Posted: March 29th, 2019
Week 10: Group Therapy With Children and Adolescents
Week 10: Group Therapy With Children and Adolescents
Effective group treatment with children and adolescents rests upon three essential considerations: the clients that compose the group, the therapists responsible for conducting the group, and the setting in which the group occurs.
—Dr. Mark Stone, Cognitive-Behavior Group Therapy with Children and Adolescents
Group therapy may be beneficial for children and adolescents, because it often provides an environment that normalizes clients’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. However, as with any therapeutic approach, group therapy might not be appropriate for every client, every setting, or even every therapist. When selecting therapies, you must always consider the psychodynamics of the client and your own skill set.
This week, as you assess and develop diagnoses for clients presenting for child and adolescent group psychotherapy, you examine the effectiveness of this therapeutic approach. You also consider legal and ethical implications of counseling children and adolescent clients with psychiatric disorders.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
McGillivray, J. A., & Evert, H. T. (2014). Group cognitive behavioural therapy program shows potential in reducing symptoms of depression and stress among young people with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(8), 2041-2051. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2087-9
Restek-Petrović, B., Bogović, A., Mihanović, M., Grah, M., Mayer, N., & Ivezić, E. (2014). Changes in aspects of cognitive functioning in young patients with schizophrenia during group psychodynamic psychotherapy: A preliminary study. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 68(5), 333-340. doi:10.3109/08039488.2013.839738
Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2014). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-to guide for evidence-based practice. New York, NY: Springer.
Chapter 17, “Psychotherapy with Children” (pp. 597–624)
Chapter 20, “Termination and Outcome Evaluation” (pp. 693–712)
Document: Group Therapy Progress Note
Document: I am Feeling Like I’m Going Crazy
Required Media
Microtraining Associates (Producer). (2009). Leading groups with adolescents [Video file]. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Psychotherapy.net (Producer). (2002). Adlerian parent consultation [Video file]. Mill Valley, CA: Author.
The approximate length of this media pice is 117 minutes.
Optional Resources
Psychotherapy.net (Producer). (2012). Group counseling with adolescents: A multicultural approach [Video file]. Mill Valley, CA: Author.
Discussion: Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Group Therapy with Children and Adolescents
Group therapy may be beneficial for children and adolescents, because it often provides an environment that normalizes clients’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. However, as with any therapeutic approach, group therapy might not be appropriate for every client, every setting, or even every therapist. When selecting therapies, you must always consider the psychodynamics of the client and your own skill set.
This week, as you assess and develop diagnoses for clients presenting for child and adolescent group psychotherapy, you examine the effectiveness of this therapeutic approach. You also consider legal and ethical implications of counseling children and adolescent clients with psychiatric disorders.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Assess clients presenting with disruptive behavior
Analyze group therapeutic approaches for treating clients presenting with disruptive behavior
Write a word essay – Evaluate outcomes for clients presenting with disruptive behavior
To prepare:
Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide.
Read the case study I am Feeling Like I’m Going Crazy
For guidance on assessing the client, refer to pages 137-142 of the Wheeler text in this week’s Learning Resources.
Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the Post to Discussion Question link and then select Create Thread to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking Submit!
By Day 3
Post an explanation of the most likely DSM-5 diagnosis for the client in the case study. Be sure to link those behaviors to the criteria in the DSM-5. Then, explain group therapeutic approaches you might use with this client. Explain expected outcomes for the client based on these therapeutic approaches. Finally consider legal and ethical implications of counseling children and adolescent clients with psychiatric disorders. Support your approach with evidence-based literature.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues by providing one alternative therapeutic approach. Explain why you suggest this alternative and support your suggestion with evidence-based literature and/or your own experiences with clients.
