Group psychotherapy for youth: Experiencing in the here and now

Complementing CBT for Depressed Adolescents With Learning Through in Vivo Experience (Live): Conceptual Analysis, Treatment Description, and Feasibility Study

“…Theoretically, the greater the similarity between the therapeutic environment and the client's everyday milieu, the greater the likelihood that relevant problematic social behavior will be evoked in session, thus increasing the potential opportunities for instructive feedback and client improvements. Therefore, group therapy, in which not only the therapist but also a small group of peers are present, may be the modality of choice (Budman, Bennett, & Wisneski, 1981;Riester, 1994;Yalom, 1995). The presence of peers increases the likelihood that the therapy setting will share stimulus properties with the clients' everyday interpersonal relationships (e.g., the group as a ''social laboratory''), has built-in components that are likely present across many interpersonal settings involving more than dyadic relating (e.g., increased social anxiety, developing first impressions, sharing time, etc.…”

Observations of a short-term, coed, bilingual group therapy for latency-age, Spanish-speaking immigrant children

“…Using two examples from her caseload, she notes that the therapist may appear less frightening in group treatment, because energy is diffused among the therapist, the children, the room, and its objects. Reister (1994) believes that when groups include developmentally appropriate activities and discussion "intrinsically appealing experiences occur, positive transferences emerge amongst group members and the group culture is perceived as safe and secure...both motoric and verbal activities stimulate the perception of the group object as caring, gratifying, and supportive of the individuation process" (p. 177). Another clinician, Riester (1994), describes research methods for group therapy using the project method proposed by W. H. Kilpatrick (1921) and the Life Space Interview developed by Fritz Redl (1959).…”

“…There is, however, an abundance of material about short-term therapy that provides encouragement to clinicians forming new groups. Reister (1994) thinks that group therapy conducted with a "here and now" approach enables children, generally, to learn problem-solving skills and to gain some insight into group dynamics. Lopez (1991) finds that groups focused on concrete activities and dialogues are most productive for Hispanic youth.…”