Discussion and Conclusion
In this study, the level of trust among counseling students who received theoretical education in group counseling prior to attending the practices of group counseling was investigated. During the formal education of Turkish counseling students, it is expected that they will practice counseling skills for a short term in order to gain knowledge about individual and group counseling practices. The current investigation was conducted to understand the impact of group counseling practices on the trust level of counseling trainees among each other. During the counseling process, in order to benefit from the counseling process, it is a significant necessity to build trust among the group members and group leaders and then to provide an opportunity for self-disclosure. Corey and Corey (2006) stated that during the counseling process where there is no climate of trust, clients talk at an abstract level or intellectual level and do not display any commitments to their goals. In the group process, the manners of group members as nonjudgmental, non-pejorative, and respecting confidentiality play a crucial role in the establishment of trust. The findings of the network analysis showed that there was an increase in the level of trust among the students. The participants reported that they trusted their classmates and other group members more after they had participated in a group counseling class. The results of the t test for pre- and post-tests also supported this finding. It is known that the reasonable expectations of group members of willingness, the feeling of belonging, participation, acceptance of responsibility and openness are therapeutic forces that play a significant role in the establishment of trust and the progress of the effectiveness of the group. However Voltan Acar (1986) mentioned groups focused on training have some limitations; these research findings inconsistently showed that there is a relation between group practices and trust building. The students participated in the groups with an awareness of having a theoretical background about the group process. It is considered that counseling students are more sensitive to group rules and have good communication skills because of their educational background and counseling experience as a member or leader. In other words, when counseling students are compared to ordinary group members, they know what is expected from them during the process. Therefore, they are willing and accept their responsibilities, and have meaningful participation in the process. Although the groups had some limitations in terms of being short-term and compulsory groups, having more group members, and a change of group leader(s) in each session, it is assumed that the characteristics of counseling students may contribute to the establishment of trust. The findings indicate that the trust level increased not only among the group members but also among classmates. This could be explained with the social microcosmic characteristic of the group. The context of group counseling is a small model of the world where the client lives. The group member interacts in the group how he/she interacts outside the group. Similarly, group members transfer the new behaviors learned in the group to the real world or social life. Thereby, the social macrocosms of the member, in other words the life of the member outside the group changes (Voltan Acar, 2009). It is considered that the group members who were able to establish trust in the group process transferred this feeling to their class environment.