Five Benefits of Group Therapy

For many people, sharing personal issues in the presence of others can be overwhelming. However, challenging yourself to open up, embrace vulnerability and share your struggles with supportive others can be extremely rewarding. In that same way, group therapy sessions can have huge impacts on the way that you learn to express yourself to others, and can be a key training ground for your relationships with important others in your life.

Not only does participating in group counseling give you an opportunity to talk about your experiences in a safe environment and receive feedback, listening to other group members can help you keep your perspective in check.  A group setting will also allow you to hear how other group members have responded in similar situations, particularly when you’re deciding on what appropriate action to take.

Being in the midst of a group of individuals with a common goal can make for a strong support system. In addition, sharing your experience in a group helps to reduce feelings of isolation, especially upon learning that others feel similar ways and are dealing with similar struggles. 

Why Group Therapy is Important

1.  Universality

It is one of the existential ‘givens of existence’ for humans to struggle with the idea of being alone in this world, feeling deeply isolated from others, and convinced of the uniqueness of their struggle. Thus, group therapy is powerful in that it gives you inside access to a group of people to learn that they too are having a hard time.

Finding belonging in a group of people, both in the therapy room and as a member of the human race whose collective experiences are fraught with joys and difficulties, both helps group members to see that what they are going through is universal and that they are not alone.

2.  Reciprocal Support

Attending group counseling sessions allows you to both give and receive support from others. Receiving support from others promotes bonding and may help to lessen the experience of “I have to do this on my own”. On the other hand, giving support to other group members promotes growth and learning and contributes to one’s sense of self-esteem.

3. Socialization Skills

Group therapy sessions allow you to develop communication and socialization skills in a safe and controlled environment. In psychoeducational groups you may be provided information on these skills directly, or in process-oriented groups, other members act as the regulating body through interactions and in providing feedback.  In addition, sharing your struggles in a group is an important step in learning how to express yourself and accept others’ point of view. 

4. Self-awareness

Group psychotherapy gives you an opportunity to bear witness to the psychological processes of other people. For example, you may connect to some of the issues that another group member is processing, and whether through their willingness to discuss things that you are hesitant about, or through a group member or facilitator’s response, you may become newly aware of the effects of your own experiences. 

5.  Catharsis

Finally, within a community of strangers-turned-confidants, you will be more likely to be able to access those inner regions of your own experience that you may have never shared with anyone previously. Admitting those difficulties aloud in a group setting’s nonjudgmental environment allows you to feel free to express and finally let go of strongly held feelings.

You are likely to leave the group feeling lighter, stronger and clearer. You may also make progress in making sense of what you’re going through, or use the experience as a way of gaining closure, or as a practice round for conversations yet to be had.

It’s not hard to see why group therapy is such an integral part of treatment for substance abuse and dependence, and why we have incorporated it as a large part of our offerings at Peace Club.

Attending group therapy sessions allows you to put to practice what you’ve learned in individual therapy as an amazing compliment to our belief in experiential approaches,  and can be a great place to start your therapeutic journey.