Group Therapy

Group therapy is simply doing therapy with other people in a similar situation. It can be used apart from individual therapy or used in conjunction with an individualized treatment plan.

In this article we’ll cover everything you need to know about group therapy, including:

• Goals of group therapy
• Benefits of it
• Types of group therapy
• Why It works for addiction

Goals of Group Therapy

Group therapy targets a specific problem. This could be:

• Addiction
• Eating disorders
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Narcissism
• Chronic pain
• Multiple sclerosis
• So much more

The point for each of these groups is to address the problems directly.

Some more goals of group therapy are support, community, and accountability. One huge advantage of experiencing therapy with other people is meeting people who are going through a similar experience.

During group therapy, members will engage with one another and offer support to each other. That aspect will come up a lot in this article, and that’s because it can’t be overstated.

How are Groups Formed?

Groups are formed through group therapy stages. These stages are:

• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
• Adjourning

These stages aren’t typically talked about during group therapy, but they occur in the background.

Forming

While forming, members are usually fairly reserved while making first impressions. If someone shares during this stage, the information will typically be surface-level.

Storming

Storming is the stage of group therapy where conflict gets involved. During this stage, members adjust their thoughts and approach to the group. There may be some discomfort, but the therapist will work with members to encourage cohesion.

Norming

After conflict and discomfort begin to resolve, the group moves into the norming stage. During this stage, each member feels comfortable sharing honestly. This is where the most helpful sessions occur.

Performing

Once the group members feel comfortable sharing and engaging with the group, the group moves into the performing stage. During this stage, members begin to work within roles and express their individuality.

Adjourning

The final stage of group therapy is adjourning, or ending. During this stage, the group will deal with any unfinished business, evaluate how the group went, and say farewell.

Benefits of Group Therapy

The idea of sharing thoughts and feelings with a group of people can seem like a scary idea. However, group therapy has a lot of benefits that greatly outweigh the nervous feeling you may have.

Learning You’re Not Alone

One of the biggest benefits of group therapy is inherent to the concept of group therapy—meeting people in a similar situation to you. ‍

Mental illness can cause feelings of isolation. You’re the only one living with your thoughts, so it’s easy to think you’re alone in your struggle. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yes, you are the only you, but people tend to share similar experiences. Hearing how other people have struggled with something similar to you can help you get out of the isolation you may be experiencing.

Receiving and Giving Help

While individual therapy is tremendously helpful, it may not teach you how to help others.

Group therapy encourages members to give support and receive support from the other members. While someone shares their experience the other members are asked to listen actively and engage with the person sharing.

Receiving support from a therapist is expected; getting support from peers is an unexpected reward.

Hearing From Diverse Perspectives

You may not be aware of this, but you have a very specific perspective of who you are, what your struggle is, and what you need. When you attend group therapy, you’ll hear perspectives from people who come from different backgrounds.

Hearing different perspectives on what you’re experiencing can help you see your situation differently—and therefore respond differently.

Types of Group Therapy

Group therapy is an umbrella term for kinds of therapies that can be done in a group setting. There are a lot of different ways therapy can happen in a group setting. When attending a treatment program, you’re likely to engage with several of these.

Skills-Based Groups

Skills-based group therapy helps members gain important skills like:

• Coping mechanisms
• Emotional control
• Socialization techniques

These skills are important for creating healthy habits and building a healthy lifestyle. During these sessions, members will learn about healthy skills and how to use them. They might do role-playing exercises or other practices to help establish healthy skills. 

‍Process-Oriented Groups

Process-oriented group therapy is what people typically think about when they hear group therapy.

This kind of group therapy focuses on sharing experiences with the other members. This includes receiving encouragement from the other members and sharing support with one another.

These sessions look like each member sharing thoughts, feelings, and experiences with the other members. The practitioner might ask everyone an open-ended question for the group to engage with.

Cognitive Behavioral Groups

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the standard form of therapy used to treat a wide range of mental health issues.

CBT can be used in a group setting to examine their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors together. This can have some great benefits, including helping participants with relational difficulties.

This therapy looks similar to process-oriented groups, with each member sharing their experiences with everyone else in the group. However, this modality specifically focuses on the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

‍Self-Help Groups

Self-help groups are typically weekly meetings that anyone can attend. They’re not a formal treatment, but we encourage anyone who isn’t in our in-patient program to attend.

Community is at the core of self-help groups. Attendees are asked to share openly and offer support to the other members of the group. The largest benefit for these kinds of groups is the focus they have on building a support group for members of the group.

These groups come in a plethora of topics. Finding one for what you’re experiencing won’t be hard. Here are some of the most common self-help groups.

Alcoholics Anonymous 

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the first self-help group. It was founded in the early 1930s and began the 12-step trend.

It’s built on a spiritual foundation, but non-religious people can benefit from the material. AA mentions a “greater power”, but it leaves that term up for interpretation for its members. They include god, spiritual principles, nature, or the fellowship itself as being a higher power people can look to.

