Experiential Growth Group in Counselor Education: A Review of Its Pedagogy, Research, and Ethical Dilemmas

Counselor Education and Supervision: 2018 Annual Review

“…A number of authors explored diversity and inclusion and its impact on curriculum, arguing that cultural immersion experiences (Shannonhouse, Myers, & Barrio Minton, 2018), military culture (Carter & Watson, 2018), spiritually transformative experiences (Blalock & Holden, 2018), and sexual identity development (McDonald, Kelly, & Dotson‐Blake, 2018) should be included in the curriculum. Additionally, some authors offered suggestions for interventions to be used in the classroom, including growth groups (Zhu, 2018), creative interventions to increase empathy (Bell, 2018), video grand rounds (Crowe, Dotson‐Blake, Vazquez, & Malone, 2018), community service learning projects (Lloyd‐Hazlett, 2018), and self‐compassion as self‐care (Nelson, Hall, Anderson, Birtles, & Hemming, 2018). Rapp, Moody, and Stewart (2018) presented recommendations for attending to gatekeeping in doctoral curricula.…”

Effects of an Experiential Training Group on Psychological Wellness and Professional Efficacy for Counsellors-in-Training

“…Although it is widely agreed that an experiential group is an important element of CIT education, the literature on the evidence-based training group models remains insufficient. In a recent review paper, Zhu (2018) identified 15 empirical studies on an experiential training group for CITs in the last three decades. Among those studies, two are quantitative studies (Ohrt, Robinson, & Hagedorn, 2013;Young et al, 2013), two are studies using mixed methods (St.Pierre, 2014;Steen, Vasserman-Stokes, & Vannatta, 2014), one is a descriptive study (Anderson & Price, 2001), and ten are qualitative studies (e.g., Bohecker, Vereen, Wells, & Wathen, 2016;Ieva, Ohrt, Swank, & Young, 2009;Smith & Davis-Gage, 2008).…”

“…Among those studies, two are quantitative studies (Ohrt, Robinson, & Hagedorn, 2013;Young et al, 2013), two are studies using mixed methods (St.Pierre, 2014;Steen, Vasserman-Stokes, & Vannatta, 2014), one is a descriptive study (Anderson & Price, 2001), and ten are qualitative studies (e.g., Bohecker, Vereen, Wells, & Wathen, 2016;Ieva, Ohrt, Swank, & Young, 2009;Smith & Davis-Gage, 2008). In addition, while the findings of ten studies were directly relevant to counsellor professional and personal development, the other five studies presented the overall perceptions and/or reactions of the CITs (Zhu, 2018). Zhu (2018) concluded that more empirical studies, particularly quantitative ones, which investigate the effectiveness of an experiential training group on the professional and personal growth of CITs, are needed.…”

“…In addition, while the findings of ten studies were directly relevant to counsellor professional and personal development, the other five studies presented the overall perceptions and/or reactions of the CITs (Zhu, 2018). Zhu (2018) concluded that more empirical studies, particularly quantitative ones, which investigate the effectiveness of an experiential training group on the professional and personal growth of CITs, are needed.…”

“…In addition, there is limited understanding of how an experiential training group is formatted and conducted in achieving specific educational goals, including the enhancement of the personal growth and professional competence of CITs. Current professional training and accreditation standards and/or recommendations are inadequate to address pedagogical questions (McCarthy, Falco, & Villalba, 2014;Zhu, 2018). Zhu (2018) commented that the absence of pedagogical guidance provides counsellor educators with much freedom to conduct experiential training groups.…”