"ROLE REVERSAL" IN A GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY SESSION

Abstract

One gray evening, December 6, 1962, the writer and four adolescents met at the Youth Counsel Bureau for a group psychotherapy session.
The counselees were single, ranging in age from 17 through 19, with a similar difficulty in common: they had stolen cars and were subsequently arrested. These four youths did not know one another, and had gotten involved at different times, dates and places. They were paroled to our Agency by Adolescent Court for guidance and supervision for a period of three to six months. None were active with the Agency during the project; their cases having been dismissed subsequent to our having submitted favorable reports on the four respective cases to the court.