I have been in a variety of types of groups. I think I like doing group stuff better then I do individual therapy. In groups everything isn't focused directly on me. So I don't feel like Im always searching for things to say or how to say it to get my point across. no matter how it comes out theres gonig to be at least one other person that is going to understand what I am trying to say. the best part I am not always "on the hot seat".

In support based therapyu groups the professionals do take the back seat /distanced type attitude and amount of participation. this is because that group is geared for support - people with the same problem sharing their views both common and not with each other. Problems between the people in the group are dealt with between those that have the clashing problem. In life no one agrees 100% of the time and arguments do spring into things. So of course the same thing happens in groups. A therapist job in a support based group isnt to referee the problems. there are many reasons why a therapist is present during a support based group - the place the group is held is a professional building where the protocal is that a professional be on site, support groups around certain disorders are required to have a professional on site as a safety precaution for example a support group for DID needs to have a professional present. just getting 2 people with this disorder and you can have the two of them together triggering into well over 400 memory pieces and some of them could be the violent memorys where someone was forced to do harm or fight back being rerun and acting on.

Support based groups are member run and taken care of by the members and have no real agenda unless the members themselves decide to work on something specific the next session.

Therapy based groups are a bit different. the professional takes the active lead role of planning the discussions and activities worked on and they keep the group focused on that specific material. They don't referee for the members of the group when different opinions come up, they just make sure everyone stays on the topic that the therapist planned for that day, and the work planned for that session gets completed. Most times therapy based groups are learning coping skills type activites and most use a specific workbook or text book. for example the depression management group that I attended was therapy based. A therapist planned the material to be covered. We used activites from the work book Mind over mood. She also suplimented this with NAMI handouts and other professional type handouts about depression, and ways to handle the symptoms of depression. We also had Homework at times where we had to set a goal during the group, break that goal down into steps and accomplish the goal that week and at check in the next session talk some on how it went..

Yes I have walked out of a support group session or two. support groups are not manditory a person can come and go as they please. It doesn't matter why they leave. no one needs to explain to anyone why they left that group.

I have also dropped out of a support group. This one group I attended was supposed to be support based but the members were attempting to play at being therapists thats a dangerious thing to do and if something happens there I don't want to be in it. The group also spend 15 minutes every session reading the rules of the place. on any session there can be one to 50 rape survivors since it is open to the public for walk in waisting 15 minutes reading 3 pages of rules when there is only an hour per session doesn't leave alot of time. then they have a "round Robin" rule where they go around the room. everyone is given about 5 minutes to talk or not and then regardless of what is going on they went on to the next person. Thats not fair to those that don't want to talk and its not fair to those having a problem to have to rush themselves to get it all said and then ok your done were on to the next person - wait a minute wheres the resource information that can help, how does this help in handling the situation?. No not the type of group I wanted to be in. I went back one other time - to thank the group because they were referring people to me and my group that I put together based on a group I had been in years ago.