groups

Abstract

This article focuses on a research study analysing communication patterns in groups and how the group conductor may influence these. Videotapes from five group-analytically oriented and five cognitive-behaviourally oriented time-limited group therapies with moderately alcohol-dependent patients were analysed by means of the System for Analysing Verbal Interaction (SAVI). The most striking finding was the similarities in communication patterns in the groups and between the therapists. There were, however; also some significant differences. More empathic verbal acts were expressed in the group analytically oriented groups, while there were more verbal signs of competition in the cognitive behavioral groups. The group analytically oriented therapists were actively influencing the process in the beginning of therapy. The other therapists were more stable in their communication pattern during the whole therapy. It seemed that the therapists influenced the communication pattern during the initial and middle phases of therapy, but that the group as whole determined the communication pattern during the later phases of therapy.