Group therapy (online)
NEW GROUP DUE TO START IN MAY 2023. PLEASE GET IN TOUCH.
Eight to ten individuals meet weekly to share their fears, their struggles, their joys, their suffering, their shame – to excavate their personal truths in a way they perhaps have never done before. It may sound terrifying, but the bonds that grow between these individuals are utterly unique and empowering.
The longer I work as a psychotherapist, the more I am convinced that our lack of meaningful human connection is underlying so much human suffering. Group therapy has – time and time again – created in me a sense of awe and wonder at the capacity for human beings to light a flame of self-understanding in each other, and motivate much-needed change.
Groups grow our awareness that our problems (no matter how small or large) are valid experiences that do not make us weird. In the context of the group, as we learn to open up, our sense of shame is lessened, and we learn to be more courageous. (This can be particularly helpful for social anxiety, but there are many issues that group can be useful for.) Others in group will quite naturally challenge the negative or fixed statements we make about ourselves and offer other possibilities. They will also hold us accountable. Those "others" have chosen to be there and listen and be vulnerable. They respond to you without judgment. Getting feedback from peers may in fact be more helpful than getting guidance from an individual therapist, according to the veteran of group therapy, Irwin D. Yalom.
Then there's the effect of empathy: in addition to helping us feel less alone and giving us an important sense of meaning, empathising with others teaches us to regulate our own emotions, too. Emotional regulation is important, as it allows us to manage what we are feeling, even in times of great stress.
Please get in touch via the contact form if you're interested in joining my next group. I start groups periodically and usually run them for anything from six months to two years, depending on the interest of the those involved.