sillystring, I think you should ask your individual T. Maybe it is OK with him to do both. Many people do both group and individual therapy simulataneously and it works well for them. I actually think it is preferable to have a different therapist for individual and group so there isn't any kind of conflict of interest. However, I know a lot of people do individual and group with the same T and it works fine.

I was interested in what you wrote about being in a pre-therapy group. What is that?

BeyondBlue, I have been in individual therapy and also done family and couples therapy. They are pretty different! I also help out at several groups from time to time. I think the groups serve a really different purpose from individual therapy in many cases, so it's hard to compare them. I like the one on one relationship with the therapist in individual. That aspect is minimized when there are more than just you and the T in the room. In the groups I help with, all of the people also have individual therapists. The therapist who leads it will contact the client's individual T if the client brings something to the group beyond its ability to help. I like that part -- that even if the group can't help, the leader makes sure the person gets help from his/her T.