Group Therapy
You really should try this (at least once)…
Groups are a powerful and, in my opinion, underappreciated form of therapy.
Groups tend to be especially helpful for people who feel motivated to make improvements in areas of their lives that relate to other people.
So many people are experiencing loneliness or isolation and have trouble making connections because of old habits and patterns. The patterns might be about trust or anger or competition, but what they have in common is that they are in relation to others.
A group can be enormously helpful to identify and work through these patterns and habits – and try new ways of being. For many people nothing is more terrifying than vulnerability. If we continue to look at this feeling, we will probably find a deep fear of being inadequate – or even unlovable. Our need for love is ingrained. It’s primal. And again, it’s relational.
A group is an opportunity to experience what it’s like to be seen, heard, accepted, and celebrated. Maybe even for the first time.
The benefit of other people’s experiences and insights…
You can see that (and how) other people have made it through similar challenges, and you can experience the benefit of seeing how your experience provides support to others.
A group is an effective way to counteract the feeling that you’re alone for feeling certain ways… or for having certain kinds of thoughts or impulses.
It can be hugely comforting to know that the human experience is more shared than we often realize.
A powerful mirror…
Many people do not receive the kind of attentive reflection from parents or guardians needed to help them grow up with a sense of their own strengths, skills, and qualities. A group can provide this kind of reflection.
It can also help you see your patterns and habits of which you might not be aware. To experience this kind of reflection in a safe and caring space is often a new experience for people, and it makes it easier to receive feedback that can help you grow.
A great place to practice communication and relationship skills…
It’s like a laboratory for life…
You can try things out, get feedback, and process your reactions in a contained space where the goal is understood.
You can learn new behaviors and ways of interacting from other group members and the therapist that you may not have had modeled to you before.
A group offers you a sense of belonging…
… an experience of being seen and appreciated as a part of something bigger than yourself.
It gives you the chance to practice vulnerability and reaching out.
It is there to support you and remind you that you have agency over your own life and choices.
Connect with me to learn more about group therapy!
Call (415) 408-6020 or email me to learn more about any upcoming group or to let me know if there is a theme you’d like to see offered as a group. I’d love to hear from you!
I will be posting upcoming groups here with information about the theme and logistical details.