A constructionist description of group therapy defines it as a discursive practice in which problem and change are considered conversational constructions produced by people in relationships. The objective of this study is to comprehend how certain ways of talking contribute to the construction of the problem and its solution in a support group for people living with HIV. The group studied had ten sessions and four participants. The sessions were tape-recorded and transcribed. Through the discursive analysis of group moments we comprehended how: the construction of the problem and the solution are part of the same conversational process; this conversational process implies in the expansion of supplementation domains; this expansion is influenced by the interactional dynamic of the session, by the social discourses about the group and the problem, and by the narrative form of the problem. This comprehension favored a reflection about identity and ethical implications on making part of this group.
group therapy; social constructionism; change