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Glite Dictionary
encounter group

encounter group

1 8.3
A group meeting where people honestly talk about their feelings to understand themselves and each other
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈkaʊntər ɡruːp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : grupo de encuentro
  • The encounter group met every Thursday evening.

Examples

  • She attended an encounter group every week to gain insight into her relationships.

  • The therapist suggested joining an encounter group to help him express his emotions more honestly.

  • Many people found the encounter group a transformative experience, breaking down emotional barriers.

  • She joined an encounter group to improve her communication skills.

  • During the weekend retreat, we participated in an encounter group where we shared our thoughts and feelings with each other.

  • Many people find that joining an encounter group helps improve their emotional well-being by fostering open communication.

  • The therapist recommended an encounter group to enhance mutual understanding among participants and encourage self-awareness.

Synonyms

group therapy
vsencounter group
  • Specialized
18 3.4

A small group that meets with a therapist to talk about personal problems

prioritizes open emotional expression and mutual understanding over problem solving
group psychotherapy
vsencounter group
  • Specialized
5.2

A therapy where a small group meets with a therapist to talk about problems

focuses more on open personal feelings to build self-awareness and mutual understanding
psychotherapy group
vsencounter group
5.1

A group of people who meet to talk about their feelings with a trained therapist

focuses on sharing feelings openly to develop self-awareness and mutual understanding

Antonyms

isolation
172 3.7

A state of being alone and cut off from other people physically or emotionally

How Open

encounter group
  • Specialized
1 8.3
support group
66 2.8
meeting
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

encounter group singular
encounter groups plural

Morphology

encounter + group

The constituents 'encounter' (a meeting) + 'group' (people gathered) transparently signal a meeting of people, so a B1 learner would infer some kind of group meeting. However, the specific sense — a psychotherapeutic session for expressing feelings and developing self-awareness — is specialized and not predictable from the literal words alone. Because the phrase points to a meeting but requires domain knowledge to get the therapeutic meaning, it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The noun encounter group comes from the idea of people meeting face-to-face in a small group to have an honest encounter with each other. So today an encounter group means 'a group therapy session' where people share feelings and learn more about themselves.