Confidentiality and Cohesion in Groups: Collaborative Story Building and Telling as a Means of Improving the Therapeutic Experience

Abstract:As group treatment gains popularity, so does the awareness of the ethical dilemmas that often pose more of a problem in group treatment than in individual therapy. Confidentiality, for one, is an issue warranting much-needed attention in groups. Although therapists are ethically and legally bound, there are no standard rules in place for members of a group engaging in therapeutic dialogue. To reduce the fear surrounding violations of confidentiality, it is speculated that enhancing cohesion and trust among group members will put members at ease. This article reviews the implementation of group work utilizing the collaborative story building and telling (CSBT) technique, which emphasizes the sharing of members' stories to form an overarching group narrative. This technique has been shown to enhance cohesion and foster a sense of belonging among members. Therefore it is likely that such techniques will lead to greater trust among group members and increase the likelihood of group members promoting confidentiality. After outlining the CSBT technique, a future research opportunity is proposed to determine how effective the CSBT technique is in enhancing both cohesion and confidentiality among group members.