Experiencing group during Covid-19
Strengths and challenges of online experiential groups for counseling students in Türkiye
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21621447 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Seval Apaydin (0000-0002-5684-1541, Akdeniz University, corresponding author), Gülfem Çakır‐çelebi (0000-0003-0625-3802), Gülfem Çakır-Çelebi (Akdeniz University), Melike Koçyiğit (0000-0002-1446-9761, Akdeniz University), Arzu Taşdelen-Karçkay (Akdeniz University), Arzu Taşdelen Karçkay (0000-0002-7131-9858) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Current Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1046-1310 • E-ISSN: 1936-4733 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12144-026-09199-y |
| OpenAlex | W7131307311 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 48 |
The COVID-19 health crisis forced higher education institutions to shift from classroom to remote learning platforms. This transition affected the counseling students’ experiential group sessions, which moved from in-person to online delivery. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of 20 undergraduate counseling students who participated in an eight-week hybrid experiential groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was obtained through three focus group sessions using semi-structured interview questions, weekly journals, and group process reflection papers. The results of phenomenological content analysis revealed three primary themes: the strengths of the online group counseling experience, the weaknesses and challenges of online group counseling practice, and recommendations for future online group counseling practice. The results suggest that, despite challenges with online experiential group counseling, it offers significant opportunities for personal growth and professional development among counseling students. Furthermore, it supports the integration of online experiential groups into counselor education, thus providing implications for counselor educators
Counseling psychology · Counselor education · Experiential learning · Focus group · Group counseling · Higher education · Psychological counseling · Qualitative research · Strengths and weaknesses · Counseling Practices and Supervision · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Outdoor and Experiential Education
Phenomenological research methods
Nonverbal overload
Content analysis and thematic analysis
Value of Children and Family Change
Qualitative analysis of university counselors’ online counseling experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic
Online therapy
Focus Groups as Qualitative Research
Impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of US college students
Attitudes toward Face-to-Face and Online Counseling
Quality and trustworthiness in qualitative research in counseling psychology
Developing and Submitting Credible Qualitative Manuscripts
Experiential Groups in Counselor Education
How Many Focus Groups Are Enough? Building an Evidence Base for Nonprobability Sample Sizes
Autonomy and Relatedness in Cultural Context
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |