Group therapy has proven its worth in treatment that benefits from supportive relationships, exchanges of ideas, and mutual encouragement. Hospital social worker Sharry adds that group work can be useful in brief therapy, especially when the therapist uses a solution-focused approach. He keeps the practical in mind as he helps professionals new to group-based therapies learn how to focus those on solutions and gives the experienced ideas and techniques they can use in existing practice. He describes the basic concepts of solution-focused group work and its dynamics, then shows how to design such a group, engage and motivate clients to attend, and manage the life cycle of solution-focused group work. He shows how to evaluate groups and ensure they remain on target, how to manage difficult groups, how to integrate exercises to enhance group process, and how to supervise groups following a solution-focused reflecting team model. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)