Group Therapy
“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.” -Yalom
Teens |
Adults |
Parents |
Group FAQs |
Teen Groups
- Date: Fridays 5-630pm
Age Range: 13 to 17
Length: 24 sessions; 90 minutes
Cost: $65 per session
What is DBT?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavioral treatment developed by Marsha Linehan. DBT is a highly structured group treatment that has been adapted specifically for adolescents with emotional instability, unhealthy relationships, and crisis. This group emphasizes developing the use of new skills and strategies so that you may experience a more enriching and fulfilling life. This group requires commitment and a willingness to explore new opportunities.
What is DBT used to treat in adults and adolescents?
DBT has been proven effective in treating the emotional instability and severe behavioral symptoms including self harm & suicidal thoughts. Other symptoms treated include:- Anxiety
- Depression
- Attention issues
- Alcohol/Drug use
- Eating-related issues
- Disruptive behaviors
Course Curriculum:
There are four core modules of DBT:- Interpersonal Effectiveness Module
- Distress Tolerance Module
- Emotional Regulation Module
- Mindfulness Module
- Date: Saturdays at 1-230pm
Age Range: 13 to 17
Length: 8 sessions; 90 minutes
Cost: $65 per session
There are those who struggle with mental health conditions which can be difficult to manage because of how mental health can interfere with our ability to relate to others and the world around us. An underlying feature of our mental health journey is our self-esteem. In the most basic sense, self-esteem is one's overall feeling of his or her self. Self-esteem is not fixed, and can change throughout the lifespan. When self-esteem is decreased, research shows a clear link between the way we feel about ourselves and our overall mental and emotional wellbeing. Here are a few ways that low self-esteem can impact mental health:- Depression
- Anxiety
- Poor relationships
- Poor academics/work/sport performance
How can Healing the SELF-esteem Group help me?
Building your self-esteem has been proven effective in improving the following:- Valuing and liking yourself as a person
- Make healthier decisions and assert yourself
- The ability to recognize your strengths
- Opens possibility to try new or difficult things
- Learn to be kind to yourself
- Letting your past mistakes go without unfairly blaming yourself
- Letting joy into your life
Course Curriculum:
Part1- Session 1: Defining the Self-Esteem, environmental influences to self
- Session 2: Assessing: "What do I think about myself"
- Session 3: Deconstructing Shame & self-defeating beliefs
- Session 4: Assertiveness Training
- Session 5: The Critical "Inner-Voice"
- Session 6: Need for Relationships
- Session 7: Identifying & Reaffirming Boundaries
- Session 8: Living Consciously
Adult Groups
- Date: Saturdays 11-1230pm
Length: 24 sessions total; 90 minutes
Cost: $65 per session
What is DBT?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavioral treatment developed by Marsha Linehan. DBT is a highly structured group treatment that has been adapted specifically for adults and adolescents with emotional instability, unhealthy relationships, and crisis. This group emphasizes developing the use of new skills and strategies so that you may experience a more enriching and fulfilling life. This group requires commitment and a willingness to explore new opportunities.
What is DBT used to treat in adults and adolescents?
DBT has been proven effective in treating the emotional instability and severe behavioral symptoms including self harm & suicidal thoughts. Other symptoms treated include:- Anxiety
- Depression
- Attention issues
- Alcohol/Drug use
- Eating-related issues
- Disruptive behaviors
Course Curriculum:
There are four core modules of DBT:- Interpersonal Effectiveness Module
- Distress Tolerance Module
- Emotional Regulation Module
- Mindfulness Module
- Date: Thursdays at 630pm to 8pm
Length: 8 weeks; 90 minutes
Cost: $65 per session
Betrayal trauma is most often associated with relational infidelity in couple relationships. However, there can be other types of events that create betrayal trauma. Most often, secrecy and deception are more than likely involved in the experience of betrayal. This group helps to heal the deep wounds of betrayal.
Course Curriculum:- Session 1: Defining Betrayal, Reactions to Betrayal, Consequences of Betrayal
- Session 2: Internal Dialogue & Impact of Self-Image
- Session 3: Relating to Others After Betrayal
- Session 4: Rebuilding Trust & Healing Betrayal Trauma
- Sessions 5-8: Processing the Trauma
- Date: Coming soon
Length: 8 weeks; 90 mins.
Cost: $65 per session
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavioral treatment based on the idea that suffering comes from feeling emotional pain but from our attempts to avoid that pain. ACT is suitable to treat many mental health disorders including trauma-related disorders. The overall goal of ACT is to help people be both open and willing to experience their inner feelings while they focus attention on living a meaningful life.
