Description

Advantages of Group Therapy 1. Group therapy helps you realize we're all in this together. According to Irving Yalom in The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, many patients enter therapy with the disquieting thought that they are unique in their wretchedness, that they alone have certain frightening or unacceptable problems, thoughts, impulses and fantasies. Group therapy helps you realize you are not alone, that we're all in this together and can help each other by sharing our experiences, strength and hope. This group advantage normalizes suffering and begins the healing process. 2. Group therapy facilitates giving and receiving support. As a group member, you are encouraged to turn to other group members for support, feedback and connection. The counselor merely acts as a facilitator to move the process forward. When one member expresses an emotion or describes some situation which is bothering him, the group supports him by listening, asking questions and giving feedback, all of which reduce isolation and loneliness. 3. Group therapy helps you find your voice. People who struggle with addiction, trauma and PTSD find it difficult to express feelings, instead hiding them into neat little "boxes" in their brain. In group therapy, you are encouraged to talk about your feelings and to learn that feelings do not have to be acted up. You can simply let the feeling pass instead of numbing out with substances, food, sex, shopping or gambling. By expressing feelings in interpersonal relationships, you will strengthen the trust between you and your partner. 4. Group therapy helps you relate to others (and yourself) in healthier ways. By interacting emotionally with other group members, you will experience new and healthier ways to interact with other people and yourself. By receiving feedback from others about how they relate to you, you become aware of ways to find out who you really are emotionally and how to use your voice to improve your relationships. 5. Group therapy provides accountability. Part of the group process is meeting weekly to review what has transpired in each group member?s life. Sometimes the way people interact in group parallels the way they act toward others in the outside world. The idea of having to come before a group each week and be held accountable is a powerful deterrent against acting out behaviors.