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Updated: May 17, 2026

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Preliminary evaluation of an observational measure of group cohesion for group psychotherapy
Matthew D Lerner1, Bryce D McLeod, Amori Y Mikami
1University of Virginia, Department of Psychology, USA. mdl6e@virginia.edu
Objective:
Group psychotherapy research would benefit from an observational measure of group cohesion to complement existing self-report measures. This study introduces the Therapy Process Observational Coding System-Group Cohesion scale (TPOCS-GC), which observationally assesses cohesion between each member and the group.
Method:
In total 27 parents participated in a group parent-training social competency intervention for children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Independent coders double-coded group cohesion and the alliance in 144 client-sessions. Parents, teachers, and children completed cognitive, behavioral, and therapy participation measures.
Results:
The TPOCS-GC demonstrated modest to strong item-level interrater reliability and acceptable internal consistency. Group cohesion evidenced moderate stability over the course of treatment. Relations between TPOCS-GC and theoretically linked and unrelated variables provided some evidence for construct and predictive validity.
Conclusions:
This preliminary study suggests that the TPOCS-GC is a reliable instrument that may help fill an instrumentation gap in the field.
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