Course Curriculum:- Session 1: Introduction to ACT, The Pain of PTSD, & PTSD Beliefs & Behavior
- Session 2: Willingness & Mindfulness
- Session 3: Fusion vs. Defusion/Practicing Defusion
- Session 4: Personal Values & Values Worksheet
- Session 5: Values-Based Exposure
- Session 6: Decision Points & Imagining Next Exposure Values-Based Action Goals
- Session 7: Observing Self & Observing the Trauma
- Session 8: Committed Action & Wrap-Up
Parent Groups
- Date: Coming soon
Length: 4 weeks; 90 mins
Cost: $65 per session
Do you feel like you're constantly arguing with your child? Does it feel like nothing you do makes a difference with your child's behavior? Often times, parents struggle to find the best strategy in managing their child's behavioral problems. To see our kids overcome and thrive, parents are the most influential agents of change. This group teaches parents evidenced-based behavioral techniques & tools to implements in the home and begin the journey of building healthy relationships with their child.
Course Curriculum:- Session 1: Laying the Groundwork for Change
- Session 2: The End of Arguing
- Session 3: Putting Consequences into Action
- Session 4: Creating Change & Addressing Substance Use
- Date: Coming soon
Length: 4 weeks; 90 mins
Cost: $65 per session
The process of divorce is an emotional experience and finding the best way to co-parent can seem exhausting. There are so many things to consider beyond the custodial agreement and with each consideration, requires both parents to communicate effectively and compromise fairly. This group serves to "iron out" the path to a healthier co-parenting experience.
Course Curriculum:- Session 1: What's affecting your co-parenting?
- Session 2: Effective Parenting Communication
- Session 3: Discussing Divorce with Your Child
- Session 4: Creating Healthy Co-Parents
Group FAQs
What is Group Therapy?
Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy treatment that involves one or more therapists working with several people at the same time. This form of treatment are accessible at a variety of locations such as private practices, outpatient clinics, hospitals, and community centers. Group treatments are versatile because it can be used alone or integrated into comprehensive treatment plan including individual therapy and/or medication.
Groups typically consist of four to 10 members and meet up to 90 minutes on a weekly basis. As the therapist facilitates the discussion, group members talk about how they feel in relation to each other. In support groups, members focus more on what's happening in their lives outside the group.
What are the Benefits of Group Therapy?
There are FIVE major benefits of attending group therapy:
1) Group therapy teaches you that you're NOT alone
Often times, people feel alienated by their personal struggles. How someone struggles is felt and experienced uniquely to the individual. Even though people come with their own set of circumstance, none of us are alone in our struggle. As people develop the courage to seek treatment, group therapy reduces isolation and alienation. Further, this form of therapy normalizes mental health and increases the sense that “we’re all in this together.”
2) Group therapy promotes finding your "voice"
It is a common belief that "private things should remain private." While this may be true, keeping our personal struggles to ourselves can cause negative consequence, especially for our mental health. Group therapy allows you to become aware of your own feelings/thoughts/needs. Expressing them to a supportive audience creates a deeper level of understanding, a decrease in the pressure of your struggle, and feeling more empowered.
3) Group therapy helps you to relate to others (and yourself) in a healthier way
When you're struggling with your mental health and trying different ways to cope, it can be quite frustrating when you don't see any changes. People often don't understand why their attempts aren’t working. Being in a safe atmosphere of group therapy, members can get honest feedback from others who care about them. Group therapy provides an opportunity for the member to see how they relate to others in the moment and how they relate to themselves.
4) Group therapy provides support, feedback, and connection
One of the many misconceptions about group therapy is that members take turns receiving individual therapy from the therapist while others observe. Instead, the therapist helps to encourage group members to actually to turn to each other for support, feedback, and connection.
5) Group therapy serves as a safe haven
When members struggle in being authentic and speaking up for themselves in their lives, group therapy creates opportunities to practice new skills within a supportive community. As members begin to master what they have learned, their confidence for practicing them outside the group grows. Moreover, members are able to "carry" their groups’ support with them between sessions, making it easier to take risks.
Which Type of Group is Right for Me?
It is a popular belief that all groups are the same. However, there are several different kinds of groups, especially in the group's structure and goal. Here are three major types of therapeutic groups:
1) Psychoeducational Groups:
These types of groups consists of a structured learning format to teach group members behavioral skills. Most who seek this kind of group are high-functioning and desires in-depth knowledge in a specific area, such as parenting skills or anger management. The role of the group leader is similar to a teacher that provides factual information, leads discussions, and guides members in the application of new techniques/tools into their lives.
2) Counseling Groups:
These types of groups are tailored toward the interpersonal processes and problem solving strategies. Similar to psychoeducational groups, members are well-functioning and they are searching for opportunities for personal growth. The premise of this group is for group members to support and challenge one another to self-reflect on their process. The role of the group leader facilitates in a non-directive approach to promote group member's autonomy in self-exploration.
3) Psychotherapy Groups:
These types of groups primarily focuses on the reduction of psychological problems. This kind of group is oriented toward the resolution of chronic issues and severe psychological disorders. The interactions among group members brings about change based on the quality of supportive and caring connections, while confronting difficulties within each member. Similar to counseling groups, the role of the therapist is to be more of a facilitator rather than a teacher while delving deeper into the members' experiences.
