ABSTRACT
Prior to admission to the group, we recommend that a prescreening phone interview and an intake interview be conducted to establish appropriateness for the group and to describe expectations for participation. The primary purpose in conducting these interviews is to identify whether the teen has adequate verbal abilities that will ensure he or she is able to follow the didactic lessons presented in the groups, to make sure the teen is motivated to attend, to ensure that there are no behavioral issues that would prohibit participation (i.e., aggressive behavior), and to ensure that parents agree to do their parts in the homework assignments. It is essential that only teens who are interested in participating in the groups be admitted to the program.
