Introduction and background

Group work is one of the essential elements of a study, especially among adolescent students. The process of using group work entails having the knowledge and the skills to explore the extent to which the children relate to each other. The main aim of the group work is to ensure an occupational therapy as it presents the knowledge and ideologies of dealing with children and adolescents as they develop and acquire the cognitive and social skills in the environment. It also creates an opportunity to understand and help the children interact freely as they develop skills that would impact their future adulthood and other forms. The main areas of focus for group counseling involve a constant application of group work with children and adolescents, group work modeling. Creating a source of group activities and ensuring the development of different characters with children and adolescents. This discussion focuses on the various kinds of literature on the group work in children and adolescents as a way of carrying out occupational therapy to them.

Group work Theory

The application of group work in children and adolescent has always been treated as an integral pear of counseling curriculum in many states. This group work has still been modified to give counseling services. It is reorganized as an essential element for guiding programs in elementary, middle and secondary schools. In the high school level, group work is used as a student assistance service and educational and carrier services. In the case of mental health setting group work setting has been an essential tool in the children fair treatment. Even though it has been slow in gaining acceptance among the therapists, the participating is slowly gaining popularities and therefore it is a critical element in ensuring the success of the therapy.

Many reasons have been investigated to establish t the effectiveness of group therapy among adolescents. It enables adolescents and children to create bonds with their peers in a well-structured environment that will allow the discussion of feelings and ideologies openly. It helps in the reduction of the risks that occur from inappropriate negative interactions such as ridicules and teasing. They are also able to discuss individual differences that in most cases hinder relationships in most unstructured relationships.

The second important of group therapy among the children and the adolescents enable them to understand that their concerns are not distinctly unique to them and that they share the same interests with other and therefore can support each other in devising solutions to their concerns. It also removes the feeling that something is wrong with them.  Through group sharing, they can overcome their fears and worries. Through the use of the developmentally appropriate structured activities, the adolescents and children can articulate personal feelings and get interpersonal feedback from their peers than they would have obtained them from the adult s. in these case, the young people accept  more readily constructive feedbacks from their peers than the adults.

Group work enables counselors to reach more children in a faster way. In the case of mental health context, group work among the children and adolescents it lowers the cost of the family in hiring individual counselors. It also enables counselors to serve more children in school in the most effective manner especially where there are low counselors to children ratio. , therefore, becomes an essential tool in promoting proper therapy in society and help[ to benefit the children in their peer groups as they grow towards adulthood. The analysis of the theoretical under printing of group work revel that there are several ways that group work can be utilized in therapy sessions.  One of them is the developmental class guidance which entails conducting in school or social class setting. It increases the emphasis is placed on the provision to the group in a small class or a small portion of the course. She is also skilled life training during such etheric approaches that enable the teenagers to achieve the milestone in the self-care and other domestic and occupational functionalities. The process of therapy provided to a class or a group of peers become continuous elements that still play a critical role in the growth and development of the teens and the children below the immature stages.

Application to practice

There are several e evidence that has always been driven from the use of group work among the children and adolescent. The analysis of the essential characteristics of the use of group work includes the fact that children are ever active and hands on. This factor favors group work as an appropriate approach for offering therapy services.  The fact that children learn by doing enable the success of the therapy or be successful. The ideal group with the children is among the best way of engaging the children actively or through a structured play during each therapy meetings. The principal activities during these sections can include physical movement, massive games, drawing, manipulation, and sensory activities. The use of such therapy approaches can only be found in a group set up like a classroom, making it one of the most cherished way of ensuring a proper and well organizes counseling opportunities for the children.

