"Problems in client-centered group therapy with adult offenders."

Group/Peer Support

May 2021

Full Citation

Smith, A. B., et al. (1963). "Problems in client-centered group therapy with adult offenders." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 33(3): 550-553

Abstract

This article describes the problems encountered by a group therapist working with adult probationers in the Kings County Court and suggests some approaches in working with these problems within the Rogerian framework. The group initially assembled in a small office equipped with bookshelves, a desk, a typewriter and safe. The group meetings initially took place in an office with distractions of legal periodicals, books and uncomfortable furniture. Silent interludes are not necessarily symptoms of resistance and may have different meanings at different times. After a lively group interchange, for example, a prolonged silence may signify a period of inner mulling over, a self examination or savoring of emotions and thoughts evoked by the preceding exchanges. The therapist's silence may be an indication of his true assessment of the situation. A period of silence at the beginning of the session may mean that the members are merely passively waiting for "someone to start the ball rolling." During the first few sessions, when the group is in the process of forming its unique structure and "syntality," there may be some reluctance on the part of the group members to speak up, because of a feeling of strangeness. No matter what significance any particular silent period bears, the role of the group therapist is invariably one of sympathetic understanding. The most important function of the client-centered group therapist is to provide an atmosphere in which the group members feel free to explore their feelings and to communicate these reactions to the other group members. The therapist does not interpret, probe, evaluate or reassess, no matter how attractive the situation may seem for these kinds of explanations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)