Hello, thank you for coming to my therapy group page. I invite you to consider growing and healing in a group today.
I have two therapy groups going now.
1) A long-running process therapy group on Thursday evenings for young/mid adults (ages 20s-50s) in person in Plano, Texas. I have room for two women and a man–people of color, immigrants, diverse backgrounds are welcome. (I have space to do another in person group in Plano on Wednesdays if I find the people needing that).
2) I am starting an online process therapy group 11:00am-12:30pm Central Standard Time (CST) for adults across Texas and in 37 other states because I can now legally practice through a program called “psypact” which allows psychologists to work in 37 states (listed here: https://psypact.org/mpage/psypactmap). States from Washington State to Pennsylvania, from Minnesota to Virginia and of course all of Texas where I am located. This can be a training group for therapists and a group for anyone else who needs to grow in emotional honesty and more direct, healthy communication based on knowing your needs and how to speak about them.
3) I also have room to conduct two more therapy groups in person in Plano for any age person with anxiety, depression, isolation and trauma.
Therapy Groups for Adults with Anxiety, Depression and Trauma. These are weekly process therapy groups designed to help adults with struggles including loneliness, family difficulties, anxiety/depression to work through their private pain in a safe atmosphere. Most people are nervous at first but then come to experience group as meaningful. Where else can you speak openly about your feelings/ dreams/ conflicts/secrets without fear of consequences (e.g. losing a job or alienating someone) and grow?
These group for people are struggling and who want to grow and learn about themselves within a safe, interconnected and professionally led environment. These groups are not only to help with symptoms of things like depression and anxiety but also to learn how to have your own voice in interacting with others, improve self-worth, “try on” new ways of interacting and many other experiences. What people learn in an experiential group like this nearly always applies in some positive ways to their relationships outside the group.
Learning about healthy (e.g. assertivessness) and unhealthy communication behaviors (e.g. passive-aggressiveness) are a part of all my therapy groups.
Here is a recent podcast on in which the the host and guest discuss 5reasons to try Group Therapy:
http://www.therapistuncensored.com/episode-7-group-therapy-5-reasons-try/
WHAT IS GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Group psychotherapy, like individual psychotherapy, is intended to help people who would like to improve their ability to cope with difficulties and problems in their lives. But, while in individual therapy the patient meets with only one person (the therapist), in group therapy the meeting is with a whole group and one or two therapists. Group therapy focuses on interpersonal interactions, so relationship problems are addressed well in groups.The aim of group psychotherapy is to help with solving the emotional difficulties and to encourage the personal development of the participants in the group. The therapist (called conductor, leader or facilitator) chooses as candidates for the group people who can benefit from this kind of therapy and those who may have a useful influence on other members in the group.
HOW DOES GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY WORK?
Members of the group share with others personal issues which they are facing. A participant can talk about events s/he was involved in during the week, her/his responses to these events, problems s/he had tackled, etc. The participant can share his/her feelings and thoughts about what happened in previous sessions, and relate to issues raised by other members or to the leader’s words. Other participants can react to her/his words, give her/him feedback, encourage, give support or criticism, or share their thoughts and feelings following his/her words. The subjects for discussion are not determined by the leader but rise spontaneously from the group. The member in the group feels that (s)he is not alone with her/his problem and that there are others who feel the same. The group can become a source of support and strength in times of stress for the participant. The feedback (s)he gets from others on her/his behavior in the group can make her/him become aware to maladaptive patterns of behavior, change her/his point of view and help him/her adopt more constructive and effective reactions. It can become a laboratory for practicing new behaviors.
Frequently the people you meet in the group represent others in your past or current life with whom you have difficulty. In group therapy you have the opportunity to work through these situations.
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Group psychotherapy is suitable for a large variety of problems and difficulties, beginning with people who would like to develop their interpersonal skills and ending with people with emotional problems like anxiety, depression, etc. There are support groups for people in the same situation or crisis (e.g. groups for bereaved parents, groups for sexually abused women), but usually the recommendation for the therapeutic group is to be as heterogeneous as possible and represent a micro-cosmos. For that reason in building the group, the leader will try to include men and women, young and old people, married and singles, etc. The group is especially effective for people with interpersonal difficulties and problems in relations. Whether these difficulties are in social, working, couple or even sexual relations, the participant can benefit a lot in these areas.
Groups are ideally suited to people who are struggling with relationship issues like intimacy,trust, self-esteem. The group interactions help the participants to identify, get feedback,and change the patterns that are sabotaging the relations. The great advantage of group psychotherapy is working on these patterns in the “here and now” – in a group situation more similar to reality and close to the interpersonal events.
HOW TO CHOOSE A GROUP-PSYCHOTHERAPIST
When choosing a group psychotherapist you should look for a well-trained, reliable, and ethical professional. If you are in individual therapy you should consult your therapist and be sure that your group and individual therapists can collaborate. Reputable group psychotherapists usually belong to professional associations. In the U.S.A, for example,membership in AGPA (the American Group Psychotherapy Association), and certification as a Group Psychotherapist by AGPA assures some degree of expertise. An experienced group therapist will usually interview you before your entering the group and will answer your questions about the group and his/her experience without being uneasy. You can also ask the prospective therapist how many years experience (s)he has in the particular modality and as a therapist generally. Make sure you clarify fees (including costs for missed sessions). Above all, trust your feelings: If you do not feel you can trust the therapist, find another.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE PARTICIPANT IN GROUP THERAPY?
The participant in the group is expected to be present each week and come on time. It is required that the information brought up by members of the group and their names be kept confidential by all the group members. In some groups, the participant is asked to commit for a specified length of time at the beginning of the group. The usual commitment is between 3 to 6 months. This facilitates getting a sense of how the group works. When participating in a group, you will not be required to talk, or reveal intimate issues when you do not want to. However, it is clear that the more you can participate in group therapy, be open and talk about yourself, your feelings and thoughts – the more you can gain from this experience.
Here are more helpful explanations about group from the authoritative website www.group-psychotherapy.com