The opening ritual in three different Gruppi di Parola: Analysis of interactive processes

The Gruppo di Parola for children having separated parents is a short, preventive and support intervention aiming at promoting the resources and the well-being of participants both in individual terms as well as in the relational and familiar ones. In the scientific literature few contributions analyze this intervention from the process' point of view. This paper focuses on a specific phase of the path during the first meeting - called "opening phase". The aim is to identify some common elements in the interactive exchanges that allow the researcher to identify patterns of interaction. Three different Gruppi di Parola were considered, conducted in the same context (Service for families) and by the same operators (two females). This paper illustrates in details the coding system developed with the aid of the Transana software. The analyses confirm the presence of interactive configurations common to the three Gruppi di Parola. In particular, the intervention is characterized by an involvement of participants through an individual level as well as a group level (the group becomes the subject). Some elements of processual rituality and micro-rituality are also identified.