Building trust is an important aspect of establishing a therapeutic relationship. Since adolescents usually joining group therapy because their parents, teachers, or the court system obligated them to, resistance is expected (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). Counselors should not only expect resistance but also roll with it, meaning that counselors should accept the resistance and work through these issues with the clients. Counselors can build trust with resistant adolescents in a few different ways.

Counselors can use the pre-screen interview as a time to get to know the client and help them find a reason for being in the group (Berg et al., 2013). Additionally, counselors should not try to be cool, instead, they should go slow (Berg et al., 2013). There are counselors that try to act cool in order to get the adolescent members to see him as different from every other adult, but adolescents see through this (Berg et al., 2013). Counselors should relax and take it slow, give adolescents some time to explore the topic, and allow the group to process at a deep level (Berg et al., 2013). Lastly, activities have been found to work well within group settings however they should be chosen wisely since they can have a big impact on the group if processed correctly (Berg et al., 2013).

Two additional concerns that this writer has working with adolescents are confidentiality and building rapport. Confidentiality is important for the therapeutic relationship and adolescents have the right to privacy (National Association of Social Workers, 2003). However, there are federal, state, and local legal requirements that override confidentiality; counselors can share information only with the informed and signed consent of the youth, family, or both (NASW, 2003). Additionally, confidentiality cannot be maintained if there is suspicion of child abuse or neglect or suspicion of danger to the youth or to others (NASW, 2003). This is a concern because some adolescents may fear the repercussion of disclosing information and will not do so and this writer fears that it will break the therapeutic alliance. Building rapport is important for the therapeutic process so this writer is concerned that she may fail to do so with adolescents that are very resistant.

References

Berg, R. C., Fall, K. A., & Landreth, G. L. (2013). Group Counseling : Concepts and Procedures: Vol. 5th ed. Routledge.

National Association of Social Workers. (2003). Standards for the practice of social work with adolescents. Washington, DC: Author.

Resistance is any conscious or, more often, unconscious attitude on the part of the patient that conflicts with the goals of therapeutic treatment. The exploration of mental areas involving intrapsychic conflicts generates anxiety or depressive experiences. Resistance can be manifested in the fact that the patient does not think of anything that could be said, or he avoids certain topics, or he begins to talk on general topics (including psychoanalytic theory), or the patient is constantly irritated by the psychoanalyst, or falls in love with him, or is constantly late, or forgets about sessions, or suddenly quits psychoanalysis (Fusu, 2016). According to Freud, the patient avoids analyzing anything, because he wants to escape from some painful or unacceptable feeling. Initially, Freud saw resistance as a simple opposition to the authority of the psychoanalyst. When Freud realized that resistance is a defense against the identification of forgotten (repressed) memories, and the experiences associated with them, which expressed in symptoms, he emphasized the recognition and interpretation of resistance as the main task of psychoanalytic technique. Since that time, resistance analysis, including transference analysis, has become central to psychoanalytic techniques (Fusu 2016).

Gregory (2015) has led therapists who have worked with adolescents for many years. He argues that adolescents are a difficult group to treat. He often heard the phrases, “I don’t need to be here”, and “This is stupid” and “Let’s get this over with.” According to Gregory (2015), few adolescents come to therapy voluntarily. Because most come to therapy at the request of parents / guardians, officials and government agencies who work with minor students. Some adolescents feel that they forced to attend therapy. Gregory (2015) writes that one teenager came to his first group therapy with headphones in his ears and a smartphone glued to his hand. He told the therapist “they can get me to come, but they cannot get me to participate.” The teenager was right, that no one could force him. The author writes that most adolescent clients are reluctant to participate in therapy. He notes that engaged clients are more likely to benefit from group therapy. The therapist’s job is to establish contact and maintain interaction with clients. Gregory (2015) argues that adolescents can be seduced into participating, but not forced, and in his work to engage clients in therapy, he uses creative measures that specifically designed to meet the needs of adolescents.

Gregory (2015) shares his experience and writes that boredom is the biggest enemy of teenagers because they want to have fun. The author describes a substance use group for adolescents, in which they will receive information about the negative effects of substance use. To this end, the doctors of the agency distributed to the teenagers several papers per group to discuss the material. Realizing that it would be boring for teenagers, he took the information and created quiz games.

