Although many children benefit from individual therapy, in some cases group therapy is more effective. Group therapy is not only cost effective, but also contains certain key therapeutic factors:
- In group counselling relationships, children experience the therapeutic releasing qualities of discovering that their peers have problems, too, and a diminishing of the barriers of feeling all alone.
- Group members recognize that other members’ success can be helpful and they develop optimism and a sense of hope for their own improvement.
- A feeling of belonging, trust and togetherness develops. This allows for new interpersonal skills to be learned practically.
- In groups children are afforded the opportunity for immediate reactions and feedback from peers as well as the opportunity for vicarious learning.
- Group members have the opportunity to re-enact critical family/peer dynamics with other group members in a corrective manner.
- Children also develop sensitivity towards others and receive a boost to their self-concept through being helpful to someone else. For children who have poor self-concepts and a life history of experiencing failure, discovering they can be helpful to someone else may be the most profound therapeutic quality possible.
- In groups, children also discover they are worthy of respect and their own worth is not dependent on what they do or what they produce, but rather on who they are.
- Group members begin to accept responsibility for life decisions.
Ingawa watoto wengi hufaidika kutokana na tiba ya mtu mmoja-mmoja, katika visa fulani tiba ya kikundi ni yenye matokeo zaidi. Tiba ya kikundi sio tu ya gharama nafuu, lakini pia ina mambo fulani muhimu ya matibabu: Katika mahusiano ya ushauri wa kikundi, watoto hupata sifa za matibabu ya kutolewa ya kugundua kwamba wenzao wana matatizo pia, na kupungua kwa vizuizi vya kujisikia peke yao. - Washiriki wa kundi kutambua kwamba mafanikio ya wanachama wengine inaweza kuwa na manufaa na wao kuendeleza matumaini na hisia ya matumaini kwa ajili ya maendeleo yao wenyewe. - hisia ya kuwa mali, uaminifu na ushirikiano huendelea. Hii inaruhusu ujuzi mpya wa mahusiano ya kibinadamu kujifunza kwa vitendo. - Katika makundi watoto wanapewa fursa ya athari za papo hapo na maoni kutoka kwa wenzao pamoja na fursa ya kujifunza kwa njia ya badala. - Washiriki wa kundi wana nafasi ya kuanzisha tena muhimu familia / wenzao nguvu na wanachama wengine wa kundi katika njia ya kurekebisha. - Watoto pia huendeleza hisia kuelekea wengine na hupata kichocheo kwa dhana yao ya kibinafsi kupitia kuwa na msaada kwa mtu mwingine. Kwa watoto ambao wana dhana duni ya kibinafsi na historia ya maisha ya kukosa uzoefu, kugundua kwamba wanaweza kuwa na msaada kwa mtu mwingine inaweza kuwa ubora wa matibabu wa kina zaidi. Katika makundi, watoto pia hujifunza kuwa wanastahili kuheshimiwa na thamani yao haitegemei kile wanachofanya au kile wanachozalisha, bali ni nani. - Washiriki wa kikundi huanza kukubali daraka la maamuzi ya maisha.