Give Group Therapy a Try!
Wouldn’t it be great if getting appropriate mental health care was simple? As a therapist I can appreciate how challenging it can be to find mental health care and the obstacles around it.
Too often, when we sense that something is not right with our mental wellbeing, even though it’s not a crisis that requires immediate intervention, we tend to dismiss our symptoms. Maybe we’ve been experiencing unexplained, lingering sadness, or sudden, unprovoked bursts of rage. We tell ourselves that these episodes will go away on their own. That’s unlikely. But the effort to seek help can seem daunting.
I’ve heard people describe the obstacles. They are embarrassed to ask their friends for referrals to qualified therapists. Some people are wary because they don’t know what psychotherapy will involve. Others hesitate if therapists’ fees are not covered by insurance out of concern the fees may be unaffordable for them. And too many have had negative past experiences in therapy that turn them off from trying again. These concerns can paralyze people and prevent them from addressing treatable conditions such as anxiety, depression and other mood disorders.
Making It Easy
If these or other reasons keep you from seeing a psychotherapist, one idea to reduce some of those barriers would be to start with group therapy. Often when we think of groups, are minds go to those that focus on helping people process grief and cope with addiction. Yet, these are not the only areas of available support. There are a variety of group therapy topics, some very general, like “adult process groups” and others much more specific. Throughout my career as a therapist, I have run many groups across a variety of topics. Groups can often be less intimidating than one-on-one therapy, yet still very effective. That is why I decided to introduce a group to my therapy practice. In just a few weeks, I will be running a virtual group to help clients build better boundaries.
7 Benefits of Group Therapy
There are many benefits of experiencing psychotherapy in a group setting. Here are just a few:
Cost: For private paying clients, you can expect fees for group therapy to be significantly lower than for individualized therapy.
Time: Many group therapy sessions are organized to run once a week for about six or eight weeks. There’s no worry about making a commitment to therapy that does not have an end date.
Support: The presence of other people who are going through the same issues that you are can be comforting and inspiring. You’ll learn from the stories they share, and have a place to tell your own validated.
Focus: Group therapy often singles out key focus areas to improve. This can be a helpful first step or even an addition to more general induvial therapy you have sought.
Feedback: When you work with a group, you can measure your own progress as well as receive feedback from others, which many people benefit from.
Accountability: A good group will offer you the opportunity to hold yourself accountable for making the changes necessary to overcome your mental health issues. Just checking in regularly with others provides you with strength to be honest and the support you need to continue progressing.
Learning: As you work with your group leader and peers, you will learn new skills for coping, and you will gain access to resources you didn’t know existed.
If you’re struggling to decide about getting mental health care and think joining a group might be a manageable next step, I want to invite you to join the group I will be leading starting this November. Our “Building Better Boundaries” is a virtual group open to adults throughout the United States who would like support in creating healthy boundaries. This group is just in time for the holiday season, a time where stress can be at an all-time high, and boundaries are more important than ever.
For more information about this group, please visit the Group Therapy page on my website. If you are interested in enrolling, you can reach out via my contact form or set up a 15-minute phone call with me via Calendly.