Child and adolescents group psichotherapy

Abstract

Child and adolescent group Psychotherapy has always been received less attention than group psychotherapy referred to adults. In fact, until last decae/a, the great majority of child psychiatrist and psychologist didn 't considered it use/u!. In this paper, the authors make a literature review about Child and Adolescent Group Psychotherapy pinting out research difficulties and reporting their clinical experience with children and adolescent groups therapy. They describe two different kind of experiences developped with 20 psychopathoiogy groups by assessing either cuantitative aspects (number of patients per group, sex, age, clinical diagnosis, etc.) as wétl as cualitative elements (technique, inclusion of parents in therapy, short-term an medium term outcome, and selfassessment of group experience by patients). Finally they review current difficulties and limitations in child and adolescent group psychotherapy far clinical practice, in terms of therapist's featurer and trainning, selection of technique modality, places, materials and time of dedication. Those concerns have an injluence on current thend of limited use of group psicotherapy in child and adolescent clinical practice, unless the goodwill and the determined actitude of sorne professionals who propase it as an useful worktool.