In many institutional settings, smartphones are usually perceived as disruptive. This is different in eSA ('electronic Situation Analysis') group psychotherapy, where the use of smartphones is explicitly encouraged. This innovative therapy format developed at the LMU Munich aims to treat persistent depressive disorders (Grosse-Wentrup et al. 2020). The concept assumes that people with depression often suffer from interpersonal problems in addition to their depressive symptomatology (Schramm et al. 2011), which manifest in interpersonal interaction. Because social isolation is part of the symptomatology (Bressiere et al. 2008), it is even more important to study the interaction of people with depression.
Using smartphones in eSA group psychotherapy, patients' conflictual messages are analysed within the group on a weekly basis, and suggestions for solutions are formulated in the form of (re)formulated and co-constructed text messages. The aim of eSA group psychotherapy is thus to draft a message for the presented problem and, in this way, to effect change in the patients' communication and to work on interpersonal difficulties. These two objectives can be observed in group psychotherapy in two ways: firstly, through the formulation of text messages to family and friends, and, secondly, in the management of this joint project. In this way, relationships can be formed between group members as well as patients and therapists, which is a current research focus in the field of applied linguistic research on helping interactions (Scarvaglieri et al. in press/2022). Different positioning practices (Torres Cajo in press/2022) take on a central role between the interactants, for example, regarding the persons involved, their behaviours, as well as the group's suggested wordings. Through evaluative practices (ibid.), such as 'because he is disgusting', the interactants express their compassion, solidarity, and support and, thus, also construct a relationship (Scarvaglieri et al. in press/2022).
Using interactional linguistics (Imo/Lanwer 2019), I focus on practices of relationship building through positioning practices in eSA group psychotherapy as a helping interaction format. The data basis for the investigation is an extensive corpus of 30 group psychotherapy sessions recorded at the LMU Munich in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and transcribed in GAT 2.
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Torres Cajo, Sarah (in press/2022). Positionierungspraktiken in Alltagsgesprächen. Die Entwicklung eines interaktionalen Positionierungsansatzes. Heidelberg: Winter.
