3 Reasons To Try Group Therapy
“WHY would I want to spend MORE time dedicated to therapy and healing outside of individual? Isn’t my 45 minute weekly crying appointment enough?”
It might seem that way, but the benefits of adding a group therapy experience to your self-care/therapeutic routine are extremely impactful.
Group has been such a rewarding part of my work, and has transformed extremely isolating circumstances for my clients by adding new memories of community and warmth to their life, here are 3 reasons to seek out a group today (all feedback I’ve gotten directly from my group members and from psychoeducation on group!)
It Normalizes Traumatic/Difficult Experiences
“I’ve never heard anyone explain exactly how my trauma made me feel until group.” While all of our experiences are nuanced and unique, there are universal qualities within the experience of trauma and its symptoms. One of the most common phrases we use in group is “that resonates for me because...” While we connect the dots from one emotional experience to another, we decrease feelings of loneliness, isolation, and a general sense of being “crazy.”
2. It Helps Us Feel Good Through Giving Back & Showing Support
How good does it feel to help someone else? When group members are in group for a while, they learn about their trauma and have shared experiences with group members that they then can then pass on, model and teach to new group members as they enter group. It’s been a really beautiful thing as a group leader to watch group members shift from “the quiet one” to “the leader” which can also boost self-esteem!
3. It Models Consistency & Commitment in Relationships
I have group members that have stayed in group for years, always showing up for themselves and others. There is sometimes a deeper level of commitment to the group than there is to individual therapy– and I hear that feedback from group members: “I didn’t have anything I particularly wanted to share tonight but I wanted to come to listen and support.” Just the presence of one another week in and week out builds up the message “you matter to me, your feelings are important, you are worthy of taking up space.”
Email me if you’re interested in trying group therapy at: lauren@leltherapy.com