ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the interpersonal level of group functioning, examining how children and adolescents are helped through the group process. It discusses the therapeutic processes of the individual client in the group. This individual process of change is made possible by the therapeutic forces in the group. The chapter describes the knowledge accumulated on groups with adults, followed by a review of the limited information existing on therapeutic factors in children's groups. Therapeutic factors in children and adolescent groups have rarely been investigated. An exception is the study of B. F. Corder, L. Whiteside, and T. M. Haizlip, who asked treated adolescents to reflect on what helped them in the group process. The lack of clarity of the construct and the limited scope of research call for a qualitative investigation of cohesiveness in groups with children. Elements of affect and support were clearly of greatest importance to the interviewed children.
