Have you thought about trying group therapy but aren’t sure what value it holds? When you have a mental health disorder like anxiety, bipolar disorder, or depression, you often feel like no one understands what you’re going through. Mental illness can become an isolating experience and leave you thinking no one knows what it feels like to walk in your shoes. Renewal Oasis believes in the power of gathering together people who have similar challenges to their mental health. This allows them to work together to process their experiences and give and receive valuable peer support. Group therapy sessions give people the opportunity to speak candidly and realize they are not alone.
How Does Group Therapy Work?
Group therapy takes place in small groups of five to fifteen people and is led by one or more therapists trained to conduct it. The people in the group all have one thing in common, such as dealing with a mental health disorder or an addiction to drugs or alcohol. When a new member joins the group, the therapist will introduce them and allow them to talk a little about themselves. Many people prefer to just listen at first as they get comfortable with the group, which is fine, too. Each group aims to foster a safe space for people to open up.
Sometimes the spotlight is on one person who talks about their experiences and challenges and the other gives feedback. Other times, a group discussion is opened and everyone is encouraged to speak up. Topics include what living with a specific mental health disorder feels like, the symptoms that come with it, and how other people perceive it. Group therapy members can bounce ideas off each other, make recommendations, and celebrate each other’s progress.
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Benefits of Attending Group Therapy
Facilities often include group therapy as part of their menu of therapies because of the rich benefits it offers. Many times, a person new to group therapy will make the exciting discovery that they are not alone in their feelings or experiences. Knowing that others understand their emotions, fears, and hopes for healing can give them a real impetus for working on learning to heal.
Attending group therapy helps people develop their communication skills. Someone with a mental illness often finds it difficult to talk to others, including their loved ones, about how they feel. Speaking candidly with other group members provides them with valuable practice in voicing their emotions and experiences. When they understand themselves better, it makes it easier to explain their world to others.
Group therapy also provides the benefit of being among others. Many people with mental illnesses end up isolating from others. Isolation can have a devastating effect on a person’s mental health. Attending group therapy puts them among several other people, all of whom have the goal of improving their mental health. This helps lead them out of isolation and to work on developing social skills. People who attend group therapy often end up bonding with others, and that bond can last beyond their time in treatment.
What Does Group Therapy Treat Here in Palm Springs, CA?
One reason we include group therapy as part of our overall treatment program is because it helps a wide variety of mental illnesses. The types of mental health disorders that group therapy aids in treating include:
- Depression: Being depressed causes a person to isolate and lack motivation to reach out for help. Group therapy provides an opportunity to be among others and accept help.
- Anxiety Disorders: In group therapy, participants can practice ways to cope with anxiety-producing situations in a safe setting.
- Bipolar Disorder: In a group situation, people with bipolar disorder can learn to establish bonds and boundaries, as well as develop social and empathy skills.
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Group therapy helps provide a network of support and a place to discuss the triggering events that caused PTSD.
- Complex Trauma: Similar to the benefits of group therapy for PTSD, it allows people to understand they aren’t alone in experiencing multiple traumatic events.
- Mood Disorders: People who participate in group therapy work on ways to reduce the intensity of moods like depression and build bonds with others.
- Schizophrenia: Group therapy leaders teach participants to develop healthy interpersonal relationship skills that help them bond with others and feel less alone.
Contact Renewal Oasis Behavioral Health About Group Therapy
Does group therapy sound like it may be the right move for you? Speaking confidentially with peers who experience similar symptoms to yours can make a world of difference. Renewal Oasis offers group therapy as part of our curriculum of therapy modalities. Our skilled therapists lead a small group of people who discuss their feelings and challenges in dealing with a mental health disorder. The benefits of this combined with those derived from our other therapies help bolster each person’s ability to meet their treatment goals. We also discuss options for prescription medications to help assuage the symptoms that often accompany mental health disorders. This multi-pronged approach provides each person we treat with the best ability to begin to heal and feel better.
To talk to one of our friendly admissions staff members, contact us now. The help you deserve to feel better is just a phone call away.
