Doing anger differently: a group percussion therapy for angry adolescent boys

This paper describes Doing Anger Differently (DAD), a group treatment for young adolescent boys with high levels of anger. The approach is school-based, 10 weeks long, and utilizes music in the form of percussion to engage this difficult to treat population into treatment and to represent the experience of anger. A tri-level intervention is described: the experience of anger and its influence on action; the formation of meaning and identity resulting from anger and aggression; and the emphasis on group work and the interpersonal basis of anger. Techniques used throughout the group are discussed and illustrative case vignettes are provided.     

Insight-oriented group psychotherapy of latency-age children in an acute care setting

Traditional approaches to group therapy with latency-age children have stressed activity and nonverbal therapeutic interventions. These approaches originated in the 1940s with Slavson's activity aroup therapy. A review of the literature of the past 25 years reveals that many clinicians have increasingly employed verbal techniques with latencyage groups. Most such reports describe groups for latency-age out-patients. In this paper, a verbal, interpretive technique for group therapy with latency-age inpatients is described. Clinical vignettes are included to illustrate this technique. Our experience suggests that such a technique can become an integral part of the inpatient treatment program for the latency-age child.     

A model of time-limited group therapy for men: Its use with recovering addicts

An array of men's issues from a newly emerging paradigm is reviewed—problems such as the dysfunctional development of masculine identity, fatherlessness, and gender role strain. The effects of social and psychological pressures on men are documented, and the need for gender-specific treatment is advocated. A brief evaluation of other group approaches to therapy for men is offered. An argument is made in favor of a more directive model of treating men in group for gender issues. The phases, components, and techniques of a new model of therapy for men are described in detail. The model focuses on the treatment of four primary emotions—grief, anger, fear, and shame—the socialization of which have caused great harm to men.     

A time-limited group therapy model for men sexually abused as children

This article explores the clinical dimensions of male child sexual abuse, and its effects upon these children in their adult lives. The number of men receiving therapeutic help for their sexually abusive past is unknown. Prevalence figures are equally elusive, but reporting of this abuse has steadily increased over the last decade. The majority of these children never tell anyone about their sexual victimization, and enter their adulthoods with long-term psychological difficulties. A short-term psycho/educational model is presented in order that more clinicians will treat this vastly underserved population.This article is dedicated to Marion Dragoon, with special thanks to Len Solomon, James Garland, and the staff of St. Luke's.     

Brief dynamic group therapy: A psychoeducational model for enhancing caregiver-infant development

A group model for providing short-term caregiver-infant psychoeducation is presented. The goal of this model is to modify over a brief and circumscribed period of time the perceptions and expectations of caregivers so that their interpersonal behaviors with their infants sustain and enhance adaptive interactive sequences. This model of intervention is derived from the intuitive behavior patterns of adaptive caregivers concerning the infant's emerging representational abilities. Specific vignettes exemplifying the stages of group development that occur with this model of intervention are discussed.     

Inpatient adolescent and latency-age children's perspectives on the curative factors in group psychotherapy

Thirty-three adolescent and 11 child psychiatric inpatients were administered a downward revision of Yalom's (1970) 60-item Q-sort, which sets forth 12 putative curative factors of group, to assess patient perceptions of which factors in group therapy are most curative. The impact that age, patient level of functioning, and time in treatment had on which factors were most valued was assessed. Patient perceptions of the value of group compared to other treatment modalities were also assessed. Both child and adolescent subjects highly valued the factors of Hope, Cohesiveness, and Universality. Patients' level of functioning had limited effects on adolescents' perceptions, but did effect children's perceptions of what was most valued in group. The modest effect of time in treatment was attributed to the short duration of inpatient treatment. Implications for inpatient adolescent and child group therapy and future research are explored.Appreciation is extended to Mary Kelly, Elly Cobb, and Anna Csaky-Chase for their conceptual and editorial assistance.     

Theme centered group psychotherapy with psychiatrically hospitalized preadolescent boys

This paper describes how a particular content can be ascribed to verbal group work with psychiatrically hospitalized children. This focus can then provide the basis for psychotherapeutic intervention in which resistance and transference are interpreted while underlying conflicts are uncovered and worked on. The theme of the group, health issues and sexuality, was derived from the children's expressed needs on the unit. The use of psychotherapy as a basis for subsequent education about these health issues is discussed. Also described is the way in which the verbal medium was used in conjunction with other unit procedures.     

The evaluation of an equine-assisted therapy programme with a group of boys in a youth care facility

The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an equine-assisted therapy programme aimed at improving the psychological well-being of boys in a custodial school of industry. Participants were 39 boys who live in a youth care facility for boys who display problem behaviour. They were from different cultural groups (Black, Coloured, and White) and aged between 14 and 18 years. Horses were utilised in the structured sessions to help the boys learn different coping skills through experiential learning. Data were collected on the boys’ level of coping and subjective well-being in order to assess the efficacy of the programme. The data were analysed using independent groups t-test comparisons. The results showed that the programme significantly improved the boys’ subjective well-being, problem focused coping, and emotion focused coping. However, their levels of dysfunctional coping were unchanged following the intervention. An equine-assisted therapy programme appears to show modest evidence of enhancing psychological well-being of adolescent boys in custodial care.