The effect of group counseling practices on trust building among counseling trainees: From the perspective of social network analysis

A sense of mutual trust among group members is one of the significant elements increasing the effectiveness of a group. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of group counseling practices on the trust patterns among undergraduate counseling trainees. Forty-five undergraduate counseling students at Uluda University in Bursa, Turkey, participated in this study. Participants were asked to rate a single item question on a five-point scale. This question was asked to participants before starting the group and after ending the group process. Students' trust patterns were analyzed by utilizing Social Network Analysis indicating the map of specified ties in the group. The results found that the group members' trust level increased through the group counseling process. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.