Group counseling for children:
Children age adolescents needs wants assistance. Group counseling is an excellent means to assist in their development, to help them learn about themselves and how to prevent negative and increase positive interpersonal relationship and to help them explore the here and now while considering implication is for the future.
As in group counselling for adolescents adults group counselling for children is basically a psychological and social process in which children learn about themselves and others and the dynamics of interacting in ways that are mutually satisfying and encouraging.
When children experience difficulties and developing appropriate social relationships, lacks self discipline in controlling their own behaviour, have poor self-esteem, experience a lack of motivation, or in general have difficulty in developing coping behaviour that enable them to make adequate and self enhancing adjustment, group counselling can be considered a significant intervention process.
Group counseling with children is significantly different from group counseling with adults, children are not as capable of verbally expressing themselves as are adults. There natural means of interaction is play and activity oriented. Indeed, for children younger than 9 or 10 years of age the natural means of communication is play. Therefore counsellors for children group must have hand supervised training with children so they will know how to effectively utilise this medium to facilitate children communication with each other and the counselor.
Play is to children, word verbalisation is to adults. It is a medium for expressing feelings, exploring relationships, describing experiences, disclosing wishes and achieving self fulfillment. For children, play is their voice and group can become the social learning laboratory for change. Children learn about themselves in group play therapy. They learn because they're permitted to communicate in their own language. They learn at they hear and observe the perceptions of the therapist and other members.
Group counselling with adolescents:
Adolescence is generally regarded as a period of great change. For many adolescents, this stage of development is characterized by conflict, questioning of values, confusing physical changes and an overwhelming need for approval by peers. Added to this stressors is an increased pressure to be responsible for ones own actions.
During this stage of development, many adolescents feel that they're alone. They seek approval from others, especially peers and at the same time struggle with the issue of independence/dependence in relationships.
Within the group counselling structure many adolescents adolescents experience for the first time that they can give as well as receive help.
Common topics that arise in adolescents counselling groups are;
Alcohol and drug abuse; relationships with parents; conflicts at school; making ones own decisions; feeling rejected and unloved; learning to repress feeling appropriately; and relating to the opposite sex.
Problems of Adolescents and Children
1. Inadequate parental care
2. Peer unacceptability
3. Inability to cope and adjust to school work
4. Conflict with parents/adults
5. Uncertainties of the future
6. Early marriage and pregnancy.
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