What if I Have a Hard Time Opening Up in Group?
Sharing our most intimate information can feel very intimating because we're allowing others to see our personal struggles and day-to-day challenges. The fear of opening up is quite common and it can be even more overwhelming when you're discussing your personal journey to a group of strangers. It is quite normal to feel uneasy and embarrassed when you're first joining a group. When you're committed to change, you can find that you're willing to go out of the box to seek new ways of healing. Thus, when you engage in group therapy, you will develop feelings of interest and trust. Many people have found group therapy to be helpful because they took a risk and opened up. While opening up is important, YOU get to decide on what you're willing to share in group.
Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy treatment that involves one or more therapists working with several people at the same time. This form of treatment are accessible at a variety of locations such as private practices, outpatient clinics, hospitals, and community centers. Group treatments are versatile because it can be used alone or integrated into comprehensive treatment plan including individual therapy and/or medication.
Groups typically consist of four to 10 members and meet up to 90 minutes on a weekly basis. As the therapist facilitates the discussion, group members talk about how they feel in relation to each other. In support groups, members focus more on what's happening in their lives outside the group.
What are the Benefits of Group Therapy?
There are FIVE major benefits of attending group therapy:
1) Group therapy teaches you that you're NOT alone
Often times, people feel alienated by their personal struggles. How someone struggles is felt and experienced uniquely to the individual. Even though people come with their own set of circumstance, none of us are alone in our struggle. As people develop the courage to seek treatment, group therapy reduces isolation and alienation. Further, this form of therapy normalizes mental health and increases the sense that “we’re all in this together.”
2) Group therapy promotes finding your "voice"
It is a common belief that "private things should remain private." While this may be true, keeping our personal struggles to ourselves can cause negative consequence, especially for our mental health. Group therapy allows you to become aware of your own feelings/thoughts/needs. Expressing them to a supportive audience creates a deeper level of understanding, a decrease in the pressure of your struggle, and feeling more empowered.
3) Group therapy helps you to relate to others (and yourself) in a healthier way
When you're struggling with your mental health and trying different ways to cope, it can be quite frustrating when you don't see any changes. People often don't understand why their attempts aren’t working. Being in a safe atmosphere of group therapy, members can get honest feedback from others who care about them. Group therapy provides an opportunity for the member to see how they relate to others in the moment and how they relate to themselves.
4) Group therapy provides support, feedback, and connection
One of the many misconceptions about group therapy is that members take turns receiving individual therapy from the therapist while others observe. Instead, the therapist helps to encourage group members to actually to turn to each other for support, feedback, and connection.
5) Group therapy serves as a safe haven
When members struggle in being authentic and speaking up for themselves in their lives, group therapy creates opportunities to practice new skills within a supportive community. As members begin to master what they have learned, their confidence for practicing them outside the group grows. Moreover, members are able to "carry" their groups’ support with them between sessions, making it easier to take risks.
Which Type of Group is Right for Me?
It is a popular belief that all groups are the same. However, there are several different kinds of groups, especially in the group's structure and goal. Here are three major types of therapeutic groups:
1) Psychoeducational Groups:
These types of groups consists of a structured learning format to teach group members behavioral skills. Most who seek this kind of group are high-functioning and desires in-depth knowledge in a specific area, such as parenting skills or anger management. The role of the group leader is similar to a teacher that provides factual information, leads discussions, and guides members in the application of new techniques/tools into their lives.
2) Counseling Groups:
These types of groups are tailored toward the interpersonal processes and problem solving strategies. Similar to psychoeducational groups, members are well-functioning and they are searching for opportunities for personal growth. The premise of this group is for group members to support and challenge one another to self-reflect on their process. The role of the group leader facilitates in a non-directive approach to promote group member's autonomy in self-exploration.
3) Psychotherapy Groups:
These types of groups primarily focuses on the reduction of psychological problems. This kind of group is oriented toward the resolution of chronic issues and severe psychological disorders. The interactions among group members brings about change based on the quality of supportive and caring connections, while confronting difficulties within each member. Similar to counseling groups, the role of the therapist is to be more of a facilitator rather than a teacher while delving deeper into the members' experiences.
What if I Have a Hard Time Opening Up in Group?
Sharing our most intimate information can feel very intimating because we're allowing others to see our personal struggles and day-to-day challenges. The fear of opening up is quite common and it can be even more overwhelming when you're discussing your personal journey to a group of strangers. It is quite normal to feel uneasy and embarrassed when you're first joining a group. When you're committed to change, you can find that you're willing to go out of the box to seek new ways of healing. Thus, when you engage in group therapy, you will develop feelings of interest and trust. Many people have found group therapy to be helpful because they took a risk and opened up. While opening up is important, YOU get to decide on what you're willing to share in group.
© Essential Psychotherapy Services LLC 2018