Rational-emotive behavior group therapy with children and adolescents

Abstract

Humans are social creatures and we begin functioning as members of groups the moment we are born. We continue to work, play, and live in groups for the entire span of our lives. Therefore, it is not surprising that group therapy has been a common and popular treatment option for over half a century. There are a number of key considerations about the application of group therapy when working with children and adolescents, and, more specifically, about the application of REBT and cognitive change methods in these groups. According to Ellis (1997), Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) lend themselves particularly well to use in group settings. Ellis (2002) stated that: Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) are efficient kinds of group therapy, because they involve people who regularly meet together with a leader in order to work on their psychological problems, they focus on the members thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and they encourage all the participants to help each other change their cognitions, emotions and actions. (p. 51) Ellis has been successfully using REBT in groups since 1959 (Ellis, 2002) and claims that it is usually more effective than individual REBT. Its use in child and adolescent groups has been described in the literature over the past three decades (e.g., Elkin, 1983). Initially, we will present an overview of group therapy, followed by a discussion of some of the specific applications of it when working with children, specific discussion of REBT when working with children and adolescents, a brief discussion of the research regarding the effectiveness of group therapy in comparison to individual therapy as well as control groups, along with the effectiveness of REBT group therapy. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.