Top 4 Reasons to Choose Group Therapy

In a group therapy session, one or two counselors meet with a group of clients who share similar emotional and behavioral health challenges. While this is different from how individual therapy works, group counseling is an effective way for many people to seek treatment. When most people think of group therapy, Alcoholics Anonymous or similar groups come to mind. It’s important to note that group therapy can help with all types of struggles; it is not limited to people with addictions.

For some people, group therapy serves as the only form of treatment they need. Others use group therapy to augment other treatments, such as individual therapy and medication. Whether patients seek other options or not, group therapy provides unique benefits for participants.

1) It Costs Less Than Individual Therapy

People come to group therapy for many reasons. But perhaps the most popular reason is that it costs less than individual therapy, particularly for those without insurance or when insurance doesn’t cover counseling. Since group therapy allows counselors to help many people at once, they can charge each participant less money. Furthermore, some groups are free to attend, such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Although group counseling is often less costly than individual sessions, it is not a knock-off that is less effective. Instead, group therapy should be seen as a different process with unique benefits.

2) You Connect to People Like You

When anyone struggles with grief, mental illness, or another issue, the experience can be isolating. Even when you logically know that you’re not alone, you can feel like you are the only one who feels this way. Group therapy allows you to connect with people in similar situations, which makes many people feel less isolated.

Talking to people who are in similar situations also gives participants more freedom to say what they really feel. There’s a comfort in knowing that the person who hears you has been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale. Best of all, talking to people like you can help you learn new strategies for dealing with things. When participants share their experiences, they all learn.

3) Learn How to Discuss Difficult Subjects

Some people avoid group therapy because they do not feel comfortable talking about the difficult subjects that counseling covers. After all, it’s hard to talk about things like death, dark thoughts, abuse, and mental illness in any setting. However, people who struggle to discuss hard subjects are exactly the kinds of people who can benefit the most from attending group therapy.

In each session, participants learn language that they can use to express themselves in healthy ways. Furthermore, they start opening up to strangers. Participants prove to themselves that they can not only survive these difficult conversations, but that opening up can help them thrive.

4) Know What It’s Like to Have a Safe Support System

Unfortunately, many people do not know what it’s like to have a safe place in which they can express their feelings. Even people who come from safe homes may never have learned what it means to be surrounded by people who accept all their feelings. Group therapy gives people that space, and some experience it for the first time.

People can grow, change, and heal in these safe environments. But it’s not always easy. It can be uncomfortable for people who have never felt this supported before. However, group therapy can be just the right thing for people in these situations.

If you’re interested in group therapy, be sure to ask about our sessions at Georgia Health Behavioral Professionals. Our caring therapy staff can help you find the group that best suits you.