ABSTRACT
Group interventions with children and adolescents have the potential to mobilize the power of prosocial peer influences, positive peer and adult role models, and the persuasive power of a social interaction and informal contracting process in the service of impressive therapeutic change among child and adolescent clients. At the same time, the inherent frustrations and setbacks that often characterize any therapeutic work with youth are frequently present in the context of group work as well. The power of peer influence can be positive or negative depending on the complex set of factors that interact within the therapeutic process in a child or adolescent group. This chapter addresses a number of important developmental considerations that are necessary in designing and implementing interventions for children and adolescents utilizing cognitive-behavioral techniques within a group modality. We present the major implications of theory and research in child-adolescent development and developmental psychopathology for Group Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (G-CBT) with youth by outlining considerations, implications, and recommendations related to current knowledge of the following specific factors: (a) current compelling epidemiological issues affecting children and adolescents; (b) biological, genetic, and neurological influences; (c) psychological, cognitive, and affective (emotional) developmental considerations; and (d) social, contextual, and cultural factors.
