Group Therapy

Group therapy can be a helpful supplement to individual therapy. Some groups provide a place for members to work on interpersonal issues such as assertiveness or anger. This is called a “process” group. Other groups offer support for members who share a common experience, such as life transitions or grieving a loss. This is called a “support” group, although some degree of processing also occurs as the members interact with each other. I view group work as a “laboratory” in which members can gather information from each other through observation and feedback and use the information to practice new interpersonal skills or make desired changes in their own lives.

Process Groups

As the group facilitator of a process group, one of my roles is to help the members to become conscious of what’s going on in themselves, how they are interacting with the group, and how the group is functioning as a whole. I also try to help them to become comfortable using the group as a mirror. In a process group a person can ask for feedback about how he or she is being seen and perceived by the other members. For example, when John behaves a certain way, his behavior creates feelings among the other members.

The other members form opinions of John based on their feelings, and respond accordingly. At the same time, John’s behavior affects the way he thinks about himself. John’s opinion of himself may differ from the opinions of the other group members. Without “looking into the mirror,” he has only the image in his own mind of how he comes across to people. If he listens to the feedback from members of the group, he can gain valuable insight into how people out in the world perceive him. Apart from a group therapy experience, people don’t often have the opportunity to obtain this kind of feedback.

Support Groups

A support group offers an opportunity to hear different perspectives of the group‘s common experience. This type of group helps members to acquire new coping skills. When I facilitate this type of group I tend to outline an agenda before the group begins, and I explain what that will be during my interviews with potential group members.

Group sessions are divided between structured time for the session’s planned activity and free time for the members to talk about what may be on their minds. With weekly encouragement from group members, a person can practice new ways of thinking and acting that may make life less stressful and more enjoyable. If processing does occur, I would facilitate it the way I would in a process group.