Can group therapy be transformative?

As you may know, in individual therapy, the focus is solely on you and your specific needs and goals. You have the undivided attention of your therapist. Whilst the aim of group therapy is indeed to bring about a degree of personal change by increasing your knowledge and self-awareness, it is the group therapy process that provides a unique experience of insight, support and belonging that in itself can be transformative.

Group therapy offers a unique space to share your experiences. Listening to others talk about theirs may reveal you are not alone with certain frightening or unacceptable problems, thoughts or impulses. Hearing how others cope may provide new ideas or perspectives on your own situation, it may offset stigma or shame, and you may feel relieved that you are not alone in your dilemmas and life experiences. There can be a powerful authenticity that comes from the firsthand experience of others in a way that individual therapy may not be able to do.

Participants in the same group will benefit from different therapeutic factors, and this is the benefit of being in a group held by a qualified psychotherapist.

How does group therapy work?

Therapeutic groups offer an opportunity to learn about how others might see you and the types of interactions you tend to get into with other people. You may, for example, feel that you try too hard to help people, or feel that you never fit in, easily become offended, or that you avoid certain situations because you are concerned about conflict. The group can lessen a sense of isolation, as you realise there are other people in the group who may have had similar experiences and/or difficulties.

Unlike individual psychotherapy, it is possible to take up different roles in a therapy group; you might explore your own feelings in the group, but also be in a position to observe and comment on the struggles of other group members. You may find that you can both help and be helped by others.

Our individual experiences in group settings can be mixed. You may feel that you don’t know who you are in a group situation, that you have no identity, or lots of different contradictory identities. There may have been an issue in your family of rivalry and jealousy between siblings, and these sorts of feelings may get stirred up in other group situations.

As you may be beginning to appreciate, group therapy offers complex and rich opportunities for healing.

Confidentiality in group therapy

Therapeutic groups are not like other groups you may have been part of. They are set up with clear, stated boundaries; a prepared set of guidelines around how the group operates, alongside some expectations of its group members. These are discussed and agreed openly, which ensures a safe space where all group members, who often share some crossover in their aims for being in the group (for example, to learn about themselves), look at how they relate to others and can experiment with something different. 

Are therapy groups for everyone?

A therapeutic group can be a really useful space to reflect if you are feeling curious about the part that you play in what is happening for you in your life. Some therapeutic groups may be theme-based, for example, anxiety or relationship problems, although there is no need to make this a prerequisite for finding one to join.

Generally speaking, the answer to that would be yes, a therapeutic group can be of benefit to many of us. However, if you find yourself in the midst of a crisis or feeling continually overwhelmed, then individual therapy, because it provides a steady and containing space, would possibly feel most beneficial, or if you want a sustained focus on your concerns, then you may decide that individual therapy would most benefit you most.

Groups are run on the same sorts of principles as those seeking individual psychotherapy. For this reason, it is usually considered that anyone who might benefit from individual psychotherapy might also benefit from and consider the group option. However, you do not need to be in individual therapy to benefit from group therapy.