Angelynn Hermes, LCSW

Process Groups

This is the last installment of a 3-part series, click here to start from the beginning: “Introducing Group Therapy I: Educational and Skills Therapy Groups”

Sitting in group therapy over the hours I did, the question of why I had been so nervous in the beginning crystalized in a new way. I’d been nervous because some part of me had recognized the transformative potential of what I was beginning. Conscious fears at the time, of what I might say and how others might hear it and know or judge me, of what unknown parts of myself might act out beyond my control, were ancillary to the less conscious but more significant feelings associated with the risk, as well as the longing, that comes with getting close to others.

In the beginning, I had sat down with a group of strangers. The only thing I had in common with them was a desire to be in the group and pursue the personal development that group had to offer. Through the process of unveiling myself, sharing my thoughts, showing my emotions, the process of witnessing and relating to others, I came to know those around me and they came to know me. They weren’t strangers any more. The realness of those relationships, liberated by the structure of progress group therapy from the constraints of politeness, custom, social roles/context, obligation, is part of the unique risk and rewards offered in group therapy.

Process Group Introduction

The group I was in that I have described in the introductions to each of the articles of this series was a process group. Process groups are defined by their malleability. While most process groups will have a basic structure, an agreement between all who participate on what participating looks like (usually guidelines such as putting thoughts and feelings into words, showing up and staying present throughout the group, respecting confidentiality, etc.), there is typically no formal structure or set agenda. Process groups are what unfold as group members themselves decide what to talk about, how to participate, and explore how members are relating to one another in the present moment.

If therapy in general is a sort of practice ground for life, group therapy is the scrimmage match with multiple players. Group members explore their own behaviors and their response to others’ behaviors (and witness and get feedback on how others respond to them). It is a place to practice with other people who have their own practice (i.e. reactions, challenges, thoughts, and feelings) going on at the same time. Other group members are freer than a therapist may be to respond in real time, and participants have the assurance that other group members are reacting not in the role of therapist but as their truer, personal selves.

Process groups tend to work best when people take risks of being honest about the thoughts and reactions that arise for them.

The benefits of process group therapy are many:

• Members have an opportunity to see how their behavior impacts others and can explore their own responses without the usual social rules or conventions that may limit how honest people are with one another.
• Members can practice different behaviors, learn about how they show up to support others, how they communicate their feelings and thoughts, and work out various issues they may find challenging in their personal lives such as frustrations, attraction, jealousy, competitiveness, and longing for closeness with others.
• Members can reflect for one another what their patterns of behavior are, and can confront one another, and support one another in making changes. By observing others as they navigate and explore their own patterns or behaviors, members may identify aspects of themselves that they have not previously explored.
• Members can lend support to one another, and use the group as an opportunity to receive or learn how to receive support.

I am aware first hand of both the nerves and the immense growth that can come from participating in group therapy. In sharing about what group therapy is, my hope is that you will continue to explore if this may be a modality that would be helpful to you. Often, before committing to join a process group, you may request an individual consultation session prior to doing so.

Finding a process group that works on interpersonal, here and now, relational dynamics between members usually involves becoming familiar with group therapists or mental health agencies in your area that may offer process groups. At Soul Centric Collective, we have done the legwork for you. Now, click over to our directory to continue your search.

The three articles in this series served to introduce some core concepts about groups, highlight key benefits, and explore three broad types of group therapy. With this series complete, future articles will explore other topics related to group therapy, such as more detailed information on making contact with group practitioners, how to get the most out of group therapy, and information for care providers related to learning more about group therapy for themselves and those they serve.

Support Groups

To read the first installment of this 3-part series, click here: “Introducing Group Therapy I: Educational and Skills Therapy Groups”

As I sat in my first hours of group therapy, still uncertain, anxious, and caught up in my internal experience and trying to mask it as well as I could, I started to listen. I heard others expressing feelings of fear, uncertainty, wondering what they might get out of the group, if it would be boring or interesting, feel safe or unsafe. Some people’s experiences were so different from mine that I grew curious to know more about them, and some so similar so as to have an eerie yet comforting feeling of being seen through.