Gregory (2015) notes that the teens worked in groups. They answered questions about the legal, medical and psychological consequences of using psychoactive substances. He saw that teenagers love competition. Moreover, even a teenager (Cliff), who could not be forced to participate, got carried away and started shouting, “Lie, this must be a lie!” Gregory (2015) says he realized his clients were enjoying the conversation and absorbing the information. However, he notes that it is not necessary to create all the games yourself. Therapist can buy and use some of them according to their needs. For example, Grace Wilhelm, creator of Counselor Games, says she mixes counseling techniques with every day, familiar games. She recommends using pickup sticks to teach relationships or using Don’t Break the Ice to teach stress management. The likelihood that teens will actively participate in-group activities if they have fun and enjoyment (Gregory, 2015).

References

Gregory, A. (2015). Tackle teens’ resistance to group engagement. Addition Professional.

https://www.psychcongress.com/article/tackle-teens-resistance-group-engagement

Fusu, L. (2016). Presentation “Defense mechanisms in psychoanalysis”. Own notes.

Hello class and Professor

Working with adolescents can be challenging, especially in a group setting. Most adolescents struggle with identity crisis and

trying to be apart of something. They want to do adults things, but at the same time when difficult times present itself, or when it is

time to handle responsibilities they want someone else to take care of their situation for them. According to Berg, Landreth, & Fall,

(2013) states that groups with adolescents tend to work best with group members around five to tenmembers. The smaller the group

the more they will express their feelings openly and will differentiate the group from a class. The life of the group depends on the type

of group as well as the setting. For example, facilitating a group with the topic being criminal thinking and behavior, instead of

discussing the physical participation that the members have took part in, the counselor might get more cooperation if they have the group

members to think about what happened that lead up to the action they committed. Trying to mix group members of different ages and

different thought patterns that developed their actions and consequences, would be a hard or impossible task to be successful with. Unless

a younger group member around the age of 13 was living the life of a group member around the age of 17 to get the members to recognize

that they have similar thought patterns and behaviors.

When talking about the length of time that the facilitator conduct their group should vary depending on the age group as well as

gender, the age, and the maturity level of the group members. The facilitator should take in consideration that adolescents tension spand are

not the same as adults. According to Berg, Landreth, & Fall, (2013) states that in general adolescent group sessions should last between an

hour to an hour and ninety minutes. Anything less than an hour makes it very difficult for the adolescents to process their deep thoughts and

feelings. Berg, Landreth, & Fall, (2013) expresses that when dealing with adolescents it may take up to ten minutes for them to get settled

and focused on the group session, and at the end of the session it might take up to ten minutes for them to get ready to leave the group.

Some members will sense that it is almost time to leave and get distracted. According to Watkins, (2015) states that skills used to have

successful group sessions are; have psychoeducational groups to teach the teens about their issues, use skills development groups to help the

teens use the skills necessary to break free from their issues, Cognitive-behavioral groups will encourage the teens to rearrange their thinking

and actions that lead to their issues, support groups where the teens can get rid of excuses and support constructive change, interpersonal

process groups to enable members to re-create their past and rethink their issues and the solutions that led to their issues.

Having groups where the adolescnts have a common denominator can help the group to become successful, because of the

identification they will have with each other. For example, if you have a group of teenagers the age of 13, and the discussion was about how

would they feel about being neglected. This gtroup of teens with only five members will help each other to gain the courage to be honest with

the group and themselves without worrying about somebody making fun of them. This group of teens will be able to think about their lives

and if they were ever neglected in their past, and how the neglect made them feel. Once the facilitator help one group member to open up the

other members will be willing to think about their life and share their feelings and thoughts with the group, and not be afraid to show their

emotions like their peers. According to Berg, Landreth, & Fall, (2013) staes that role-playing can be an effective means of gaining practical

experience of expressing their feelings. This informal here-and-now reality dramatization allows adolescents an opportunity to take on various

roles and in the process to develop insight into how another person thinks, feels, and experiences. It is a learning-through-experiencing activity

and thus and thus can have a significant impact on experience-prone teenagers. Role playing also afford teenagers the opportunity to practice

their skills they have developed and is highly recommended communication with their parents, teachers, peers, siblings, and friends in their environment. Based on this information, this is a type of group that can definitely be effective with teens.

