Group Therapy
What is Group Mental Health Therapy?
Group mental health therapy is a 2-hour weekly session for 8-10 weeks with 5-8 participants connected by the theme and topics covered during the group sessions. Themes and topics vary depending on the facilitator's preference and rotate and change over the year. The group's purpose is to use the group dynamics of shared empathy to create an experience of trust, growth, and understanding with a collective community.
What’s the difference between group therapy and individual therapy?
Group therapy is a powerful way to tackle various mental, behavioral, and substance abuse issues. Group therapy is a psychotherapy treatment that involves multiple members at once. It can be used to treat various conditions including, but not limited to, trauma, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and more.
There is a lot of value in group therapy. It offers the benefits of a group setting, including the ability to talk to others and avoid being the center of attention. However, there is also the potential for greater intimacy and trust between participants than in one-on-one therapy. This can be beneficial for overcoming barriers you may encounter in interpersonal relationships, such as jealousy and avoidance.
Group therapy provides many opportunities for the individual to learn from others' experiences and share their own. This space allows participants to voice their concerns freely and try out new ideas with other people.
Group therapy can help you overcome shyness and even make friends with others who share similar experiences. You’ll also learn social skills that can be applied to other areas of your life, from dating to work meetings. Group therapy is a powerful way to make the most of your time and money.
Since multiple people have similar issues, a group setting allows for a wide range of perspectives and allows you to hear about other stories. You can also benefit from hearing other people's approaches to their problems, which may offer surprising insights or inspire new ideas. Group therapy is more focused than individual sessions, allowing you to feel supported by others while you develop your own ideas and goals.
What are the advantages of group therapy?
Group therapy is a vital way of facilitating the process of self-discovery and healing because it allows you to share your experiences with others. Through hearing other people's stories, you come to realize that many of your issues are not unique but are shared by many others.
This process can help you learn to identify what makes you tick, how your actions affect others, and how to make sense of emotions related to past experiences.
Group therapy is a powerful resource that can help you communicate and express your needs to others in similar situations, who are more manageable than the intimidating task of addressing family or friends.
Group therapy enables you to feel less isolated and provides you with the opportunity to give and receive support in an environment where you feel safe and comfortable. You can find your voice, relate to others and, most importantly, relate to yourself in healthier ways.
What are the stages of group therapy, and what to expect?
There are many different types of therapeutic groups, and some of the common approaches are psychoeducational, psychodynamic, interpersonal, rational-emotive, cognitive behavioral, and process-oriented group therapy.
The beginning phase of group therapy starts with forming the group, setting respectful ground rules, and finding similarities. Moreover, discussing conflicts of power and control and surfacing differences. Furthermore, managing group conflict, finding group norms, and resurfacing similarities. Another aspect is to function as an effective group. Lastly, is to maintain confidentiality throughout the sessions. This means that what is discussed stays in the group. You may feel shy to speak in a group, but listening to others is just as important. Open communication with our therapist can support you in feeling safe and opening up.