The fact that children are impulsive gives opportunities for the counselor to utilize their character by addressing the specific needs in a group setting. In this case, the fact that the children can create a relationship structure and will together without complications of identity makes it a basic form of the utilization by the counselor in a group setting. It reduces the level of descrambling structures in them through the ability to work together in a multi-cultural environment without the restriction of other beliefs. It reduces the chances of difficulties in dealing with cultural segregation, a factor that is common among adult. The rise of the impulsive trust of children and the adolescent make group work the best way of providing therapy services to them. The spontaneous nature of these categories makes it easy for them to be open to new ideologies and open their minds to share their situations without any regret or fear. It makes them easy to handle in a group and achieve the maximum in the therapy services.

Group therapy tends to take a charter period, and it tends to be cheap as compared to individual treatment comparison of the period sought to complete a  therapy session with an individual as compared to a group journey that the group therapy is three times faster than individual treatment. It also finds that the cost of the procedure is reduced as their process of charging becomes secure among children and adolescents. The approaches in group therapy also imply that there is a probability of maximum benefit in the sessions since the participants become free to share their life experiences without fearing the judgment from others. It creates an opportunity for further learning to the participants and helps them accept their situation, with an attitude that each person has a personal problem to deal with in his or her life. It makes group therapy especially the group world among the children and adolescents one of the best approaches in the provision of the therapy services.

Anxiety disorder is a common cause of a mental illness that causes fear among children and adolescents. It is a process that makes someone worry about a future event and may result in physical symptoms such as shakiness and fast beating hearts. This condition is one of the most commonly tacked mental disorders through the process of group therapy. In this case, through sharing the fear to the peers and getting different perspectives from the peers in the group may help an individual manage the disorder most appropriately without fear of judgment. The more a personal share in the group, the more he or she becomes open in his or her thought, t, therefore, making the fear and anxiety feelings go away.

Furthermore, the leading cause of the anxiety disorder is fear of in acceptance in a particular social class or group. Through sharing in a group, a child or an adolescent develop the coincidence to face her thought and interact with others in a free environment. Group therapy becomes the most appropriate approach of ensuring the process it helps to deal with the fears and enable the anxiety to be controlled most appropriately.

Group work versus Individual Work

Several factors have to be taken into account before recommending a group work therapy or an individualthey. One of such factors includes the determination of the effectiveness and the anticipated outcome. A case an individual battle with a common mental health problem such as depression or addition to particular instances, there is a need to conduct group therapy. However, I case the problem is too personal that they need to remain private and confidential as a way of protecting the dignity of an individual, individual work becomes the best approach of dealing with it. A further analysis reversal that group therapy can be appropriate for the general boosting of morale of individuals undergoing the same condition as they can use it to encourage each other based on the progress they make towards changing to a better life. This is essential especially the case of individual battling with the same mental condition a.

The fact that group work therapy involves many people sitting together to share their problem and challenges in life make it a faster and more straightforward approach in dealing with the issues. It as an encouraging site that enables individuals to create an Impact in the society by influencing the lives of others .it is cheaper a since no special attention is needed. The role of the counselor is to facilitate the process. This factor is different in the case of individual work therapy. In this case, the counselor has to take full time with the patient, making it more involving and intensive. It is an expansive approach to providing counseling.

Reflection on learning

The literature review on the group work as a amend of two viding therapy services to the children and adolescents is one of the brainstorming approaches of dealing with common cases of adolescents and c children it enlightens the children and the adolescent to accept their diversity and uniqueness as a factor for human acceptance. There are s specific steps that have been established to ensure that group therapy becomes essential in dealing with common mental illnesses and conditions. Based on such knowledge adopting group therapy becomes one of the critical steps in creating a diverse way of prompting therapy services.

Conclusion

The group work therapy among adolescents and children is one of the therapy methods that have not become popular in many regions of the world. However, to places where it has been practiced, it has always led to a positive outcome since it enables the children and the adolescents to understand the implication of being unique through a process of sharing and understanding of each other. It gives an opportunity of self-reflection and self-appreciation through removing common cases of disorders of the mind such as anxiety disorder. Embracing such a practice will ensure that there is little time taken in dealing with common problems that the adolescents undergo in places such as school setups and churches.