Table 2.

Establishing a supportive group process

	Implementation successes	Implementation challenges
Taking ownership of the group	They were really taking the initiative and taking the lead on [the group], they supported each other, learned how to listen to each other, and also to express what they were needing and feeling. (Melissa)	I’m leading everything, and instigating conversation and prompting. It almost feels more like a class. It just has a really different feel because they don’t know each other very well, and it’s always different girls showing up. (Melissa)
Bonding and sharing	Someone will open up about an experience regarding family violence or dating violence, and then someone else will say they’ve been through the same thing, and they’ll share their experiences with the rest of the group members. So then they slowly start trusting each other, kind of seeing that they do have things in common. (Kelly)	There was, a lot of conflict in the group, they weren’t able to build the same level of cohesion. (Kelly)
		She didn’t come to group a lot ’cause her teacher wouldn’t let her out. And then when she did come, she was very quiet, because she had missed so much. I think she just didn’t feel like she fit in, because the group was already bonding and she had missed that bond. (Candace)
Introducing the possibility of change	Instead of it just being that’s normal, or not even really questioning it, or not talking about ’cause they’re embarrassed or ashamed of what’s happening, that they would be able to come and talk really openly about it, and to get support, and then to be open to feedback and then the possibility of change, you know, of choosing somebody who’s healthier, that they deserve something different and that is probably really new for a lot of them. (Melissa)	This was a girl who rarely spoke up and shared her own experiences. I think she still is really struggling with staying in unhealthy relationships, and also quite a bit of violence in her past at home, and pretty unhappy at home and so I’m not sure if it’s just maybe a little bit less maturity, or more fears about what other group members would think, but certainly she was much less likely to share her story and her experiences. (Melissa)