Group therapy typically is not the first choice for someone wanting to schedule a therapy session. However, group therapy has a rich history, with the modern practice evolving as recently as the 1940s (Leddick, 2011). It has been influential in helping various populations of people and is a treatment modality for a range of mental health disorders. Group therapy is a strong, evidence-based option wherever a participant may be on their journey!
So what exactly is Group Therapy?
Wellspring Group Therapy:
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Involves 1-2 therapists per group
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4-8 participants
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Group participants relate to a specific mental health topic and are committed to the group process
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Note: Some people decide to attend individual therapy in addition to groups, while others may only participate in a group. Both are good options!
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Sessions are 1.5 hours per each week
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Sessions are conducted live via telehealth at a designated time
Wellspring hosts several groups focused on a different topics including:
Group therapy can be as effective as individual counseling. In a psychotherapy study involving 50 clinical trials comparing patients randomly assigned to individual or group treatment, individual and group therapy produced the same degree of improvement for several disorders (Burlingame, n.d.).
Group Therapy is an affordable cost. Group members share the cost of the therapy session.
How do you know if it’s right for you?
The decision to enter a group is unique to each person. One of Wellspring’s Coping through Covid group participants shared about her experience with joining an online group:
At the peak of COVID, she joined the Coping with COVID (renamed Living Well) group because of loneliness as a result of the quarantine. She initially had doubts about joining a group including a hesitation to be vulnerable with people she didn’t know, safety, and wondering if her problems would be too big for the group to handle. Thankfully, these doubts did not stop her from participating and gaining so much from her group experience. She said, “I’ve gotten a lot of support and encouragement in this group. It’s always good to speak with other people who are going through what you are going through because sometimes they’ll voice an emotion or issue that you have and didn’t even realize it.”
Her encouragement to someone uncertain about joining a group is “to put a little toe in the water, join the group, see what it’s like, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to stay. It’s an experience everyone should have.”
When a group of people who have a common identity and a sense of shared purpose meet together, positive change occurs for the group as a whole and for individuals in the group.
If you are interested in group therapy, head to WellspringMiami.org to find out more and get plugged into a group!
