ABSTRACT
The effectiveness of group counseling and psychotherapy is largely dependent on the leader's personality, interventions, and skills. M. S. Corey and Corey have argued that personality has the strongest impact on group members, and have referred to such personal traits as presence, personal power, courage, self-awareness, sincerity, authenticity, sense of identity, creativity, and belief in the group process. The chapter highlights three of personality traits because of their meaningfulness to groups with children: presence, self-confidence, and creativity. Presence is reflected in enthusiasm about the group and, particularly, the children themselves. A counselor who works with children must be creative and innovative in many ways. Children's group counselors need to prepare sessions that are fun and run smoothly; they need to guide the sessions in a flexible and creative way; and they need to offer a wide range of activities and methods to help children express themselves.
