Getting the Most Out of Group Therapy

Below are some steps you can take to optimize the benefits you obtain from your group therapy experience. Take your time in practicing and experimenting with these strategies.

Don’t forget that stepping out of your comfort zone can help you to grow.

Tips to Enrich Your Group Therapy Experience

• Identify behaviors that you wish to change through group therapy and set goals for yourself.
• Ask for help when you feel the need for it
• Know your own limits. When disclosing personal or embarrassing material, remember that you have control over how much or how little you share.
• Address issues of mistrust and discomfort about the group or its members during group.
• Tell people your reactions to them.
• When you have something helpful to say to another member, say it.
• Listen as carefully as you can to others.
• Be aware of your feelings and thoughts.
• During the session, silently ask yourself what it’s like for you to be sitting in this room right at this moment?
• When you want feedback from anyone about how they are feeling or thinking towards you, ask for it.
• Try to adopt the attitude that the group is a place to experiment with new behaviors and new ways of relating to people.
• Ask yourself when the group is more helpful to all its members and when it is less helpful.
• Cultivate your curiosity about people in the group.
• If something important happens outside the group between you and another group member, talk about it in the group.
• After each session, ask yourself what one piece of knowledge you will take with you from today’s session.
• Take risks and try new behaviors.
• Reflect. Become aware of your own reactions to material presented by others.
• Share positives, too. A group is not just a space for sharing concerns, but also a space for acknowledging and supporting growth.

If you have any additional questions about group therapy, contact the Vassar College Counseling Service and ask to speak with a counselor. We’d be happy to answer your questions!