Self-Talk of Group Counselors: The Research of Rex Stockton

Abstract

Rex Stockton and his research team have had a strong influence upon the research examining the self-talk of group leaders. Stockton recognized a need for such research from both his experience training group leaders and his reviews of relevant literature. As a result, he conducted a number of studies that examined the content of group leader self-talk, the role of experience and other factors in determining self-talk, the impact of self-talk on leader intervention selection, the role of leader intentions in intervention selection, and the manner in which leaders identify critical incidents. The major findings of the studies conducted by Stockton will be discussed, as will implications for training and future research.

Conceptualizing Group Dynamics From Our Clients' Perspective: Development of the Conceptualization of Group Dynamics Inventory

“…There also has been a significant amount of research about case conceptualization in the context of group counseling (Browne, 2005;Christensen & Kline, 2000;Hines, Stockton, & Morran, 1995;Kivlighan, Martin, Stahl, & Salahuddin, 2007;Kivlighan & Quigley, 1991;McPherson & Walton, 1970;Okech & Kline, 2006;Rubel & Kline, 2008). These findings suggest that group counselors' case conceptualizations differ in terms of cognitive organization and complexity (Kivlighan et al, 2007;Kivlighan & Quigley, 1991;McPherson & Walton, 1970), professional experience and feelings of competence (Hines et al, 1995;Okech & Kline, 2006), and thematic content (Browne, 2005;Hines et al, 1995). These studies reveal a significant breadth and depth of information about group counselors' thoughts and perceptions about their groups.…”