Adlerian-Based Positive Group Counseling Interventions with Emotionally Troubled Youth

The focus of Adlerian therapy is to help individuals discover their resources and strengths, and to help them to be more encouraged in reaching their goals in a more functioning way. Recently, the positive psychology movement has become the major focus for researchers and mental health providers. Adlerian theory and ensuing humanistic approaches have been considered as the basis of positive psychology. Positive psychology—like Adlerian theory—calls for looking at individual strengths, virtues, and areas of well-being. This article describes an Adlerian-based group counseling program which integrated positive psychology interventions with youth in a residential treatment center. This article describes how Adlerian theory aligns with the positive psychology interventions, along with recommendations for practitioners.