Reframing: A therapeutic technique in group counseling

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Reframing is a therapeutic technique that assists individuals in broadening restricted perspectives. As a semantic aspect of interpretation, reframing provides alternative meaning to group member experiences and problems, which enhances the potential for constructive behavior change. Systemic and solution-focused conceptualizations are pertinent to the interpersonal context of counseling groups. Reframing may affect group dynamics at the systems levels of individual members, subgroups of participants, and the group as a whole. Guidelines for the use of reframing in group counseling include how to strategically formulate and process the technique. Each group member is a potential provider of new and different meanings, and various examples from diverse counseling groups demonstrate the range of applications of reframing. SUMMARY Reframing as a counseling technique provides an alternative perspective relating to the perceptions of individuals in group counseling. If a constructive reframe is assimilated by a group member, the person's options for adaptive functioning are broadened in a therapeutic direction. Theoretical considerations, including systemic and solution-focused therapies, social constructivism, and a semantic aspect of interpretation, clarify the scope and the function of the reframing. Understanding specific guidelines in using reframing enables individuals to effectively apply the technique in diverse group counseling situations.

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: