Group Therapy 101: What It Is and How It Can Transform Your Life
Group therapy is a transformative tool for healing and personal growth that brings together connection, support, and shared experiences.
Regardless of the challenges that you’re navigating, group therapy provides a setting where you can find community and comfort with others who really “get it” and share similar journeys.
So, what exactly is group therapy?
In its most clinical definition, group therapy is a form of psychotherapy that involves one or more therapists working with a small group of clients together.
Open therapy groups are groups that accept new members on a rolling basis vs. closed groups that start with a set group of members and keep those same members for the duration of the group.
A skilled therapist facilitates the sessions and guides discussions, making the environment that fosters healing and personal development.
Group therapy creates a supportive space where participants can connect over shared struggles, reducing feelings of isolation. By sharing feedback with each other, members can gain fresh perspectives on their thoughts and behaviors, fostering personal growth.
Observing others as they navigate their own struggles can help you gain valuable insights and practical coping strategies. The group setting also encourages accountability, which can help increase motivation and commitment to achieving goals, since you aren’t going it alone. The group setting also provides a safe space for members to practice essential skills like communication, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills.
Unlike individual therapy, which focuses on one-on-one interaction between a therapist and a client, group therapy taps into the power of collective healing. Participants learn from each other, explore new perspectives, and discover that they are not alone in their struggles. This sense of shared experience is one of the fundamental aspects that makes group therapy so effective.
Types of Group Therapy
Psychoeducational groups involve group members gaining information about a specific mental health struggle such as anxiety, depression, or trauma, and learning effective coping skills to better manage the symptoms they’re experiencing. Psychoeducational groups tend to focus on knowledge building vs. deep emotional processing, which can sometimes be more enticing for people who want group support but don’t want to have to share a lot about their experiences with the group.
Skills development groups are a type of psychoeducational group that focus on specific therapy modalities that teach members specific skills to address the challenges they’re navigating. Some examples of modalities that are frequently used for skills development groups include Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). These groups are highly structured and provide tangible skills like emotion regulation, communication, mindfulness, and distress tolerance.
Interpersonal group therapy helps people improve their interpersonal skills and relationships. Interpersonal therapy groups focus on the “here and now” as a mechanism for feeling by seeing how the members of the group feel about their relationships with each other and how the group is just a smaller version of how group members interact with people in their day to day lives. Group members can build communication skills and practice interacting with people in a more controlled setting that often feels lower risk than “real world” interactions. This provides the opportunity to get feedback from others on their behavior in a supportive way. There is typically less structure than psychoeducational or skills focused groups as interpersonal groups center around whatever group members are bringing in on a given day.
Other types of group therapy include process groups that center around specific topics like eating disorders, trauma, depression, anxiety, OCD, and neurodivergence. In these groups, skill building may be a component, but there is a larger focus on members sharing their daily experiences and struggles and receiving feedback and support. By connecting with others with similar experiences, members can feel less isolated and more understood.
Benefits of Group Therapy
One of the most profound benefits of group therapy is the sense of connection and belonging it fosters. Many people who struggle with mental health issues feel isolated and believe they are alone in their struggles. In a group setting, you can quickly discover that others share similar experiences and emotions, which can be incredibly validating. This shared experience helps break down the walls of isolation, creating a supportive community where members feel understood and accepted. Knowing that others are facing similar challenges can be a great source of comfort and motivation to continue on their healing journey, especially in times that feel really dark.
While therapists provide guidance, peer support in group therapy is viewed as equally valuable. Group members offer each other encouragement, empathy, and practical advice based on their own experiences. The diverse perspectives and collective wisdom in a group can lead to new insights and coping strategies that participants might not have discovered on their own. For example, someone struggling with anxiety might hear a helpful coping technique from a fellow group member who has successfully managed their own anxiety. This peer support builds a sense of camaraderie and can boost individuals’ confidence in their ability to overcome challenges.
Group therapy provides a safe space to practice interpersonal communication and social skills. Many people with mental health struggles, especially those with social anxiety or depression, find it challenging to navigate relationships or express their emotions effectively. In group therapy, they can practice these skills in real time, receiving feedback and support from both the therapist and their peers. Over time, participants often become more comfortable speaking up, setting boundaries, and expressing their needs in a healthy and constructive way. These improved communication skills can have a ripple effect, enhancing relationships outside of therapy, whether at work, with family, or in friendships.
In a group therapy setting, individuals are encouraged to explore and express their emotions in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. For those who have difficulty identifying or articulating their feelings, hearing others share their emotional experiences can provide a model for how to do so. This emotional openness can lead to major light bulb moments in self-awareness.
Accountability is a significant factor in the success of group therapy. When individuals make commitments to work on their mental health or change certain behaviors, having a group of peers who are invested in their progress can provide powerful motivation to stay on track. For example, if someone in a group therapy setting commits to practicing mindfulness techniques between sessions, knowing that they will report back to the group about their experience adds an extra layer of accountability. This accountability helps individuals stay focused on their goals and can prevent them from falling into old, unhelpful patterns.
Hearing others share their stories and perspectives can provide valuable insights into one’s own situation. Group therapy participants often find that listening to others helps them view their own struggles in a new light that they may not have been able to see either on their own or in individual therapy. Additionally, group members can offer unique perspectives on each other’s challenges.
Group Therapy in Nashville
At The Gaia Center, we offer various types of therapy groups that meet a wide range of needs.
Our signature Coming Home to Yourself: A Women’s+ Therapy Group is our most popular offering and focuses on learning how to feel more comfortable in your own skin and take up space in your life. Each month has a different theme, which loosely guides group conversations while also having space for processing the various struggles and curveballs life brings.
We always welcome feedback on types of groups that people want to see, so if you have an idea for a group we’re not currently offering, reach out!
A great resource for finding group therapy options regardless of your location is Psychology Today.
