Group psychotherapy and the learning disabled adolescent

This paper describes the special benefits provided by group psychotherapy for adolescents with learning disabilities. Group psychotherapy is a form of treatment with distinct advantages for assisting learning disabled adolescents whose perceptual problems and subsequent inability to correctly perceive social cues have led to difficulties in interpersonal relationships and to antisocial behavior. A brief description of short-term psychotherapy groups and specific information about how the group was conducted is furnished. The rationale outlined regarding the utility of group psychotherapy with learning disabled adolescents is illustrated by two clinical case vignettes which depict how the group process facilitated positive changes in the interpersonal skills of these youngsters in a relatively brief period of time.