In the course of participating in groups, I would come to know well what it is like when the sense of aloneness I felt with certain emotions fell away as others dared to share intimate, vulnerable, and emotionally true parts of themselves or their history. And I would also risk sharing, finding and putting words to things I had not spoken or had only spoken to those I trusted most. I would find myself holding onto the memories of other people who listened and responded to me, and what it meant to me to be witnessed in the context of the group.

The literature on group therapy sometimes refers to the groups as a hall of mirrors, and much thought has been dedicated to exploring the personal development, healing, insight, and growth that derives from the emotional mirroring and reflection in a group. The power of this concept is evident to me with one category of group in particular: the support group.

Support Groups

Support groups are a type of group therapy that typically bring people together based on a common experience, identity, or concern to support one another in navigating their shared circumstances.

Support groups can center around many different topics. Many 12 Step groups function as a form of peer-led support group, as do other professionally and peer facilitated support groups for people and family members of people facing addiction. There are support groups for survivors of incest, childhood sexual abuse, rape, partner abuse, disasters, or gun violence to name a few trauma-based support groups. Support groups can also form on the basis of psychiatric or medical diagnosis, like diabetes or depression support groups, life circumstances such as caring for an aging parent, grief or bereavement groups for those who have lost loved ones.

Support groups serve as an important catalyst for individuals facing a new or unique challenge in life to decrease isolation, increase meaningful connection, and sometimes to learn important new information, concepts, or positive ways of coping.

Some of the specific advantages of support groups are:

• Learning that one is not alone with their challenges. Many people seek support groups to be in a community of others who know first-hand what a particular challenge is like, especially when they face a circumstance that others in their family or friend networks may not have experienced.
• Instillation of a sense of hope and possibility. Hearing from others who share your experience, especially other members with variations of the experience or in time coping with the experience can provide a sense of how the future could be. For example, support groups for people diagnosed with a chronic illness may include members with a wide range of experiences and at different points in grieving and coping with the presence of chronic illness. Members may see in others models of how they would like to navigate their circumstances.
• A chance to exchange concrete information and tools for navigating life circumstances. There is nothing quite like sharing a struggle or challenge with others who understand based on first hand experience. Group members may gain increased motivation to be proactive, effective, and more skillful in managing their circumstances through modeling or imitating another member’s behavior.

Support groups are a powerful tool for combatting the isolation, polarization, and fear that can come with facing new or challenging life circumstances. The first formal therapy groups that I facilitated were support groups for survivors of intimate partner violence. Whenever I think of those groups, I think of the brilliant, loving, and beautiful women, men, and gender-non-conforming people who participated in them, and of the care that they showed for one another. Diana Fosha, an American psychologist, writes, “They very making of an appointment with a total stranger to deal with the greatest intimacies and vulnerabilities of one’s life is an act of profound faith.” This resiliency and the leap of faith to share with others in the context of a support group truly humbles and awes me. I feel so much gratitude that even people who had been so hurt and abused by intimate partners were willing to take the risk to show up for one another in support.

The process for finding a support group can be similar to finding educational or skills groups. Today is your day to find the community support you have been searching for. Click here to search the Soul Centric Collective directory.

The final article in this series will explore a third broad category of group therapy: process groups.

Educational and Skills Therapy Groups

The first time I entered a group therapy room as a participant, I felt a strong feeling of anxiety. My palms immediately began to sweat, my stomach did somersaults, and my mind raced. Why, I asked myself, am I so nervous?

I had been in groups throughout my life, from family to classes, teams, clubs, workshops, and meetings of all sorts. I know myself to thrive on new and novel things.

Why did this thing called “group therapy” feel so uniquely activating?

