February 26, 2021

Therapy Series Part 2: Group Therapy

Group Therapy

I was very skeptical about group therapy as I was an avid one-on-one therapy type person for over a decade. I got into group therapy while attending the UW and have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it can be to share personal events that happened to me with a bunch of strangers. There is a lot of support from peers in having shared experience and having other people vocalize their unconditional support for one another. A major difference between group therapy versus individual therapy is opening the space to allow others to speak and share their experiences. There can be a risk for triggering topics to be brought up by peers, but it is also an open space to express similar feelings, echoing one another, and sharing ideas for how to proceed with challenges. I’m a very extraverted person and social butterfly, that being said with this type of therapy I find it uncomfortable at times as there are moments of silence among everyone that I feel needs to be filled with something. The silence is not necessarily awkward, but it is definitely new and can be shocking for newcomers. One of the main rules in the group I am part of is we don’t give advice to one another and when it is given there is a lot of respect acknowledged that the person may not have asked and can take it if desired. Group therapy is very flexible in that no one is forced to talk or share anything they do not want to, but welcomes people to still listen to others. Group therapy can be tricky to balance depending on the amount of people in said group and ensuring there is enough time for everyone to share who wants to. Just like one-on-one therapy, group therapy is confidential within the group, but you also have a chance to connect with other members and talk outside of the group. This isn’t something for everyone, but I think it is worth giving a shot even if it is just to sit there and listen to other people’s experiences.

What to expect your first visit:

My experience may be different than other people’s as I have only done group therapy with one group. For me I had an initial intake appointment with one of the therapists who leads the group to see if I would be a good fit for the purpose of the group, get to know me as an individual, and go over some of the rules for joining the group. Once I was invited to join the group and attended my first session, everyone introduced themselves and were open to sharing as much or as little as they wanted to about their experience and what brought them to the group. The session then proceeded as it would any other week with check-ins, commentary, and ending with a check-out of what we want to take from the session going into that next week.

Tips:

• Ask questions about the group dynamic
• Group therapy tends to be tailored for a group with some shared experience
• There are moments of silence in between people sharing
• Some schools (such as UW) offer different types of group counseling through the counseling center