66th Annual Conference

Friday, February 20

Afternoon Workshops

2:30 - 5:00 P.M.

Workshop 60

A Basic Course on Adolescent Group Therapy: Theory, Method, and Survival

Presented in cooperation with the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists

and the AGPA Child and Adolescent SIG

Chair:                

Andrew P. Pojman Ed.D., CGP, Adjunct Professor, Wright Institute, Walnut Creek, California

Open to participants with less than four years of group psychotherapy experience

This workshop will provide participants with an understanding of the theoretical framework behind the basics of adolescent group treatment, i.e. group culture, formation, dynamics, and process.  Using a sharing of work experiences and a demonstration group, specific techniques useful in the treatment of this challenging population will be highlighted.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1.  Describe how to develop, run, and maintain an adolescent group.

2.  Describe the various stages of group development and how it impacts the group process.

3.  List at least three specific therapeutic techniques or interventions useful in adolescent group treatment.

Course References:

1. Aronson, S., Scheidlinger, S., & Hajal, R. (2002). Group Treatment of the Adolescent: Outpatient, Inpatient, and School. Madison, CT.: International Universities Press.

2. Rachman, A., & Ceccoli, V. (1995). Analyst  self-disclosure in adolescent groups. In P. Kymissis & Halperin (Eds.), Group Therapy with Children and Adolescents (pp. 155- 167), Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Press.

3. Shechtman, Z. (2006). Group Counseling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.