Group Therapy Introduction

There are many types of groups in our society. You have undoubtedly participated in numerous groups in your life. Perhaps you have been in or know of 12-Step groups, support groups, peer-run community groups, faith-based churches or groups, men’s groups, women’s groups, groups for new parents, support groups, mindfulness or meditation groups, etc. Groups that meet around a shared hobby, interest, or activity also come to mind, as do families, groups of coworkers, student peers, and wider social and cultural groups that link us together in shared identities or experiences.

Group therapy is a form of therapy that acts as a mirror and an experimental practice ground for the groups and relationships we encounter in our lives. Group therapy is when three or more people gather at the same time in an effort towards personal development in the presence of a counselor or therapist. While there are likely as many types of groups as there are therapists, many groups can fall into one of three major categories of groups: educational/skills groups, support groups, or process groups. This article is part of a three-part series serving as an introduction to some core elements of groups generally, and providing information on these three categories of groups, starting with educational and skills groups.

Educational & Skills Group

Educational groups focus on teaching new, practical, and relevant information based on the topic or theme of the group.

Therapists run a wide range of educational groups. Examples include diagnosis-based psychoeducational groups about anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health diagnoses. Educational groups may be for individuals, partners and family members of people affected by mental illness or addiction, abuse or trauma, health problems such as diabetes, cognitive disease, or other medical conditions and more. Educational groups may focus on phase of life issues such as pregnancy, birth, parenting, care for elders/aging parents, or bereavement. The focus of educational groups is on increasing knowledge and preparing people with needed information for particular changes or challenges in their lives.

Educational groups may be most helpful for people that are facing a diagnosis, life event, or new obstacle in their lives and could benefit from increased understanding of their new context and from connections to others facing similar circumstances.

What is the benefit of learning this information in a therapy group rather than reading a book or consulting with an expert individually?

Educational groups offer a few unique advantages:

• an opportunity to learn alongside others who are absorbing the same information, asking questions you may be afraid to ask or not think to ask, and sharing in the learning process in a way that can help new knowledge and understanding stick.
• a way to meet others who share your struggle or a related struggle, and can also decrease the isolation or shame of facing this new challenge.
• a way to be of help to others in supporting their learning with your questions or by learning to explain the material in your own words.

Skills groups are also an increasingly popular form of group therapy. Here, people have an opportunity to learn skills such as mindfulness, conflict resolution, parenting, life skills, social skills, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills, and other sorts of skills that can be applied to increase effectiveness and satisfaction in life and relationships. Skills groups are most helpful when you can either identify an area in your life where you could benefit from increasing your skills or when working with a therapist or counselor who can suggest skills groups that may be most helpful for your unique situation.

Learning new skills in a therapeutic group has numerous benefits:

• Accountability. Learning with others can provide an opportunity to both practice new skills and to check in with peers about how practice or implementation of new skills is going.
• Increased understanding. Similar to educational groups, learning a skill with others allows you to benefit from witnessing their learning process, hearing their questions, and getting support from peers when facing challenges while using new skills.
• Support others and yourself. Being in a skills group can also offer you the opportunity to learn by teaching and supporting others with the same skill, providing an opportunity to be of help to others.

A well-run, engaging, and relevant educational or skills group provides a wonderful opportunity to deeply engage with and internalize the information or skills you are seeking. It is a particular irony that at a time when there is more information than ever available to people via the Internet, we sometimes struggle to actually learn the information or skills that may be most helpful to us. The availability of information is not the same as the absorption and application. Educational and Skills therapy groups offer a way to absorb and apply what one learns, with a dedicated time, space, community of peers, and the dedicated attention of a counselor or therapist to support you in the process.

If you are interested in finding an educational or skills group to suit your needs, Soul Centric Collective is here to help you find the group offering that is just right for you. Click here to connect with our directory, which has your needs in mind.

The next blog will explore a second broad category of group therapy: support groups.