Discuss three reasons why group counseling with children can be effective

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Group counseling with children can be an effective way to provide counseling services for several reasons:
The ability for children to connect to each other and discuss their feelings in a safe and structured environment where inappropriate interactions are not condoned (Sweeney, 2011).
The opportunity to recognize that there are shared feelings and issues that are not unique to just one child.
The use of peer interaction and group reflections to discuss feelings and issues that may not be as easily discussed with an adult.
An obvious benefit is that group work with children is that a greater number of children may participate in counseling in a group than in individual counseling.
In schools, group counseling is an effective way to meet with more students since there is often limited time to meet with students individually due to concerns about missed instructional time.
In other settings (private practice, agencies, hospitals), group counseling may be a beneficial way to work with children and families who share similar concerns or who may not be interested in individual counseling for their child.