What are Therapeutic Groups?
Therapeutic groups are a form of therapy where individuals come together in a group setting to discuss and process personal challenges and emotions with a trained therapist. The concept is intimidating to a lot of people but there can actually be a lot of benefit to utilizing therapy in group form. Aside from support and deeper validation from people having similar experiences, groups also allow us the opportunity to have therapeutic discussions that we may not regularly get to have in every day life or in a one-on-one setting in individual therapy. There is a lot to consider regarding the usefulness and benefits of group therapy.
First, a little more about what groups actually are. Groups typically consist of five to ten people. Managing group size allows space for both observation and reflection as well as the opportunity to communicate with the group without being drowned out by too many participants. Topics in group can focus on a wide range of areas including anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, or grief. Groups can also be provided for specific people such as parents, teens, entrepreneurs or those who have experienced loss among others. A group can really be for anyone and focused on any difficulty that a group of people would like to address together. Meetings typically happen weekly for about 90 minutes but timeframes can vary. Groups can also be open or closed. An open group is a running weekly meeting around a certain focus that can be joined at any time. A closed group has a start and end date and with participants signed up to meet together on a regular schedule from start to finish.
There are many benefits to therapeutic groups including increased support as they provide a group of people to meet with that are on the same journey with you. There is an increased level of normalization and validation being able to discuss hard things with other people who are also having similar experiences. Participants can start to realize that we really are not alone in our struggles and begin to feel a beneficial decrease in isolation and stigma around your specific difficulties. This can be very useful for processing, releasing certain struggles, and for making significant progress toward goals.
Therapeutic groups also help with increasing learning and improving skills. Sometimes it is hard to know even how to discuss difficult topics. Many of us have not had the benefit of being taught how to have harder conversations or confront difficult topics. Therapeutic groups offer a space to learn coping and relational skills, practice those skills, and receive feedback in a safe environment with both a trained professional and peers attempting to improve the same skills. The experience is empowering and really allows many people to begin living very differently outside of group and in day to day life.
Why Not Just a Support Group?
There are three main differences between therapeutic groups and support groups. The initial difference is the focus of each of these groups. Support groups focus on providing encouragement around shared experiences with peers. While therapeutic groups provide the same, there is also the additional focus of providing structured interventions and techniques to help individuals address specific issues including anxiety, depression, and relational issues.
Second, the structure and leadership of the groups are different. Both support groups and therapeutic groups can be structured around a particular topic or issue but therapeutic groups can also include specific goals and interventions. Support groups usually have facilitators or leaders while therapeutic groups are led by trained mental health professionals.
Lastly, the goal of support groups is to provide safe spaces for individuals going through similar experiences to feel supported, validated, and have a space for expressing themselves. In addition to these goals, therapeutic groups encourage psychological and emotional growth, enhance coping skills, improve relationships, and promote overall well-being through using therapeutic interventions.
Support groups are great and really beneficial for a lot of people. The benefit, however, of a therapeutic group is that the experience goes a little further than support and validation. Those things are very important and useful on their own but the benefit of a therapeutic group is the opportunity to also develop and practice skills facilitated by a trained professional. The goal of a therapeutic group is for participants to not just leave feeling seen and heard but also armed with tools to use in other spaces to increase life satisfaction.
Why Can’t I Just Go to Individual Therapy?
Of course, you can. Individual therapy remains a great option for working through personal challenges with professional support. But there are some differences to consider between individual therapy and group therapy depending on what may be useful for you. First, hopefully, I have already established that group therapy is a great place for support and validation which are both useful components of healthy change. Individual therapy is also unconditionally supportive and validating but as the saying goes, the more the merrier. Also, your individual therapist is trained to help with various experiences but groups also offer increased likelihood of engaging with people who have had your specific experience. Sometimes that added benefit can feel really nice.
Individual therapy can also be a bit more costly than groups. While therapists have to maintain paperwork and therapeutic consideration for each member of the group, most still offer a significant discount when providing group therapy versus individual therapy. This allows groups to still offer the benefits of therapy but in a more cost effective way if you are needing to consider your budget.
Confidentiality
One of the biggest concerns I hear from people about groups is confidentiality. That is understandable as there is no way to ensure full confidentiality. But that does not mean that group therapy is unsafe. There are a few things to consider. Each group member is required to sign an agreement of confidentiality before joining the group and the importance of confidentiality is reiterated once members are together in the setting. Each person in the group is also dedicating their time and money to the process and is likely there for their own growth and process in the same way that you are. It is possible, and even likely, that others there will respect confidentiality in the same way that you would.
It is also good to keep in mind that you are able to use discernment in any situation, even therapy. If you do not feel comfortable or if you do not feel ready to share certain parts of your thoughts or feelings, that is okay. Groups can still be useful if you share what feels comfortable for you and hear what others are able to contribute to the discussion. Further, your group therapist will also add useful information and insights to the group also making the process useful.
If you are looking for cost effective therapy or even just other ways of pursuing your own growth and change, groups really are worth the consideration. There are many ways to receive support and pursue your therapeutic process but group therapy can sometimes be overlooked as really great option for reaching personal goals. It may be worth looking around to see what groups could serve and benefit your life.
