What Is Group Therapy?
Group Therapy is a type of therapy that takes place with a number of other people rather than one-to-one.
Group Therapy is different to individual therapy and can be especially helpful for speedy personal development and improved relationships.
Group Therapy with Alison involves a group from 4 to 8 people.
Our group is big enough to welcome and reflect diversity of person/ opinion/ life experience and small enough to feel as safe as possible alongside providing each of us as much space as possible.
Group Therapy happens weekly for 90 minutes for approximately 40 weeks a year
Group Therapy works best when we meet regularly to support and encourage each other in our development. And we need breaks in order to step back and reflect.
Group Therapy is an open-ended commitment
Some people stay with the group for 1 year. Others find Group Therapy is a helpful, regular source of support that they wish to access on an ongoing basis. Whilst others stay for a little while less. We ask for a minimum commitment of a term of group meetings (12-13 sessions). Knowing who is going to be in the group, for a time, can provide stability and safety for all group members.
‘People need people - for initial and continued survival, for socialization, for the pursuit of satisfaction. No one - not the dying, not the outcast, not the mighty - transcends the need for human contact.’ - Irvin Yalom
How Does Group Therapy Work?
All of us who seek Group Therapy potentially have at least one thing in common - a desire to have more satisfying and fulfilling relationships with ourselves and with those around us
Our society doesn’t necessarily lend itself to the open and honest communication that benefits us and our relationships.
Our group acts as a social laboratory where honest interpersonal exploration is not just allowed but encouraged
This gives us the precious opportunity to learn about ourselves and our relationships with others.
As we come to understand ourselves and our relationships with other group members this benefits us and our relationships outside of Group Therapy.
More Group Therapy FAQs
What do I talk about in Group Therapy?
There is no set agenda within Group Therapy. You are invited to bring your own experiences to each meeting - these might be experiences from inside or outside the group.
In our group the group members learn from each other in relation to each other. You are invited to talk honestly and directly about your feelings: both those about yourself and about others. Rarely do we get the opportunity to do this in our lives and it can feel risky at first as well as deeply connecting and engaging.
Sharing your thoughts and feelings is a necessary part of benefitting from being in Group Therapy and you are invited do this at a pace that feels right to you. Our group is like a social laboratory where honest interpersonal exploration is encouraged.
I feel nervous about Group Therapy - is that unusual?
Entering into any group for the first time can be a little nerve-wracking for many of us - it’s completely understandable to feel nervous.
Many in the group are likely have 'first group nerves'. Many find that after the initial nerves they begin to settle in and feel more comfortable with what happens in Group Therapy. Furthermore, many report really looking forward the weekly space they give to themselves
Can I have contact with group members outside of Group Therapy?
Traditionally Group Therapy has discouraged any contact between group members outside of the group. I agree with this. Friendships with other group members could make it harder for you to speak as freely within the group as you might wish to.
However, Brighton & Hove is a fairly small city, with lots going on, so there might times that you bump into other group members.
My stance is that if you do have contact with others from the group it is vital that you are willing to bring this back into the group to talk about this. Not doing this can negatively impact your progress as well as that of the group.