3 Reasons To Consider Group Therapy Support
I’ll never forget my first ever experience with group therapy support. One year into my individual therapy process as a client, my therapist suggested I sign up for a twelve-week long relational-psychodynamic therapy group he was starting up.
Little did I know at the time that this initial twelve-week commitment would expand, and that group processing would become an instrumental part of my healing journey well into and throughout my psychotherapy training.
Psychotherapists who use a relational lens believe that for those of us whose emotional injuries in life occurred in our relationship to others, that healing can happen by having new experiences in current day relationships. This can happen one on one with a therapist of course, but for some, the plentier the voices such as in group therapy support, the faster the internalization of others’ compassion, curiosity, or new ways of thinking. We may even be able to take these voices into our lives after a group therapy’s conclusion.
Group therapies that are experiential in nature invite us to have new or corrective experiences with others in real time, where we can test our assumptions, and make internal corrections around how we feel others might view us or how we experience others. They may also invite us to talk through our ruptures with people and give us the opportunity to repair them in an environment controlled and lead by a trained therapist.
Even if a group therapy is more skills based, it can still be assuring to feel part of a collective putting in the effort for a more positive or balanced experience in life.
Read on further for some potential advantages to considering a group therapy process. Just as in individual therapy, not every therapist’s approach will work for you; you may reach out to several practitioners for a consultation about their process before deciding.
Real Time Reality Testing
Without always being cognizant of it, we may bring in unconscious opinions or narratives about ourselves and other people into our relationships and day to day interactions. When these go unquestioned or unexplored, they may cause friction in relating and impact our self experience. Relational group therapies invite their participants to investigate these beliefs and how they’ve been informed by past experiences. In our professional lives, our families, our partnerships or our friendships, we might not be able or feel free to pursue these conversations. Group therapy can offer a dedicated relational space to test some of our long-held ideas about ourselves and others.
Opportunities for Relational Processing
Our lives outside of the therapeutic setting may not always afford us the opportunities to address or confront our discomfort with others, reasons why that might be arising, hurt feelings and resentments, or misunderstandings. In relational group therapy however, relational risk taking is typically encouraged, both to understand others’ impact on us and our impact on others so that we may move about the world with greater awareness of our vulnerabilities, thinking patterns, automatic appraisals, and where we could make improvements. They may also invite us to practice having these conversations outside of the therapy room in a way that is appropriate and effective.
Affordability
It is not uncommon to find group sessions at a more affordable rate than individual or one-to-one sessions, in some cases making psychotherapy more accessible financially. That said, some psychotherapists who lead groups may require or recommend that their clients be engaged in individual work alongside their group work to safeguard well being and ensure they have external support for working through relational triggers that may arise.
Whether you’re looking for support with your self-view and self-perception, your experience in relationships, or shifting the narrative of your past to see yourself and others clearer, group therapy support may offer a secure space for taking those desired steps.
Group Therapy FAQs
What is group therapy support, and how is it different from individual therapy?
Group therapy support is a form of psychotherapy where a small group of individuals meet regularly with one or more trained therapists to explore emotions and relationships. While individual therapy focuses on one-on-one interactions between you and your therapist, group therapy adds the dynamic of learning from and connecting with others. This shared space can amplify learning by enabling participants to test assumptions, receive real-time feedback, and experience support from multiple perspectives.
How can group therapy help with relationship challenges or self-perception?
Many of our emotional wounds come from past relationships, so healing within a relational space—like group therapy—can be incredibly effective. Group therapy offers the chance to explore how you relate to others, how others perceive you, and how your beliefs about yourself were shaped by earlier experiences. In a safe, therapist-led environment, you can practice new ways of connecting, address misunderstandings, and build more balanced and compassionate views of yourself and others.
Is group therapy more affordable than individual therapy?
In many cases, it can be. Group therapy sessions are often offered at a lower rate than individual sessions. However, some therapists may recommend that clients participate in both individual and group therapy simultaneously to ensure they have the support they need—especially when working through deeper relational patterns.