ABSTRACT
Effective group treatment with children and adolescents rests upon three essential considerations: the clients that compose the group, the therapists responsible for conducting the group, and the setting in which the group occurs. Careful attention to each factor is important in order to assure the most beneficial treatment possible, as each element enhances or inhibits the others. This chapter will discuss the impact of these three major considerations on the process of group therapy with children and adolescents, and in particular discuss the specific issues related to each factor that must be considered from the initiation and design of group treatment through maintenance and eventual termination. As this handbook outlines the application of the cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) model to group therapy with children and adolescents, the influence of these client, therapist, and setting variables will be discussed within this theoretical framework.
