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What is a Group Therapy?

Group therapy is an alternative form of talk therapy that allows multiple people into a session at once in order to talk about their issues and get help.

Group Therapy

In group therapy, several people talk about their problems with one or more mental health professionals simultaneously. A therapist will lead a group of clients through meetings where they can help each other and themselves.

It can be done in different ways, but the goal is always to create a safe place where people can be honest with each other and work on solving their problems by learning from others, improving their communication skills, and changing their opposing views about society as a whole. You can practice the lessons and skills you learn in therapy in your usual social networks, including at home, work, or school.1

How Does Group Therapy Work?

Group therapy treats multiple patients from one or more healthcare facilities. You may attend therapy to seek treatment for a variety of conditions such as co-occurring disorders, emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more.

Types of Group Therapy

You may consider it a treatment group since all participants have similar conditions. You may find universality in group therapy within groups such as;

  • Mental Health Group Therapy: The group therapist may decide to sub-divide the groups further after a group counseling evaluation, e.g., a group for participants with anxiety, depression, etc.
  • Group and Family Therapy: Family members may need to attend group talk therapy to learn how to assist you in your recovery.
  • Support Group Therapy
Group therapy approaches often vary from family therapy in that the therapist brings together open- and closed-ended groups of individuals previously unknown to each other. The only aspect bringing them together is their group therapy needs.2

How Is Group Therapy Different From Support Groups and Self-Help Groups?

A self-help group is an informal group where you and your friend may come together to address your everyday problems. A self-help group may focus on individuals but is primarily characterized by the members of the group assisting each other through various events or issues in their lives.

A support group is an assembly of people with similar recovery needs. The members organize meetings to share their drawbacks, milestones, achievements, etc. Still, it doesn't always require a group therapist or group counseling. You may listen to solutions that have worked for others and decide whether to follow the same for your problems.3

What Sets Group Therapy Apart?

Group therapy follows a particular group therapy structure focusing on effective therapy interventions. Imparting information in group therapy falls on all participants and then the therapist or psychologist leading the sessions will help guide participants through their mental health disorders and learn how to cope with symptoms.

How Group Therapy Works

So, what is the distinction between group therapy and other types of therapy? Most therapy options have some elements of cooperation. However, the partnership in group therapy is more formal and directed. Group therapy relies on structured leadership with power and cohesion among group members to achieve its objectives. One of the tenets is that all members work together to achieve more than they can achieve while working individually.


Even if you are more introverted, you may still need to learn how to interact with others or make an effort to improve your social skills. This treatment approach works best for extroverts. The good news is that tools to help improve group participation are usually easy to find. The tool that is used will depend on what the therapist says.

Group Treatment Variables

The following are twelve group treatment variables that are useful in developing groups:

  1. 1
    Instillation of hope
  2. 2
    Universality
  3. 3
    Imparting information
  4. 4
    Altruism
  5. 5
    Development of socializing techniques
  6. 6
    Imitative behavior
  7. 7
    Interpersonal learning
  8. 8
    Group cohesiveness
  9. 9
    Catharsis
  10. 10
    Existential factors
  11. 11
    Self-understanding
  12. 12
    Cohesiveness

What Happens During Group Therapy?

The primary purpose of group therapy is to enable you to grow and comfortably function within the group. Suppose you have anxiety; you may participate in anxiety group therapy activities or a mental health group activity for adults during the different group counseling stages.


You may then practice the results of group therapy in your life outside the group, including the behavioral corrections, growth of interpersonal and relationship skills, the learning process, coping skills, and eventually functioning well in society.

Positive Impact of Group Therapy

By the end of the therapeutic group session, you may receive the following group therapy benefits as well:

  • Participants that have something in common and become friends because of it
  • Instilling hope in each other
  • Helping yourself along with your group members
  • Your group therapist and the group members share information amongst themselves
  • You may need to observe a high degree of confidentiality

All of these elements come together to achieve group therapy that hopefully works for each participant.

Group Therapy

Different Types of Group Therapy

Group therapy can be done in many different ways, but your therapist will help you decide on the specific techniques and mental health interventions that group members will use to reach the goals of group therapy.


Group therapy sessions common examples include:

What Group Therapy Can Help With

Mental health group therapy activities for adults may help you recover faster. Still, you can get help in other areas too. You may contact the services of a therapist for group and family therapy besides many other problems, including:

  • Domestic violence or abuse
  • Divorce
  • Anxiety
  • Communication issues
  • Parenting
  • Food and eating issues
  • Anger management
  • Grief and loss

Is Group Therapy Effective?

Scientists at the American Psychological Association insist that psychotherapy works best in the long term and is more long-lasting than medication. It is also more cost-effective, and psychotherapy leads to fewer relapses than medication use alone.4

Benefits of Group Therapy

You may benefit more from group therapy than individual therapy. Different options are available to you during group therapy as everyone has a chance to impart information in group therapy. The overall benefits of group therapy session include:

  • Support from each other
  • Safety within the group and encouraging one another whether you make progress or meet drawbacks
  • Being likely to find a role model to emulate in the group
  • Insight onto social skills
  • Affordability, as it’s relatively affordable compared to medications and one-on-one psychiatrist sessions

Things to Consider Before Starting Group Therapy

Group therapy versus individual therapy is a comparison you may need to make to figure out what will help you the most. A comparative price study has shown that you could save 41.7% if you attend group therapy and 25% if you attend a group therapy of four participants, making the group therapy success rate very high.5

Most people join group therapy as a recommendation by their health caregiver. However, you need to be aware of what constitutes an effective group therapy is and what this type of therapy it is, and if you are ready to:

  • Share information willingly (sometimes personal information)
  • Accept that you may undergo a trial-and-error process
  • Invest your time and effort in treatment
  • Choose a group with people with similar cases
  • Work in groups (remember your goals and choose a group aligned to your goals)

Get Started With Group Therapy at Anew Treatment Center

Get started with group therapy at Anew Treatment Center today. Our professional team can enhance your health, well-being, and quality of life through evidence-based group therapy techniques. You may need to move your treatment to the next level within a group. This helps you to integrate faster and better into your community.


You don't have to struggle alone while your mental health disorders that may be hoarding keep tormenting you and your loved ones. Contact Anew Treatment Center today and schedule your group therapy session

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Our team is ready to talk and determine how we can help. Rest assured your call is confidential. We're here for you.