The Language of Resistance in a Counselling Group: Dynamics of Authority and Power

This study presents a qualitative exploration and analysis of the experiences of eight trainee group counsellors from Singapore, Malaysia, China and Japan, in an in-class face-to-face and on-line support group. The study sought to understand how participants co-constructed their experiences of the critical incident of resistance, which they had identified as significant in their post-group reflection papers. Conversation Analysis was used to analyse all session transcripts During the analytical process, it was found that two co-facilitators and one member had used interactional features such as the turn allocation process, conversational practices, declarations and prescriptions, to create and implement their authority and power in influencing the other group members in ways which were considered judgemental, disempowering and offensive by one member, who in turn became increasingly resistant.