This pilot study compared the effect of two writing techniques, Agenda Setting and Group Focus, to a cognitive technique, reading process notes at the start of a group session, to examine their impact on social climate, member involvement, and behavior. Theoretically an intervention that helps members to focus directly on their goals and potential…

This study was designed to identify important process and content goals from the perspective of inmates and compare these goals to the goals identified by group therapists in a previous study conducted by Winterowd, Morgan, and Ferrell (2001). Utilizing survey data from 156 incarcerated adult males, an initial confirmatory factor analysis…

Clinicians involved in family therapy are increasingly concerned with the impact of parental alcoholism on individual development and family functioning. With more than 20 million adults raised within an alcoholic family, and with widespread problems associated with parental alcoholism, clinicians providing family treatment have a potentially…

The studies reported here explored whether therapeutic groups for women who eat compulsively can demonstrate weight loss as a primary result as well as the improvements in emotional functioning reported by other investigators. In both studies questionnaire data showed little change in self-esteem or attitudes as measured by the Rosenberg…

Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy (CBGT) is the most widely researched intervention program for social anxiety disorder (SAD, also known as social phobia), with a number of studies demonstrating its effectiveness. Another common treatment, social skills training (SST), has also been shown to be efficacious for SAD. The present study compared the…

The environment in which a school counselor conducts group counseling within a school is different from the environment in which a therapist conducts child or adolescent therapy groups outside of school. Although some of these factors inherently create challenges for the school counselor, others offer special benefits to aid in the screening…

Art has been considered to be a valuable therapeutic tool with children and adolescents who are experiencing grief. This article explores the use of art within the context of group bereavement counseling. The literatures concerning the effectiveness of grief groups and the use of art therapy with children are reviewed, and a case study of a…

In most cases therapy is addressed as an indoor verbal activity in which the relationship between therapist and client stands at its centre. This article proposes a different approach to therapy: conducting it creatively in nature, with the environment being used not only as a therapeutic setting but also as a medium and a partner in the process.…

Emphasis is placed on the use of empirically supported therapies in clinical practice as a manifestation of the scientist-practitioner approach. The predominant model used to provide empirical support for interventions uses groups of patients in randomised clinical trials in university settings. This model has severe limitations for the clinician.…

Providing a safe environment for youth placed out of their home is essential to the success of at-risk youth. An environment that also offers the opportunity to empower the youth to partner in his or her own healing and help others in the environment clearly builds on the strengths inherent in youth. Transferring these strengths and reconnecting…

Children from two mainstream schools who had poor communication skills were selected to take part in this study. Following formal and informal assessments of their language and pragmatic skills, they were randomly assigned to treatment and no treatment groups. Treatment consisted of attending eight weekly sessions of a social skills training…

There is a paucity of literature on social skills therapy for students on the autism spectrum, revealing an urgent need for additional research. Past research has focused on the use of small groups or single-case study designs. The present study examines the effectiveness of a social skills therapy program for school-age children ages 11 through…

Unique in its coverage of both prevention and intervention, this book provides evidence-based strategies and ready-to-use tools for addressing substance abuse in middle and high school settings. Readers learn ways to identify students at risk and implement programs that meet a broad continuum of needs--from psychoeducational and support groups to…

Complicated issues arise when a group leader resumes practice after suffering a disability. The author, a nurse psychotherapist/researcher with a doctoral degree, director of nursing research at a veterans' hospital, and a psychodynamic practitioner in private practice, suffered a major stroke. The author felt extremely vulnerable and struggled as…

This book provides a comprehensive overview of a number of popular approaches to family therapy, pointing out the similarities and differences in various approaches. It opens with a brief overview of family therapy models. The following eight chapters discuss eight separate models of therapy: (1) Communication/Validation Family Therapy; (2)…