6 Benefits of Group Therapy
Post Date: Mar 01, 2023
Behavioral Health
Group therapy can be a hugely beneficial practice. When you are dealing with complex life events or mental health struggles, therapy is a proven way to help. But why choose group therapy over the classic one-on-one therapy session? There are a few significant benefits to consider when selecting what type of therapy is right for you.
New points of view
When you seek group therapy, you’re not just benefiting from the perspective of your therapist. You can get feedback from a wide range of people in one session. Group therapy usually includes 5 to 15 patients. And since group therapy sessions often revolve around a similar mental health issue or type of experience, you can apply their points of view to your situation.
Learn from other people
As you hear others’ stories and experiences, you can benefit from what they’ve lived. You have the opportunity to learn and grow, taking in what they have to share. Some people will be farther along in their journey than you are, and you can see how they got to where they are now. Cut down your learning curve by learning from the experiences of the others in the group.
You can find a focus that will help
There is no one type of group therapy. Depression, panic disorder, chronic pain, obesity, social anxiety, and substance abuse might all be topics for a group. They could also revolve around social skills, reducing shyness, coping with anger issues, lowering loneliness, increasing self-esteem, or other general topics. There’s probably a group geared toward your struggles, whatever you're going through.
Develop better communication
Communicating what you feel can be difficult. But developing those skills will help you in all aspects of life. In group therapy, you have to be able to express yourself to a greater variety of people. And those skills will serve you in your personal and professional relationships throughout your life.
Feel the support from others
A group that you can trust turns into a support network over time. You have one or more therapists to offer perspective and direct the conversation. But you also have a whole group of people to provide emotional support. Since group therapy often has a general theme or topic, you can expect that others in the group will be able to give some encouragement to make it through.
It usually costs less
If fear of the high cost of therapy is holding you back from finding support, group therapy might be a solution. Because the time with the therapist is shared, the price of a typical group therapy session is usually less than what you’d pay for a private one. And it’s much less expensive. Group therapy is typically half to a third of the cost of one-on-one therapy.
If you think group therapy might benefit you, CHP offers a Dialect Behavioral Therapy (DBT) group session via Zoom that’s open to the public. This type of therapy is often recommended for people who feel emotions very strongly, focusing on mindfulness and emotion regulation. The convenience of Zoom therapy makes this an even more accessible option. Contact a CHP clinic in Bozeman, Belgrade, West Yellowstone, and Livingston for more information on accessing this service.
