The benefits of group psychotherapy
Group
Psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy in which a small number of
people meet together, weekly, under the guidance of a professionally trained
therapist to help themselves and one another.
Most of us have been and are members
of many groups, including our family of origin, friend groups, sports teams,
work groups and many other formal and informal groups. We grow and develop in
these environments and, depending on the quality of our initial group
experiences, we can develop relational patterns that range from healthy to
destructive. As we grow older and move farther away from our families of
origin, we often find ourselves in hauntingly familiar roles, which can be
mysterious, perplexing and often painful. It can be confusing when you were
labeled as the “pushover,” in your family as a child and still find yourself
having a hard time saying, “No” to anyone in your family…even as an adult, and
then to have the same dynamics happen at work. How does this happen?
Why do we find ourselves in similar roles, with family, work and
friends…especially when they are painful?
These are important questions to ask
ourselves. Individual therapy can help you identify patterns, develop
coping skills and strategies to navigate through tricky relationships. However,
I believe that individual psychotherapy has limitations. One major limitation
is that therapists are limited to the client’s report of his/her thoughts,
feelings and behaviors of every situation. Frankly, when we are in
familiar patterns that are loaded with emotion, it limits our ability to be
objective reporters, so our therapist gets only a portion of the details.
At Mind Body Co-op, we think of
group psychotherapy as the “lab” portion of your psychological recovery. Group
therapy helps people learn about themselves and others and begins the process
of improving interpersonal relationships. Additionally, group is very
effective in helping group members understand their relationship with shame,
resentment, anxiety, depression, co-dependency and so much more. As a
group psychotherapist, with time, I can begin to see the dynamics that are at
play in the group, between and among the group members in a rich and
dynamically different way. As a member of a group, you will find that you can
experience yourself in action, engaging other members in old, familiar ways.
Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, you can experience the response (to
your thoughts, feelings and behaviors) from others, which is very likely
different than what you may have predicted the response to be.
What if you have been holding back
and not showing others who you really are, and then find out in group that
people actually like you more when you are fully authentic?
What if you have been keeping family
secrets for years because of fear of your family disowning you, and/or the
judgements of others? After disclosing the secrets in group, you find that the
group members are grateful for your transparency and are not holding onto
judgements? What if they still value you and want you to remain a part of the
group?
These are just two examples of how
group can provide opportunities for a reparative experience, wherein a group
member can begin to make mental repairs to an old psychological wound. Additionally,
group members can examine their own beliefs and how that impacts their style of
engagement with others, practice new ways of relating to others and experience
some interpersonal and relational success that can be translated to
relationships outside of group.
If you are interested or know
someone how wants to explore group psychotherapy, contact Mind Body Co-op.
We offer 20 groups per week that include many general process groups, as well
as, theme oriented groups, including Trauma Recovery, DBT, Eating Disorder
Recovery, Supervision/Consultation, Professional Development, Somatic
Experiencing, Chronic Pain Relief, Reiki and NIA.
Kellie Rice, Psy.D., CGP
Clinical Director
Mind Body Co-op
Adjunct Professor Adler
University-Chicago
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