For some, AA is a very effective program. It creates a strong sense of community and for some, that can be incredibly helpful.

12-Step Programs

The 12-step approach AA founded has been applied to several other addictions and mental health illnesses.

This can range anywhere from Caregivers Anonymous to Workaholics Anonymous. These programs can be incredibly specific, and they help people understand that they are not alone in their struggles and find support.

Topical Peer Support Groups

Support groups offer help for specific issues or topics.

This can include specific addictions, but they also cover topics like PTSD, trauma survivors, suicide survivors, and even survivors of specific natural disasters, wartime, and acts of terrorism.

Similar to other self-help groups, these groups help people who have lived through a traumatic experience or who are living with a chronic illness find peer support. Not all of them prescribe the 12-step approach but instead offer a place for people to share their experiences and grow together.

Why Group Therapy Works for Addiction

Research has consistently demonstrated that group therapy can lead to significant improvements in various aspects of recovery, including:

• Reduced substance use
• Improved mental well-being
• Enhanced social functioning 

Shared experiences and mutual support provide a powerful therapeutic environment. Group therapy creates a collaborative dynamic that complements individual therapy approaches.

Combats Feelings of Loneliness and Isolation

Addiction fuels feelings of loneliness and isolation, leading individuals to withdraw from social connections and support systems. Group therapy counteracts this isolation by providing a space for individuals to connect with others who understand their struggles. 

Builds a Supportive Network

Group therapy allows individuals to build a supportive network of peers who are also working towards recovery. The relationships formed within the group can provide ongoing support, encouragement, and accountability outside of therapy sessions. 

Enhances Interpersonal Skills

Addiction often strains interpersonal relationships. Any discord or disputes can lead to difficulties with:

• Communication
• Conflict resolution
• Emotional regulation 

Group therapy provides a structured setting for individuals to practice and improve their interpersonal skills. 

Through interactions with other group members, participants can learn effective interpersonal skills, including:

• Communication techniques
• Empathy
• Active listening
• Conflict management. 

These skills not only benefit their relationships within the group but also extend to their interactions with family, friends, and colleagues outside of therapy.

Motivation and Inspiration

Group therapy offers a source of motivation and inspiration for individuals in recovery. Hearing the stories of others who have overcome addiction and witnessing their progress can inspire hope. 

Group Therapy At Sequoia Behavioral Health

At Sequoia Behavioral Health we develop our own curriculum for group therapy. We use a mix of therapy modalities and various parts of psychoeducation to make group therapy as beneficial to members as possible.

These are some of the things we include in our group therapy curriculum.

Experiential Therapy

Experiential therapy increases the efficacy of other treatments and gives people a new outlook on what “therapy” can be. As the name suggests, this treatment is all about experiences. It can involve several activities including:

• Art therapy
• Psychodrama 
• Guided meditation 
• Adventure therapy
• Writing and poetry therapy

Experiential therapy will probably get you out of your comfort zone, but it also teaches you that you can do more than you would think.

Learn more about experiential therapy at Sequoia.

Psychoeducation

Psychoeducation is a part of most therapies, group or otherwise. It’s a way to educate people about their diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and everything in between. 

In a group therapy session, members will learn about mental health together. It’s found that when psychoeducation is used it will lower relapse rates, increase self-care behaviors, and make symptom management better.

Learn more about psychoeducation at Sequoia.

Sound Baths

Loud noises and areas with lots of sounds coming from different directions can cause people to feel overwhelmed and stressed. Music can evoke feelings of sadness, elation, or stress. All that to say, sound is moving.

Sound baths tap into how sound can move us by creating precise sound frequencies that have healing properties. At SBH, our sound healer uses instruments like Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, and tuning forks to create soundscapes that naturally cause the body to slow down and relax.

Learn more about sound baths at Sequoia.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Within our programming, we include additional aspects of psychoeducation that pertain to the bigger picture of life. 

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a framework that explains the natural ordering of motivations that humans have. For example, for someone to be motivated to create art, they first need a stable base of fulfilled basic needs like food and shelter.

According to Maslow, when basic needs aren’t met, people will experience physical or mental illness. Learning about the hierarchy of needs can help people understand areas where their needs aren’t being met, and give context for their mental health struggles.

‍Learn more about counseling based on Maslow’s hierarchy at Sequoia.

Other Group Therapy Programming at Sequoia Behavioral Health

We include much more in our group therapy programming. Learn more about them here:

• Internal family systems
• Jungian psychotherapy
• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
• Recreational therapy

Starting Treatment At Sequoia Behavioral Health

Sequoia Behavioral Health creates evidence-based treatment programs for mental health and addiction that treat the whole body. That makes our programming different than most.

Once you arrive at our residential facility our intake process will help us build a unique program that fits your needs. This includes individual therapies as well as group therapies.

Schedule a call or contact us directly to ask any questions or begin the process of beginning treatment at Sequoia Behavioral Health.