It is said that man in a social animal.
What this means is that we find solace in the company of others, especially
when it comes to the difficult periods in our life. Hence psychologists too
pondered whether therapy should just be an individualistic affair. Out of these
musings, was born the concept of group therapy and group counseling.
Let us understand what exactly these are and how they can impact your life.
In essence group therapy involves bringing
together a number of patients and helping them work on their issues
collectively. Group
activities for teens and alcoholics anonymous meetings are examples of
group therapy. In both these cases, you will have a counselor or therapist
leading the discussion while the patients talk and share about their issues. It
is a great way for people to feel that they are not alone and helps them also
empathize with their fellow sufferers. On the other hand, group counselling is
a very different concept altogether. This involves attending therapy as a group
instead of an individual. The most common example of group therapy would be
family therapy, wherein the entire family attends therapy sessions and work
together with the therapist. Usually, families tend to go through difficult
phases as a group, either due to a common problem that they might be facing
externally or internal issues or disputes that might be causing a rift.
Something like this is especially important in a country like India where we
rely a lot on our family’s emotional and social support. In this case, the
therapist works with the entire family to help them renew their bonds, overcome
communication barriers and work together towards a common goal.
All in all, group therapy and group
counselling has proved to be very beneficial to people from all walks of life.
Comments
Post a Comment