I had another Interpersonal Process group session last week and I'm angry again. Like I've said before, our group is not very talkative and it has frustrated me. The week before, one of the women started the session by bringing up an issue with a friend and our entire 90 minutes on her issue (though people made non-specific comments).

The next session, this past week, I decided I was going to bring one of my issues to the group, a genuine problem that has been bothering me in my life. The session starts and the leader, a therapist, asks the woman how she felt sharing her issue last week. The woman says that it was an issue she didn't really care about because she doesn't care about the friendship or consider the person a friend. She just brought it up because she thought people could relate and would have something to talk about. She says she had real issues she could have brought up, but thought people wouldn't relate. The group leader asks her if she wants to bring up one of her real issues during this session and of course she does SO WE SPEND A WHOLE SESSION ON HER ISSUE AGAIN! It becomes a Q&A where she talks about her mental illnesses and how it's awful to have them (duh!). Then, others ask her questions about how she got diagnosed and what about them are awful, etc. because no one else in the group has a mental illness or wants to reveal that they do (me).

I WAS SO ANGRY! She had her chance the week before to make the group about her issue. She chose the wrong issue? TOO BAD. It's unfair to let her make 2 sessions in a row COMPLETELY about herself. I am mad she brazenly took this time and I am mad that the group leader just handed her this time without asking if anyone had anything they wanted to bring up.