Being able to help adolescents express themselves in the group setting will help them and other members to relax and become

comfortable sharing with each other to help free themselves. According to Ackerman, (2020) states that it can be easy to slide into isolation

when we are feeling down, especially for those suffering from an invisible illness or problem, but this is the exact opposite of the action that

is most likely to help us climb out of that pit. Loneliness and isolation tend to bring more loneliness and isolation, but making the (often

difficult or exhausting) effort to connect with others is just the thing we may need to start feeling better. As uncomfortable as it may sound, sometimes sharing difficult thoughts and feelings in a group setting can be extremely helpful in facilitating healing. “Some of the most

comforting words in the universe are ‘me too’. That moment when you find out that your struggle is also someone’s elses struggle, that you

are not alone, and that others have been down the same road.”

Reference:

Ackerman, C. (2020). Your ultimate group therapy guide (+Activities & Topic Ideas)

www.positivepsychology.com

Berg, C., Fall, A., & Landreth, L. (2013). Group Counseling: Concepts and Procedures: Vol. 5th ed. Routledge.

Watkins, T. LMFT (2015). Group Counseling for Adolescents: knowledge and techniques for effective group leadership. https://dbhdid.ky.gov>ksaods[pdf]

Adolescence is a stage of development that is characterized by conflict, questioning of values, decisions, confusing physiological changes, and need of approval by peers (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). During this stage, many adolescents feel alone in their self-doubt so this stage is great for adolescents to utilize group counseling to deal with their feelings of isolation and other overwhelming factors in their life (Berg et al., 2013). Groups of five to ten members tend to work best with adolescents, though the smaller the group the greater feeling of intimacy which makes it seem less like a class (Berg et al., 2013). In general, adolescent session last between an hour to 90 minutes since it can take about 10 minutes for everyone to get settled and focused and another 10 to get ready to leave (Berg et al., 2013).

Adolescents have a strong need for peer identification and approval so counseling is great because it gives them a safe space to risk sharing their concerns (Berg et al., 2013). Through group counseling, adolescents experience having other kids to relate to and realize that they can even be helpful to another person (Berg et al., 2013). An example of a group that would be acceptable for adolescents is a group that consists of 7 adolescents aged 11-14 that meet once a week for 80 minutes. This is acceptable because the group is small enough where all of the adolescents can get to know each other and feel close and the sessions give time for some small talk before and after sessions. The age group also doesn’t have a big age gap since the youth are between 11 and 14 years old and are likely to be in middle school. This gives the adolescents something to relate to and encourage support from one another in this transitioning period. This writer believes that a 13-year-old is not suitable for a group that consist of eight 17-year-olds because not only are they at different stages of their lives but the 13 year old may feel isolated in group.

Some challenges that a counselor can face when providing group therapy to adolescents is resistance and disclosure. Adolescents usually come to counseling as involuntary clients because of teachers, parents, or even the court system (Berg et al., 2013). Since they are coming to therapy as involuntary, more often than not they will be resistant to treatment so this can be a challenge for counseling (Berg et al., 2013). This writer would build a therapeutic relationship with the client in the beginning by getting to know the client and validating their feelings. Resistence should be expected so its best to take it one step at a time (Berg et al., 2013). Another challenge may be disclosure of personal information in therapy. This writer believes it can be a challenge because as mandated reports, we must report any disclosures of abuse or neglect of a child. This writer has had to make reports in the past and found that it can be difficult to regain the trust of a minor client due to the fact that they disclosed information that they did not want parents to know. This writer lets clients know at the beginning that this writer is a mandated reporter, what that means, and what this writer would do if a client shared information.

References

Berg, R. C., Fall, K. A., & Landreth, G. L. (2013). Group Counseling : Concepts and Procedures: Vol. 5th ed. Routledge.