[Gadgetsmile]

I have been offered group therapy when I am more 'mentally stable'.
Just wondered if people have done it and what they thought about it, or if you don't want to do it what are your reservations.

You could not pay me enough to go to something like that. It's just not for me - I would not benefit from it, and nobody else would benefit from my being there. So it would be a lose-lose situation.

Yes, I have been and it was good ... Also ... Yes, I have been and it was bad ...

The best one I ever went to helped me to overcome a lot of my anxiety and panic issues ... It helped me to firmly establish boundaries with other folks by helping me to learn how to stand up for myself in a more assertive (rather than aggresive) manner.

The worst one I ever went to made the mistake of putting a perpetrator in with victims / survivors of childhood sexual abuse ... I told the facilitators how messed up it was for them to do that and never went back ...

So, it's like everything else in life ... A Crapshoot ... The important thing is to know which is which and respect yourself by not staying in one you find isn't helpful ...

[missbelle]

I have gone a couple times. The last time though I was just coming out of a bad depression and I was trying to focus on being positive and doing positive things. The group was terribly depressing and totally brought me down. Needless to say I stopped going.

I think support groups/group therapy, can do wonders though as long as you are in the same place that everyone else is!

[splitimage]

I've done lots of group therapy and found it very helpful.

First off all the therapy in my rehab was group, and it felt very validating to have other people with similar experiences.

I've done group therapy for CBT for social phobia, DBT, and am currently in 2 groups, one on self compassion, and one for trauma survivors with substance abuse issues.

I think you can learn a lot about yourself, simply from how you react to the group dynamic.

splitimage

My group therapy experience was one of the most invaluable therapy experiences I have ever had. It showed me how to finally have empathy for myself because I saw that if I had so much empathy for what those other women in my group had gone through (and my story was not so different from theirs), then I could no longer deny my own pain.

[wotchermuggle]

I think I would probably try it, but I'm not sure I could do anything other than be a support for other people. I imagine that you had to be willing to be vocal about your own experiences and I don't know that I could be forward enough to push myself to the front of the line.

I have not had the experience, but I would consider it if offered.

[autotelica]

A while back my therapist mentioned the idea to me, but almost as soon as she'd said it, she said it wasn't a good idea. She has never brought it up again.

I don't think I'd like it. I can only imagine that I'd be alienated from the group. I can't imagine being in a group where the people are very much like me, so it would be hard for me to relate--or let myself relate-to whatever topics came up. And I'm so self-loathing that the idea of being around people who ARE like me would also be turn-off.

I can see myself participating and stuff, but hating myself afterwards.

[Perna]

I think it is hard to get a genuine therapy group that works well; support-type groups or those centered around a certain type of problem or method might work more easily but wouldn't have the depth I'd expect from therapy. And, getting that depth with 8 or so people who all have need of therapy rather than mostly support or education can be messy.

In my good group (mid-to-late-1970's, very early-1980s) we all use to laugh because we always had a "token" gay person; at one point we had a gay man and a lesbian and that was interesting watching as they related to one another; I think in good groups what you observe is almost as good as interactions you participate in. I gained from that group because near the beginning of when I joined there was a person nearly through with therapy, ready to terminate and watching she and the group leaders interact was instructive of how "good" life/therapy could be and gave me hope for the duration, both in group and individual therapy. Just coming to realize that we are always observing and being observed and aren't invisible or the "center" of attention was worth it to me.

[pbutton]

I become drained just from talking to T for an hour. I'd be exhausted being with a group for that long. I am very introverted & need my alone time. I'm doing well to be "on" and talking to people at work. I don't want to do it in my free time. T once offered me an anxiety group. Actually he offered it three times and I declined all 3 times.

I think I would like it and find it helpful, as it would probably help me with boundary issues and developing relationships with men. I wouldn't even know where to look for a group therapy thing...my town is a little big town of conservative southern baptist, I'm pretty sure we have none.

[Gadgetsmile]

thanks for all your replies!

