`titrebReflections on the group approach in a public psychiatric clinic`/titreb In light of the considerable increase in the group therapy caseload of a child psychiatry clinic of the Geneva Medico-pedagogic Office, we decided to examine different factors which should be taken into account when group psychotherapies are indicated for children and adolescents - factors which can interfere with the decision-making process of the health professional, including those related to phenomena of group institutional dynamics. We will study the evolution through treatment of two preadolescents participating in a group psychodrama, and discuss the pertinence of various indications for group psychotherapy, the clinical advantages of this approach, and its possible consequences for the institution.