About the benefits of group psychotherapy

Who needs and who is contraindicated psychotherapeutic groups

Before we talk about who needs and who doesn’t need psychotherapeutic groups, let’s first understand what they are and how they work.

When an ordinary person hears the phrase “group psychotherapy,” pictures from films immediately appear before their eyes. For example, I used to have images from films where the hero comes to an Alcoholics Anonymous group “Hello, my name is John and I’m an alcoholic” or from the film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” with Jack Nicholson, who by chance ended up in a psychotherapy group in a specialized psychiatric hospital.

Perhaps some other films or other images come to mind.

I think that all these images will be united by the fact that they will have a group of people sitting in a circle on chairs and there is a leader who manages and “moderates” the communication process in such a group. As a rule, this is a psychotherapist.

How do such groups work?

For people who have studied a foreign language or studied with a tutor, a logical question arises:  Why is group language learning better? The same question arises for people who have undergone personal psychotherapy. What am I paying money for? After all, I am given 10–15 times less time, as if I had hired a psychotherapist for myself.

This is not entirely true. A so-called “group dynamic” appears in a group when its members open up in an atmosphere of confidentiality and sincerely share their experiences, which in turn encourages other group members to be more frank. Thus, quite quickly such a group can plunge into the same level of frankness as in individual psychotherapy. On the other hand, each of the participants, sharing their experiences, “catches” some memories or associations from other participants and, thus, problem areas that need therapy emerge more easily. Another advantage of such groups is that, of course, not everyone speaks at the same time, so as topics for work arise, the focus of the group moves from one participant to another, devoting attention to therapy in turns. In individual therapy, only one person understands and accepts you, but in group therapy, the whole group accepts and understands you, thus, the resource for resolving personal problems increases significantly. It is as if we are looking not into one mirror (as in individual therapy) but into many mirrors - thus many more blind spots become visible for exploration and change.

There are two types of groups - open and closed. An open group is a group that everyone can join or not join. That is, the composition of this group can change arbitrarily. A closed group is a group with strictly defined participants, to which new people can no longer join.

This is necessary to establish a greater degree of trust in self-disclosure.

Of course, the psychotherapeutic group is based on the principle of voluntariness - that is, each participant attends it solely at will, and can leave it at any time.

So, who will benefit from group therapy?

Group therapy often involves mixed groups (unless it is an all-female or all-male group). Therefore, the group, as a rule, has members of different genders. This can be very helpful in providing reality checks specifically as it relates to interpersonal relationships, which can be quite difficult to do in individual therapy. The advantage is that in a group there is much more space for social experimentation and trying out new ways of relating to others - that is, there is a lot of room for real interaction with other people.

Accordingly, such groups are especially suitable for those who urgently need acceptance by others and those who experience difficulties in interpersonal relationships.

In a group, a person is immersed in an atmosphere of sincere and non-judgmental relationships and, thus, learns to be sincere and non-judgmental, to “tolerate other people.” Thanks to this, the participant’s real relationships with other people outside the group also strengthen and become more holistic.

In essence, the group is a small model of real life - a society where everyone comes into contact with the need to trust, open up, tell something about themselves. A place where a person is surprised, happy, cries, afraid, irritated, angry, laughs.

Groups are suitable for almost all people with rare exceptions. I will talk about this below.

Since groups are thematic (that is, those where one topic is discussed) - for example, “an Alcoholics Anonymous group”, or “a group of single mothers”, you can choose a group for yourself with the topic that is for you the most relevant.

There are also “support” groups or “open topic” groups. You can come there with or without any topic. Topics “emerge” as people in the group communicate. The purpose of such groups is self-development, research itself or psychological support. 

Each person decides for himself which format seems most convenient to him.

Who are groups contraindicated for?

To better answer this question, let's consider the role of a moderator or therapist in a group.

His role is primarily to ensure a healthy, safe group atmosphere in which each group member can feel comfortable enough to self-disclose.

What is security? This is first and foremost – confidentiality. Everything that is discussed in the group should not be taken outside of it. Physical safety is no less important - that is, the absence of violence in any form. The use of any chemical substances or drugs that alter the state of consciousness is also prohibited.

Therefore, as a rule, before the start of group psychotherapy, an “orientation session” is held, during which the psychotherapist talks about the rules and ethical principles of the group. If for some reason it is difficult for you to adhere to these rules, then it is better to refrain from participating in the group.

The task of the psychotherapist at this stage is precisely to protect the group from those participants who, for various reasons, will not be able to remain within the rules of the group.

It is important for group members to participate in all group meetings, as this significantly affects the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic work. Therefore, if you cannot regularly attend such groups or do homework, then it is better to reconsider your participation in it, since by your absence and inaction you can harm other group members, worsening the effectiveness of the meetings both for yourself and for them. 

For most people, group psychotherapy is an excellent way to overcome their internal problems and gain a new resource and impetus for deep personal changes, change behavioral strategies and develop new interpersonal skills. 

I inspire you to participate in group therapy - to enjoy new horizons of self-development and growth, throwing off the cocoon of old problems and starting life in a new way, more holistically and harmoniously.