Group therapy for adolescent victims between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who have been impacted by physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and/or neglect

Group therapy for adolescent victims between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who have been impacted by physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and/or neglect

Group therapy for adolescent victims between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who have been impacted by physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and/or neglect

Group Therapy for Adolescent Victims of Abuse

Adolescents encounter different forms of abuse at home, school, among friends, and other places. Helping them understand and overcome their problems is crucial for healthy and productive living. Counseling techniques vary in approaches and outcomes. Mental health practitioners and other professionals should understand the effectiveness of various approaches and when they should be implemented. Group therapy can be highly effective for adolescent victims of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and/or neglect.

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Research Supporting Group Therapy

Guerra et al. (2021) underlined the importance of group psychotherapy for adolescent victims of various forms of abuse, such as violence. Group therapy allows access and assistance to more victims than individual psychotherapy. The intervention also allows psychotherapists to use professional resources more efficiently. In a different study, Fellin et al. (2019) explored the importance of group-based therapies for young people with lived experiences of domestic violence and abuse. They found that group therapy effectively helps the victims to cope and maintain a sense of agency. Therefore, healthcare professionals using group therapy should harness and further develop coping skills among victims. Crespo et al. (2021) demonstrated the usefulness of group psychological interventions in preventing victims’ isolation. They found such interventions effective in improving social support. Group therapy is also cost-effective, particularly in the long term.

Cowan et al. (2020) observed that sexual violence could be physically and emotionally traumatic. As a result, psychotherapy-based interventions should be individualized according to the survivors’ needs. Practice points for optimal outcomes include transference and avoiding re-traumatization. Tichelaar et al. (2020) analyzed the effectiveness of psychotherapy options for sexual abuse victims (children and adolescents). Group therapy was highly recommended for vulnerable and traumatized girls, along with trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Besides, group therapy provides a unique context for addressing feelings of isolation and social stigmatization. Victims should also be helped to improve their quality of life. Sansom-Daly et al. (2021) explored how group-based interventions can help to improve people’s adaptive coping skills. Although the study group was cancer survivors, a similar approach could be used for emotional and physical abuse victims to provide peer support and prevent psychological distress.

Ezhumalai et al. (2018) analyzed the purpose and indicators of group therapy. They found that group therapy is highly effective for emotionally disturbed individuals. The objective should be enhancing individuals’ social functioning through purposeful group experiences. In a different study, Kim et al. (2019) supported group therapy as an evidence-based nursing intervention for abused adolescents. They underlined that effective programs should build through trust and fulfillment of individuals’ needs. For better outcomes, healthcare practitioners should enable victims to clarify their emotions in an unthreatening environment.

Glickman et al. (2021) analyzed the importance of peer support in psychotherapy, which is a critical component of group therapy. They underlined the essential role of peer social support in reducing the risk of depressive symptoms. Reducing these symptoms helps the victims to overcome emotional neglect. In a related study, Barker et al. (2019) analyzed the benefits of talking with peers in a team-based psychotherapy session. Participants benefitted from increased interaction and opportunities to share experiences. Although the study group was adolescents with HIV, a similar approach can be used in any group therapy session to enable victims to cope with perceived stigma.

Objectives

1. To decrease levels of withdrawal and symptoms such as aggression, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and eating disturbances.
2. To teach strategies to help victims cope with the stressors stemming from the abuse.

Clients will be encouraged to develop objectives that will help them accomplish their long-term goals. Positive self-talk can be done by writing words or phrases on a piece of paper that can be easily accessed and reciting three each day for two weeks to themselves. Recognizing the onset feelings of aggression, depression, and anxiety and telling yourself to hold off and worry about them later by designating a five-to-ten-minute window a day to do this each day over the next month. Pick a hobby of interest in which to engage, such as exercise, sewing, or coloring each day for fifteen minutes to help reduce stress.

Practical Considerations

The target group is adolescent victims between thirteen and eighteen years who have been impacted by physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and/or neglect. The group will be adjusted accordingly as resources, time, and the needs of victims allow. Participants will willingly participate in the sessions. The group will be a closed psychotherapy group that will include victims with similar experiences. The victims will be purposely selected based on their experiences and will benefit through peer support, self-reflection, and interpersonal learning. The number of sessions will be adjusted according to the participants’ needs and achievement of outcomes.

Inclusion and Diversity

Diversity and inclusion are vital to enable group members to benefit from peer support. In team-based interactions, diversity brings diverse perspectives to enable members to understand a concept in detail (Swartz et al., 2019). Accordingly, gender, racial, religious, and cultural diversities will be prioritized during selection. Diversity will ensure group members learn from each other. Bias can be addressed by random selection of group members.

Theoretical Underpinning

The transtheoretical model (TTM) would be appropriate for the group since it focuses on behavior change. TTM helps members to transform by adopting healthy behaviors or terminating unhealthy ones (Hashemzadeh et al., 2019). The group will be terminated after members complete the sessions and/or positive outcomes can be witnessed. Subjective experience and goal attainment can be measured through progressive observation of behavior change, individual assessment, and integrated assessment. Group members should effectively state the strategies for coping with the stressors stemming from abuse and how to implement them.

Conclusion

Group therapy is widely used in mental health practice to model desirable behaviors. It is instrumental in behavior change and can be used for adolescent victims of abuse. Potential benefits include developing coping skills and enhancing individuals’ social functioning through purposeful group experiences. Peer support is a key ingredient of group therapy.

