Recommend strategies to overcome the challenges identified. Support your recommendation with evidence-based literature and/or your own experiences with clients. Two separate paragraphs. Again, I need strategies to overcome the problems listed below. PLEASE DO NOT REPEAT WHAT WAS ALREADY WRITTEN BELOW.

First set of challenges – paragraph 1

1) Challenges counselors might encounter when using CBT in the group setting
Using CBT in the group setting involves a number of challenges that counselors may encounter. Two main challenges that counselor may need to address are:

A) Conflict among the group members
According to Yalom & Leszcz (2005), the second stage of group formation is the phase where group members express their disagreements. This disagreement can be either between the participants or towards the therapist.

B) Members who are not punctual
Using CBT in a group setting, there is a probability that one or more members of the group may not come for therapy regularly, come late or tend to leave early. This can make other group members thinks that therapy is of less significance (Yalom & Leszcz, 2005).

Second set of challenges – paragraph 2

2)Challenges Faced in Group Setting. There are many challenges practitioners face when applying CBT to a group setting:

A) According to Söchting (2014), one challenge is to prevent clients from terminating treatment prematurely. Yalom and Leszcz (2005) claimed that premature termination can be caused by ineffective communication as well as not choosing the right group members. Group cohesiveness is an important element in the group therapy process (Yalom & Leszcz, 2005). Good group cohesiveness was found to improve outcomes and participation (Yalom & Leszcz, 2005). Thus, group cohesiveness is a key concept in preventing premature termination.

B) Another challenge that practitioners face in group therapy is getting the right mix of patients for the group. According to Pessagno (2014), groups with six to ten members showed positive outcomes. Also, Pessagno (2014) argued that patients with similar diagnosis showed better outcomes than having patients with multiple diagnoses. Another critical element is to determine if a co-therapist would be beneficial to the group (Pessagno, 2014). Regardless, it is imperative to have the right mix of patients and therapist to maintain an effective group setting. Therefore, two challenges a practitioner faces in the group setting is premature termination and having the right mix of members.