What Is Group Counseling And What Are It's Benefits?

What is Group Counseling?

Group counseling is a method of psychotherapy that encapsulates meeting a group of individuals who face similar problems and concerns. Group sessions facilitate sharing experiences and listening to other people's experiences. Group counseling ensures and provides a supportive environment to discuss concerns and helps individuals to work towards their goals. Groups meet on a weekly or a quarterly basis and each group has up to 5 to 10 students who are led by a counselor. Each group session may have a different time duration but on an average the duration varies from 50 to 80 minutes depending on the nature and members of the group. 

Benefits of group counseling:

1.     A feeling of belonging - Groups help individuals realize that they are not alone in their journey and that other individuals face similar challenges and problems as well. This helps individuals realize that they are not suffering by themselves and together, they will be okay. 

2.     Echo, Listen, Improvise - Groups play the role of a sounding board for individuals to receive different inputs, suggestions, constructive criticism and different perspectives on the same problem. This widens a person's vision and helps them see their problems in a more positive light. 

3.     Rowing your boat forward - Support groups have a way of propelling you forward and helping you overcome your problems by encouraging you and reassuring you that no matter what, you will make it. For this reason, instead of suggesting depression counselling in Mumbai to individuals suffering depression, people suggest group counseling more.

4.   Talk, Learn, Grow, Socialize - Group counseling promotes and refined an individual's social skills. It is very common for individuals suffering from mental health troubles to feel anxious and stressed while talking to other people, but group therapy makes them feel comfortable. Individuals learn how to talk and get to know each other in a safe and bias free environment that helps them open up and be confident. 

5.   Groups raise self-awareness - Groups help you understand yourself better hu highlighting your strengths instead of your weaknesses. Group therapy can help you reveal a part of yourself that you didn't even know existed and make you aware of your ability to overcome issues.