Here’s How Group Therapy Can Help Cope with Mental Illness

The idea of going for group therapy might sound a bit daunting at first. After all, who wants to sit with a bunch of strangers and share their deepest and darkest secrets? But it has been proven time and again that group therapy activities help people recover from serious mental health problems, just like any other form of therapy would. In fact, some participants are often surprised by how their experience turns out to be. It is worth noting that group therapy is as good as the group you are in. Anyone can benefit from this form of therapy, as long as you are in the right group at the right time. The right time mentioned here is not the timeline of a group, but in fact the person’s recovery timeline. Joining a group during acute crisis may not be the wisest thing to do since the person’s needs are far more demanding and deserve extra attention of a dedicated therapist. How group therapy works is that groups usually meet once a week, maybe twice sometimes, for about 90 minutes.

Before we get into how this form of therapy is beneficial for different people, lets first understand what group therapy is. In a nutshell, group therapy is a form of therapy wherein multiple psychologists lead a group of 5 to 15 people. These people come from different walks of life and are usually not strangers. People often confuse between group and support groups. While group therapy is a lot more structured and focuses on the individual growth of every member of that group, a support group’s aim is to help people cope with addiction, loss of a loved one, a disease or any event that can result in trauma. Group therapy, as a form of therapy, can especially help people who have trouble engaging with people. Not only does it help ease the sense of isolation when struggling with trauma, it also helps people practice re-engaging with others in a more social environment.

Group therapy is a popular form of therapy because it helps psychotherapists engage multiple people who are at a similar stage of their recovery at the same time. What this does is that it provides support for everyone. Every member of that group acts a support for another person, while that person becomes a figure of support during dire times for the other person. This codependency can play a huge role in this form of psychological therapy. Apart from it being a great tool for therapists, it is also a lot more viable option for patients since it costs a lot less than individual counseling. Some people believe that since it is a cheaper option, it is not as effective other forms of therapy. However, multiple world-renowned therapists have said that this perception could not be further from the truth. In fact, it can be incredibly powerful if used at the right time and provided the individuals grouped together form a good bond.