Have you ever done group therapy?
Yes.

What type of group therapy was it? (skills focused, support, specific diagnosis, etc?)
DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) skills group.

Who ran the group?
Two DBT trained therapists. The first time I went through it seven years ago it was my T and another T and this last time it was two Ts in his clinic but not his particular skills group.

What did the structure of the group meetings look like?
Opened with a mindfulness exercise. Then we went over our skills homework (we usually had a skill we were focusing on that week). Anything that could be triggering was referred to as a "target behavior" and not explicitly mentioned - talking about it explicitly was for one on one therapy).

What were the criteria and/or rules for the group?
There's a list of rules that DBT groups are supposed to follow. The ones I remember off the top of my head:

- Not miss four sessions in each unit.
- Be in individual therapy.
- No discussion of self-harm or suicidal thoughts or other trigger behaviors (if they came up in discussion of homework we referred to them as "target behaviors" which kept some anonymity to what we were all dealing with individually)
- Sexual partners could not be in group together (unless it was a couples group which mine weren't).
- Don't come under the influence of drugs or alcohol (prescription drugs should be taken as prescribed, however).
- If you ask for help, be willing to accept help from whomever you ask.
- What's said in group remains in group.

What did you like about it?
That it wasn't a lot of processing. I prefer to do that one-on-one.

What didn't you like about it?
Honestly, they could have used better mindfulness exercises but I'm pretty hard to please in that department. I also didn't like the constant incoming and outgoing of people. I think it would have been nicer to start with a group and end with a group but that was probably not feasible.

Would you do group therapy again (or ever, if you have never done it)?
Only a DBT skills group. I have little interest in a therapy group that does actual therapy. I prefer my therapist for that.

What would your ideal group therapy experience look like?
I think my DBT skills groups got pretty darn close. Even the fluctuation of people wasn't that big of a deal for me to care all that much.