Trainees in group counseling and therapy often struggle to integrate an array of theories and concepts into practice, but to no avail. This group counseling textbook helps counselor/therapist trainees bring together the concepts of group work with the reality of working with complex group phenomena. It provides a productive, growth-promoting experience for learning group leadership. As students read and apply the material in Chen and Rybak’ s book, they will build the repertoire of knowledge, skills and intervention techniques that they’ll need as they embark on the restorative and rewarding--yet often complex and challenging--process of becoming a group practitioner.

The book’s five conceptual bases--interpersonal processes, experiential learning, the power of the here and now, process-focused leadership, and self as the instrument--set out the principles for successful leadership and meaningful client change. The practical methods discussed within this effective, coherent framework help readers learn how to bring about therapeutic change for group members within a brief time period. This time-sensitive feature of the framework is especially precious as "cost containment" becomes a health care thrust in our era.