What Is Group Therapy?
There are several options available for those seeking help to improve their mental health, and one of the most popular is group therapy. Depending on the nature of the issue, group therapy can be incredibly beneficial.
Group therapy is a psychotherapy session that will generally involve one or more clinical psychologists leading a group of five to fifteen patients who seek to target a specific mental health problem. The group meets regularly (usually one to two hours per week) to hold discussions or participate in therapeutic activities that help guide progress.1
Who Is Group Therapy for?
There are therapy groups for just about anything you can imagine or need. For example, groups can help manage depression, anxiety, disordered eating, substance use or abuse, chronic conditions, survivorship, and more. Various group therapies that help work on specific skills are available as well, such as becoming less shy, less angry, or dealing with compulsions.
Open groups allow new members to simply come in and join, while closed groups may need a referral from a mental health professional. Whether a group is open or closed has no bearing on its usefulness.
Types of Group Therapy
There are several different types of group therapy, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Below are some of the most popular or common types.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Groups
These groups aim to correct beliefs or behaviors that have led people to undesirable behaviors, like addiction.
Support Groups
Support groups are a way for people with a common theme or need to find support and help cope with changes in their lives. For example, people can attend support groups for substance abuse recovery, surviving cancer, and living with grief.
Process Groups
Process groups use psychodynamics, or the formative factors in someone’s life, to help encourage progress or treatment.
Psychoeducational Groups
Psychoeducational groups focus on helping members live productive lives while coping with issues like phobias, compulsions, substance use disorder, and more.
Skills Development Groups
Skill development groups help members improve behavioral and cognitive responses to mental health conditions, enabling them to make better overall life choices.
How Effective Is Group Therapy?
Benefits of Group Therapy
The benefits of group therapy cannot be understated. While the prospect of being so open in front of strangers can be incredibly intimidating initially, it can often produce an environment where patients can potentially make more progress than in individual sessions.
Groups can be a source of support in situations where the patient finds a lack of support through personal channels. It can also be a considerable source of input that the patient may not have heard before, which can help them to think outside the box.
Group Therapy Techniques and Activities
There are some things to expect from group therapy sessions. Before getting involved in a psychotherapy session, people should know the general process of a group therapy meeting and some of the different activities that may be used to help members work toward improving their mental health. Each group will also have its own rules, and while many rules will be common from one group to another, some will have rules unique to that group.
Stages of Group Therapy
- Orienting
- Transition
- Cohesiveness
- Working
- Adjourning
Group Therapy Activities for Adults
- Goal setting and discussion
- Two truths and a lie
- Mindfulness exercises
Group Therapy Activities for Kids
- Draw your feelings
- Song or poem writing
- Board games
Group Therapy Rules
- The sharing in the group is confidential and should not be shared outside the group.
- Maintain a “stop rule” so that members feel they still have some privacy.
- No shaming, humiliating, or abuse toward any group member is allowed, including violence or the threats of violence.
- Patients should not be participating while using any substances.
- Personal relationships between patients are not recommended.
- Attendance should be consistent unless dictated by emergency circumstances.
How to Find a Group Therapy Near Me
Before joining a group, you should evaluate it first to see if it will be beneficial for you. Treatment options vary, due to individual circumstances and preferences, and it is important to find what works best for you or your loved one and your unique situation.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Group Therapy
- The group therapy session should reflect a focus on the issues important to you.
- Can you join immediately (open group), or do you have to wait to be accepted (closed group)?
- The group you choose should have other people of a similar age or life experience as yourself.
- You should feel relatively comfortable with the therapist or therapists supervising the group therapy.
- The group should be made up of other patients in a similar stage of recovery.
- Gender identity also plays an important role, as men and women tend to do better in groups limited to their own gender.4
Learn More at Pacific Beach Health
If you feel like there are unaddressed mental health issues in your life and think that group therapy may be the key to working those issues out, reach out to the professionals at Pacific Beach Health today. Schedule a time to participate in some group therapy activities, discuss your concerns in a confidential environment, and immediately start the journey to better mental health.
