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      • Bipolar Disorder Symptoms | Causes | Diagnosis
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  • Our Therapists
  • What We Treat
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  • Resources
    • Addiction Guide
      • Adderall Guide | Side Effects
      • Alcohol Addiction
      • Benzodiazepines
      • Cocaine Withdrawal
      • Fentanyl Guide | Addiction Treatment
      • Heroin Addiction Guide
      • Meth Guide
      • Online Alcoholics Anonymous
      • Oxycodone Guide
      • Tramadol Guide | Side Effects | Addiction Treatment
      • Xanax Guide
      • How a Substance Abuse Counselor Helps
      • Spirituality in Addiction Treatment  
    • Behavioral Health
      • How can counseling help depression?
      • Treatments for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
    • Bipolar Disorder
      • Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment
      • Is bipolar disorder genetic and triggered later on?
      • Is cognitive therapy effective for bipolar disorder?
    • Children & Adolescents Guide
      • 10 Warning Signs of Teenage Mental Illness
      • Munchausen Syndrome
      • How Does Social Media Affect Teenagers’ Mental Health?
      • Oppositional Defiant Disorder
      • Spotting Types of Depression in Children
      • Teen Suicide
      • Top Tips For Parents
      • Video Game Therapy for ADHD
      • What is a Residential Mental Health Facility for Teenagers Like
      • Why Is Mental Health on the Rise Amongst Teenagers?
    • Is Social Media Ruining Our Self-Esteem? 
    • Mental Health Guide
      • COVID Counseling to Battle Mental Health Issues
      • Guide to Anxiety Medication
      • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
      • High Functioning Depression | Signs | Symptoms
      • How Can We Prevent Mental Illness in Youth?
      • How Do You Help Someone with Avoidant Personality?
      • How Does Online Counseling Work for Mental Health?
      • How Can a Mental Health Counselor Help
      • Mental Breakdown
      • Schizoid Personality Disorder
      • Postpartum Depression
      • Types of Mood Disorders
      • The Toll of Grief and How to Cope with It
      • What are The Major Affective Disorders?
      • What Cognitive Psychology Teaches Us About How We Think
      • What Is Clinical Mental Health Counseling
      • What are mental health symptoms you should never ignore?
      • What is Bipolar II Disorder? Symptoms and Treatment
      • What is the Difference Between Manic and Hypomanic?
      • What is schizoaffective disorder?
      • Is seasonal affective disorder (SAD) a mental illness?
      • What is substance induced mood disorder?
      • Is Depression a Permanent Mental Disorder?
      • What is the prognosis for Major Depressive Disorder?
    • Marriage Counseling | Benefits
    • Pandemic Related Issues
      • COVID Counseling to Battle Mental Health Issues
      • Work Stress Post-Pandemic
      • Shocking Growth of Anxiety During the Pandemic
    • Relationship Issues
      • How to deal with toxic relationship?
      • How does a toxic relationship affect your mental health?
      • What is gaslighting in a relationship?
      • What is the best way to help a partner who has trust issues?
      • What’s the best way to work out relationship problems?
      • 10 ways to improve communication in relationships
    • Spirituality in Addiction Treatment  
    • Therapy
      • Can I See a Psychiatrist Without a Referral?
      • DBT Therapy for Adolescents
      • DCBT- Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
      • Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat OCD
      • Do I Need a Referral to See a Therapist?
      • Family Therapy: Definition, Types, Techniques, and Efficacy
      • How Can Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) Help Mental Disorders?
      • EMDR Therapy for Mental Health Conditions
      • Psychiatrist vs. Psychologist
      • Is Therapy Covered by Health Insurance?
      • Psychodynamic Therapy vs CBT
      • Psychotherapy
      • SMART Recovery
      • What Can Psychologists Treat
      • What is Group Therapy
      • What is Internal Family Systems Therapy
      • What Is the Role of the Counselor in Family Therapy
      • What Is Psychoanalysis
    • Trauma Bonding With Intimate Partner Violence
    • Teen Mental Health
      • Can a Minor Go to Therapy Without Parents Permission?
      • Teen Co-Occurring Disorders
      • What are the signs of depression in adolescents?
      • warning signs of suicide in adolescents
      • Mental Health Benefits of Exercise in Teens
      • How is the pandemic affecting mental health in teenagers?
    • Types of Disorder
      • Anti-Social Personality Disorder
      • Autism Spectrum Disorder
      • Avoidant Personality Disorder
      • Bipolar Disorder Symptoms | Causes | Diagnosis
      • Diagnosing and Treating an Adjustment Disorder
      • Histrionic Personality Disorder
      • Intermittent Explosive Disorder
      • Paranoid Personality Disorder
    • Veterans Guide
      • Functional Medicine for Military
      • Service Dogs Help Veterans with PTSD
    • Process Addiction
      • Gambling addiction
      • How do you know if you have an addictive personality?
      • What is Impulse-Control Disorder?
      • Process Addiction

What Is Group Therapy?

Group therapy can be incredibly beneficial in helping with and improving mental health concerns. Learn all about this therapy here.

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?

Group Therapy
There has been significant evidence that group therapy is an effective form of treatment. For example, a study examining the efficacy of group therapy for depression over a seven-week period showed a significant improvement in depression symptoms and psychological distress in the participants. Additionally, people reported that the improvements they experienced while participating remained in place three months following the therapy.2 

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

Here are some common rules that most groups implement for their members.3 
  • 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.

Resources

  1. https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/group-therapy
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6533044/
  3. https://www.apadivisions.org/division-49/publications/newsletter/group-psychologist/2011/04/group-procedures
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64215/

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