References

Barker, D., Enimil, A., Galárraga, O., Bosomtwe, D., Mensah, N., Thamotharan, S., … & Kwara, A. (2019). In-clinic adolescent peer group support for engagement in sub-Saharan Africa: a feasibility and acceptability trial. Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (JIAPAC), 18, 2325958219835786. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2325958219835786

Crespo, M., Arinero, M., & Soberón, C. (2021). Analysis of effectiveness of individual and group trauma-focused interventions for female victims of intimate partner violence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1952. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041952

Cowan, A., Ashai, A., & Gentile, J. P. (2020). Psychotherapy with survivors of sexual abuse and assault. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 17(1-3), 22–26. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7239557/

Ezhumalai, S., Muralidhar, D., Dhanasekarapandian, R., & Nikketha, B. S. (2018). Group interventions. Indian Journal Of Psychiatry, 60(Suppl 4), S514–S521. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_42_18

Fellin, L. C., Callaghan, J. E., Alexander, J. H., Harrison-Breed, C., Mavrou, S., & Papathanasiou, M. (2019). Empowering young people who experienced domestic violence and abuse: The development of a group therapy intervention. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24(1), 170–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104518794783

Glickman, E. A., Choi, K. W., Lussier, A. A., Smith, B. J., & Dunn, E. C. (2021). Childhood emotional neglect and adolescent depression: assessing the protective role of peer social support in a longitudinal birth cohort. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 681176. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.681176

Guerra, C., Toro, E., Taylor, E. P., Lobos, P., & Pinto-Cortez, C. (2022). Design considerations for group interventions for adolescent victims of interpersonal violence in Chile. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 31(10), 1318-1336. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2022.2089864

Hashemzadeh, M., Rahimi, A., Zare-Farashbandi, F., Alavi-Naeini, A. M., & Daei, A. (2019). Transtheoretical model of health behavioral change: a systematic review. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 24(2), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijnmr.IJNMR_94_17

Kim, S., Bang, K. S., Lee, G., Song, M. K., & Jeong, Y. (2019). Interventions to Reduce the problems of abused children and adolescents in residential facilities in south korea: an integrative review. Child Health Nursing Research, 25(3), 273–289. https://doi.org/10.4094/chnr.2019.25.3.273

Sansom-Daly, U. M., Wakefield, C. E., Ellis, S. J., McGill, B. C., Donoghoe, M. W., Butow, P., … & Recapture Life Working Party. (2021). Online, group-based psychological support for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: Results from the recapture life randomized trial. Cancers, 13(10), 2460. https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fcancers13102460

Swartz, T. H., Palermo, A. S., Masur, S. K., & Aberg, J. A. (2019). The science and value of diversity: closing the gaps in our understanding of inclusion and diversity. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 220(220 Suppl 2), S33–S41. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz174

Tichelaar, H. K., Deković, M., & Endendijk, J. J. (2020). Exploring effectiveness of psychotherapy options for sexually abused children and adolescents: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, 105519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105519

BUY A CUSTOM PAPER HERE ON; Group therapy for adolescent victims between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who have been impacted by physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and/or neglect

• Each cohort member should post at least 10 recent (published in the past 5–10 years) peer-reviewed journal article in APA format that supports the rationale for the group. Provide a brief summary (three sentences each) for your articles, explaining why it supports your rationale. Be sure to include the Walden Library permalink or DOI so your colleagues and faculty may review the article.
• Select the resources that best support your rationale.
• Refine and clearly state your group objectives in measurable terms. (What can group members expect to change as a result of participating in your group?)
• Outline the practical considerations for your group. This should include group size, screening procedure, location of meetings, and necessary informed consent. Determine if the group is to be an open or closed group, how you plan to recruit members, the number of expected sessions, and the group structure.
• Consider potential inclusion and diversity themes, such as how diversity may impact early group process or how you might address bias.
• Consider any proposed curriculum or theoretical underpinning that would be appropriate for your group. You will explore strategies for the termination of the group. You also examine ways to measure both the subjective experience and the level of goal attainment by the members of the group.

Our group is in favor of proposing a closed psychotherapy group for adolescent victims between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who have been impacted by physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and/or neglect. Corey et al. (2018) discussed how victims must have access to trusted adults and safe spaces to report abuse and/or neglect as they move past those situations (p. 60). Teens will be able to meet peers, who have faced similar experiences and work through the therapeutic methods with the same group and leaders each session. Clients will have the opportunity for self-reflection and interpersonal learning throughout the group process. According to, forming positive relationships and having social support will increase the emotional well-being of group members.

The goals for our group will include decreasing levels of withdrawal and symptoms such as aggression, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and eating disturbances. Another goal could be to teach strategies to help with the stressors that have risen due to the abuse.

Clients will be encouraged to develop objectives that will help them accomplish their long-term goals. Positive self-talk can be done by writing words or phrases on a piece of paper that can be easily accessed and reciting three each day for two weeks to themselves. Recognizing the onset feelings of aggression, depression, and anxiety and telling yourself to hold off and worry about them later by designating a five-to-ten-minute window a day to do this each day over the next month. Pick a hobby of interest in which to engage such as exercise, sewing, or coloring each day for fifteen minutes to help reduce stress.

BUY A CUSTOM PAPER HERE ON; Group therapy for adolescent victims between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who have been impacted by physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and/or neglect

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