1. Group Counseling: Concepts and Procedures
Chapter 12
Group Counseling of Children
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2. Chapter Topics Introduction General Considerations Group Play Therapy
Psychoeducational Groups
Child–Parent Relationship Therapy Groups
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3. General Considerations
Goals and Purposes
Rules of Thumb:
The younger the children, the shorter the attention span and thus the shorter the session.
The younger the children, the greater the degree of physical activity and thus the smaller the group.
The younger the children, the less they know about how to function in a group, and thus the more structure is needed.
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4. Play Therapy Groups
Play is the child’s symbolic language of self-expression and can reveal:
what the child has experienced
reactions to what was experienced
feelings about what was experienced
what the child wishes, wants, or needs
the child’s perception of self.
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5. Play Therapy Groups (cont.)
Select toys and materials that facilitate the following goals:
establishment of a positive relationship with a child,
expression of a wide range of feelings,
exploration of real-life experiences,
testing of limits,
development of a positive image,
development of self-understanding, and
opportunity to redirect behaviors unacceptable to others.
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6. Play Therapy Groups (cont.)
Select toys and materials that represent three broad categories:
Real-life toys, such as a doll, a bendable doll family, a dollhouse and furniture, a nursing bottle, play dishes, a small car, an airplane, and a telephone;
Acting-out or aggressive-release toys, such as handcuffs, a dart gun, toy soldiers, a pounding bench, a rubber knife, and inflatable punching toys; and
Toys for creative expression and emotional release, such as crayons, newsprint, blunt scissors, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, Play-Doh, hand puppets, a Nerf ball, Gumby Scotch tape, and nontoxic glue or paste.
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7. Child–Parent Relationship Therapy in Groups
CPRT trains parents in basic child-centered play therapy skills.
CPRT therapy history
CPRT therapy process and structure
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8. CPRT in Groups (cont.) CPRT helps the child:
develop a more positive self-concept,
assume greater self-responsibility,
become more self-directing,
become more self-accepting,
become more self-reliant,
engage in self-determined decision making,
experience a feeling of control,
become sensitive to the process of coping,
develop an internal source of evaluation, and
become more trusting of self.
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9. CPRT in Groups (cont.) CPRT helps the parents:
develop a more positive concept of self as parents,
recognize the importance of play in the lives of their children,
increase self-confidence in parenting abilities,
decrease feelings of chaos and frustration,
develop a wider array of parenting skills,
assume a greater level of responsibility in the parenting of their children,
experience a feeling of control,
increase levels of empathy and acceptance of their children, and
develop patience.
© 2018 Taylor & Francis