Group therapy is used when treating a wide range of disorders, such as depression and traumatic stress. It is a necessary form of treatment for psychotherapy patients that is cost-effective compared to individual therapy. In such group sessions, individuals can effect change in each other while making it easier to interact with the guidance of the counselor. The group therapy session involved a master group therapist and teacher leading two groups in the treatment session. Several themes and dynamics emerged from these groups including authentic interpersonal engagement and feedback, conflict, jealousy and prospect of intimacy
This was a psychoeducational group intended to help members cope with their problems through the sharing of information. In such groups, it is always essential to determine the group process and stage of formation that defines the functionality and effectiveness of the group. Group processes are the elements that are crucial to the unfolding of a group from the beginning to the end. It entails factors such as group norms, trust, conflicts, resistance patterns, as well as inter-member feedback.
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Some of the curative factors in this group therapy include universality, imitative behavior, and installation of hope. Universality is one of the therapeutic factors in this group therapy that centered on a universal problem confronting all the group members ( Butler & Fuhriman, 1983) . Group therapy allows members to recognize common problems and experiences and not feel alone in their experiences. It then helps to provide a common bond for the members that will enable them to handle the issue at hand. Participants were able to receive support and encouragement from other members and ensure they do not feel isolated.
Another healing factor that was evident in this group therapy was imitative behavior as a primary factor. Group practitioners believe members can develop social skills by observing and imitating the therapist and other members of the group ( Butler & Fuhriman, 1983) . In this group, members observed how others managed the condition and supported one another through sharing feelings. Imitative behavior has been crucial in teaching new skills by having the facilitator first demonstrate then members model it. There is also an aspect of the installation of hope as a healing factor in this group therapy, which was used to encourage members to overcome their problems and manage their lives ( Butler & Fuhriman, 1983) . Hope is used to helping the members by reinforcing the concept that they can successfully manage their lives.
There are several stages of group formation with each step playing a vital role in the functioning of the group. The scenes are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning phases. In this group therapy, the group is in the performing stage since the psychotherapy meetings have evolved into discussions on the interpersonal relations of individual members ( Markin & Kasten, 2014) . The discussion focuses on the experiences of group members in their daily lives as they are familiar with each other.
In this video, there appears to be increased capacity of reflection, self-disclosure, and feedback by members, showing that the group is in the performing stage. All members took part in the discussions and were comfortable to give feedback and thoughts regarding the interpersonal relationships. The level of self-disclosure is high for members who are familiar with each other ( Markin & Kasten, 2014) . For example, one member reveals having an alcohol addiction that affected his marriage with another talking about sex addition to group members.
Groups in the performing stage experience several conflicts that can result in the termination of therapy and subgrouping. This was evident in this psychotherapy group when some members conflicted over their past encounters. Intragroup conflict is any disagreement that occurs between two or more members of the same group that affects its cohesiveness ( Jehn & Mannix, 2001). Intragroup conflicts arise from poor management of the group and the inability to solve the disputes concerning a group's harmony. Some members threatened to terminate the therapy sessions due to the conflicts in the group as they could not agree on some issues. Groups are in-synch during the performing stage that happens naturally, though every successful group therapy has to be cultivated.
These conflicts can be solved by setting ground rules and making sure all members follow them to the latter. The rules can help clear out any confusion by setting out how to interact with the group and complete the tasks effectively. At the same time, the conflicts can be resolved by conducting role-play exercises that help members recognize the conflict and understand how to reach an agreement. Everyone needs to keep an open mind and approach conflict from a broad perspective. The facilitator can play a crucial role in ensuring there is harmony in the group ( Burlingame, McClendon & Alonso, 2011) . In essence, managing the conflicts lies in working with members of varying experiences and backgrounds to resolve any differences.
References
Burlingame, G. M., McClendon, D. T., & Alonso, J. (2011). Cohesion in group therapy. Psychotherapy , 48 (1), 34.
Butler, T., & Fuhriman, A. (1983). Curative factors in group therapy: A review of the recent literature. Small-Group Behavior , 14 (2), 131-142.
Jehn, K. A., & Mannix, E. A. (2001). The dynamic nature of conflict: A longitudinal study of intragroup conflict and group performance. Academy of management journal , 44 (2), 238-251.
Markin, R. D., & Kasten, J. (2014). Group Psychotherapy. The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology , 1-6.
