What is Group Psychotherapy?
The ability to form and maintain good relationships is at the very foundation of our mental health.
Group psychotherapy is a form of therapy that can be as effective as (and at times more so) individual therapy for a number of presenting problems and situations. For some, group therapy is actually the treatment of choice and can provide benefits that individual therapy alone cannot. Group therapy provides an exceptional opportunity to learn about oneself and the manner in which one engages in interpersonal relationships. This form of therapy helps people become more aware of their emotions and communicate skillfully, with heart and intimacy. Participants learn to be more authentic, real, and forthright. By participating in a therapy group, you will learn new skills, change problematic behaviors, and learn more effective ways of coping with isolation, depression or anxiety. Group therapy can help you gain access to your feelings, understand them, and use them constructively. Participation in group can decrease feelings of isolation, increase emotional awareness, improve communication skills, and enhance your interpersonal effectiveness.
The groups that I lead in my practice are primarily “interpersonal process” groups. They are not structured classes with a set weekly agenda. Participants are invited to talk about whatever is on their mind, how they are feeling, and their reactions to what is happening in the group. By talking, listening, and interacting with others, I believe that you can learn the most about who you are, how you “do” relationships, and what is effective or ineffective in developing emotionally close relationships. The focus is on the “here and now” of group interactions and the relationship dynamics unfolding in the group. The key is to talk about what you think, how you feel at that moment, what you are feeling toward others, and why. Everyone is encouraged to discover how to express their own emotional truths as their feelings emerge through dynamic interactions within the group.
Group therapy can be exhilarating, productive, and at times quite challenging. There may be some discomfort and it is common to feel some apprehension when beginning. Group is not, however, a forced confessional. Participation is about dialogue and learning to share what you might otherwise keep hidden from others. Most importantly, group is about learning to explore your feelings in the moment, studying your impact on others, and cultivating the ability to be true to yourself while staying present with others. Group members often report a greater degree of emotional freedom and interpersonal availability.
In joining a therapy group, you will be taking an important step toward improving your life satisfaction and enhancing the overall quality and emotional depth of your relationships. Group therapy teaches us to recognize our habitual, defensive patterns and move beyond them in order to achieve honesty, intimacy, and meaningful connection. There is something amazingly powerful that happens when we truly acknowledge the humanity of ourselves and just have a simple, pure conversation with someone else.