I'm still not sure. I was offered this before a few months ago by my ex T, I as surprised she recommended it at all, seeing as she said I take on the caregiver role and do not allow anyone to 'look after' me, she kept telling me that she wanted to do that for me but I couldn't, not that I didn't feel safe with her, because I did, but I couldn't do it.
So in some ways I'm worried it will be a waste of my time as I would end up supporting everyone else and not speaking. I find it hard enough to talk to a T let alone a room full of people even if they have all been in similar situations to me.

Still not sure....

[murray]

I never have gone to group therapy. In the past my T has said that he thought that I would struggle with it as he thought that it would be too much for me with all the other people and that I would be too anxious. Just this past week though he mentioned it again and suggested that it might be good for me to consider at this point. Not sure what to think about it yet. Part of me thinks that I would find it very informative and fascinating as I do like to hear peoples stories and try to support them but the idea of actually sharing anything of mine sounds terrifying. I am thinking about it though.

My first reaction when offered group was to has a hissy fit and claim I would never go... that was 1 1/2 years ago. But now I think I would go if it were to work on how I get along with others or perceived by others... etc.. but I wouldn't do it in leiu of individual therapy.

[Victoria'smom]

I would not do it, nor would it be offered to me. I'm not a good candidate for groups due to my ability to take completely irrational thinking and convince everyone it's rational through logic jumps. If I was forced to do group I'd be a spectator. If my T offered it in conjunction with regular therapy I'd try it. Never just group therapy.

[Unrigged64072835]

I've been through partial hospitalization group and now I'm in a DBT group. Initially I usually feel bad in groups, like I'm an outsider. Eventually, though, once I start really knowing the other people and the facilitator I feel better.

[mcl6136]

i would love to go. When I was a big city girl, I had a group and it was superb and the transference awfulness that I had with the last T would not have happened with a group...it has a way of resolving that sort of stuff, at least for me.

I thrived in group therapy. Some people were way "ahead" of me and they lit the way and made my growth so much faster.

Since I live in such a small town, finding one could be tough...sob!

[bounceback]

I am currently in group therapy. It is not a processing group where you talk about your feelings so much. I didn't really like that kind of group. The group I am in is a skill building group. The experience has been great. You don't feel so alone because others have the same issues plus you learn a lot of tools for coping. It is a mixture of CBT and DBT. The tools have been helpful with coping with every day life.

[TheWell]

I go to a theraputic support group. It is run by a psychologist and I love it. I feel like I get more out of my group than I get out of my one on one.

Having other people in the group empathize with you, or call you out on your crap is powerfull. It's also powerful to get the non-professional view point. It can be so refreshing.

[healed84]

I have never been, but I have been thinking about it though.

Years ago I went to a group for close to a year at the request of a T who wouldn't see me privately but thought that a group would be better. But I don't think she actually "got" what I was working on at the time, which was some really deep, discovering my true self kind of work. I got absolutely nothing from the group because I was in a completely different place.

But now, I would consider it as a place to work on r/s skills and see how I interact with other people (I'm pretty much of a hermit, as if people here haven't already guessed ). I think it would depend on the leader and the other people in the group - whether I felt comfortable with them or out of place. I'll probably look for one once I get my head straightened out a little better.

[adel34]

I've gone to group therapy, some good, some not.
The not so good group was run by a not so well trained therapist (also my individual t at the time) who had her own major issues she wasn't dealing with. She often used the group to talk about herself or her family issues, or whatever. Mostly just talk too much.
I've also gone to DBSA support groups and that's helpful. Also, right now I'm at a day program with a variety of groups each day. I would recommend it. I think the key is finding the right group for each person.

[retro_chic]

As scary as it is to me, I would consider group therapy if I could find an appropriate group. I have done some research but haven't really found in my area that suits my needs. I am part of this "social group" for people with social anxiety. It isn't therapy based but it has helped me get out of the house more.

[marvelousbedlam]

I have never been to group, but thinking of going. Not really getting anything out of one on one with my therapist anymore besides lectures and homework. Im just not sure where to go. I cant go to the one that was recommended and idk where else to look.