Imagine making friends and feeling comfortable in your skin. Imagine feeling free-spirited, communicative, spontaneous… All of it is possible.
Managing anxiety and any other feelings or thoughts which come your way to relate to others is a learned skill.
I know it does not sound like it because a lot of people are just naturally inclined to be open and communicative, so it seems unlikely…
- Do you feel that you really need to talk to somebody, but you don’t know who would be willing to listen?
- Is it hard for you to express your challenges, to put them in words?
- Do you wish you could make friends easily?
- Do you feel lonely, isolated or bored?
- Do you fear other people’s opinions about you?
- Are you having a difficult time handling the struggles in your life?
- Do you feel stuck in thoughts and unable to act to solve them?
- Do you feel that your struggles are unique, unbearable and unfair?
- Do you feel you lack the skills to face those challenges and succeed?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then group therapy could be the solution that you need.
Being around people has been hard and hurtful. But it does not have to be this way…
“In the same way that a child who is learning to ride a bike feels fear, insecurity and a sense of powerlessness, a person who feels socially inept might feel like they will “fall” and never be able to “ride” the social world well.
This is a big misconception! In the very same way that the child will progressively train herself to have good balance, good coordination, and good performance you will learn to socially conduct yourself with calm, confidence and ability.”
– Mayra Bagnoli –
The group will provide a nurturing environment where your personal strengths will be developed and will become second nature so that feeling confident, you will act and feel like you were a natural.
Benefits of Group Therapy
Therapeutic groups are great spaces to help clients of all ages to learn about themselves by engaging in the process of helping each other. Groups might be arranged with different criteria.
Some are groups for people who are experiencing common problems such as for example an illness they all have in common (e.g. support group for multiple sclerosis), others are groups for people experiencing challenges related to their age group (e.g. teens group or elderly group) or yet there are groups for people who are facing the same phase of life, (e.g. becoming new parents)
The common aspect is that, in every one of them, no matter what kind of group, people get together to empower themselves to learn how to face these challenges and to develop tools to become happy, effective and fulfilled.
During the sessions, while interacting with other members, you will realize that your problems are not so different from the problems of other people.
You meet people who might have similar challenges and yet deal with it in different ways. You will discover that you are not alone in your challenge; this is very reassuring! It increases the sense of hope and promotes positivity.
The group environment invites people to actively participate in searching for the solution to problems yet there is respect and acceptance so that each member participates accordingly with their own needs and their own times; the multitude of ideas maximizes positive results and the ability to have flexibility in thinking, to “think out of the box.”
Through the repeated encounters, the group participants develop friendship and respect for differences which at times creates long-lasting, nurturing relationships.
The participants will function as mirrors to show each other their appreciation of each person. This promotes self-awareness and personal empowerment.
A group is a safe space to experiment with the tools newly acquired in therapy. For example, if you are learning to assert yourself you can train it in the group, where people like and respect who you are, therefore you master the skill before trying to apply it to the larger world, which can be harsh and judgemental. In doing so, individuals maximize the benefits of therapy.
A group is also a fun way to connect with others and to develop and perfect your ability to engage and relate to other people.
In groups, the use of expressive activities such as art, theater, music and also games, are very common which makes the sessions exciting, fun and connecting.
The group leader’s job is to facilitate those interactions and assist the group members to be connected, to be respectful of differences, and to learn new tools that will help them to face the problems they are dealing with and succeed.
The group experience will also help each member to feel comfortable and effective in social situations.
Members are motivated to think “out of the box” and to create an individual voice inside the voice of the group, therefore, improving assertiveness and a sense of belonging to a positive social group.
The group also offers plenty of opportunities to engage in the resolution of conflicts and helps the members to develop the ability to negotiate differences effectively and without using force.
“The group works as a miniature experience of the big world that the clients encounter outside of the therapeutic setting. The experiences and gains obtained through group work usually easily spill onto the clients’ social groups and they reap its benefits on a larger scale.”
– Unknown Author –
Because groups can be formed around different topics, the input of clients in suggesting different topics for groups is greatly appreciated.
Some people fear groups as they are shy; they feel uncomfortable just thinking about it.
The fact is that any fear which is not faced grows larger and paralyzes the person who suffers from it. Although initially attending a group might feel challenging, the assistance of the leader and the support of the other members create a sense of familiarity and coziness which makes attendance and participation progressively easier and more comfortable, until a point in time in which it becomes exciting and fulfilling.
The simple fact that a person faced this fear and participated in the group sessions helps he/she to expand this newly achieved self-assurance to other social settings, exponentially maximizing the person’s ability to face new and uncomfortable social situations successfully.
If you’ve been feeling hopeless or alone lately, or struggling with a problem in your life that feels impossible to overcome, group therapy could help you improve your everyday life.
Group therapy helps you find a sense of community with others who are going through similar things as you while giving you access to valuable therapy that can truly help you feel better.
So if any of these sound like you…
- You keep worrying about the same problem over and over
- You wish you could trust someone with your secret struggle
- You want to stop feeling so alone in what you’re going through
- You’re interested in therapy, but want to try something lower pressure than individual therapy
- You wish you felt more understood by others
- You’re looking for expert help improving your life
- You want a setting which includes lightness and action
…Then group therapy could be right for you.
Group therapy’s effectiveness lies in its ability to help you find connections with other people and their experiences.
These therapist-guided sessions will help you learn more about yourself and how to improve the way you feel and the way that you communicate with others while experiencing the support from others who understand your experience.
The group offers a multitude of solutions for problems and frequently you learn through the experiences of the other members… You will learn that you do not need to “reinvent the wheel.”
If you’re looking for help improving your social life – or for a more community-oriented therapy experience – you would be a great fit for group therapy services.
Please reach out to me today for an assessment for group therapy or to schedule your first appointment.
(561) 635-2431