Experimental Techniques in Group Psychotherapy with Delinquents

Abstract

Jacob Chwast is Director of the Consultation Service of the Educational Alliance. He has served as a consultant to the Mayor's Committee on Auxiliary Services to the Courts of New York City, the Intergroup Relations Project of the Research Center of the New York School of Social Work, and the Community Service Society. Dr. Chwast is currently Secretary-Treasurer of the American Society of Criminology and serves on the staffs of the Association for the Psychiatric Treatment of Offenders and the Postgraduate Center for Psychotherapy. Carmi Harari is Director of Community Consultation Services, a member of the staff of the Postgraduate Center for Psychotherapy, and a private practitioner in the field of psychotherapy. He formerly served as chief psychologist and research consultant of the Bureau of Mental Health Services of the Domestic Relations Court of New York City. Lloyd Delany is a practicing psychotherapist and consulting group therapist for the New York Vocational-Alcoholism Project. A former member of the faculties of Queens College and Temple University, Dr. Delany also supervised work with delinquent gangs for the New York City Youth Board and has worked with adolescent gangs in New York City and Philadelphia. Irrespective of the approach used, the treatment of delinquents is an extremely difficult-and often unsuccessful-venture. However, to the authors of this article, the technique of group psychotherapy, if properly employed, offers considerable promise in working with youngsters. Their paper first surveys the vexing problems which arise in dealing with delinquents and then describes a number of specific techniques and treatment adjuncts which the authors have found to be successful on an experimental basis.-EDITOR.