[ThingWithFeathers]

My t and her colleague are going to be running a support group in the next few months. My t asked if I would be interested in taking part in the group, and I'm very eager to. I love my t and I trust her. I'm excited to be working with my t in a group setting, a new environment and with a different set up to individual sessions.

I wonder what it will be like to work with her in a group? I know the colleague too, and I wonder how they will work together in a different and shared environment? I also wonder what a support group is like? Do you make friends or is that not recommended?

Has anyone ever joined a group their t was running? What was it like for you?

[junkDNA]

i was in a process group that my T facilitated for like 2 years or so. he was very different in the group than in individual therapy . what i mean is he was much more of an observer in the group and didnt speak up much. he let us talk and figure things out etc. he would ask certain people what they thought about what someone was saying or comment on body language and nonverbal stuff. he would talk about the themes of the group at the end. that was his method of running a process group. in individual he is much more interactive.

[Kiya]

yup - same set up as yours... I... I was about to say that it was good, but then I remembered both good and bad things. Like DNA said, it was very different. I felt things needed to be run differently. Or maybe I am getting them confused now.... It was some time ago. I remember I was in two different groups; one with T and Other was a women's group, and that was pretty good. The 2nd one was with only Other and I felt she needed to display more leadership and not let people hog the time.
I hope you will enjoy it!

[Anne2.0]

I did a CSA survivors group that had a leader for six months and then we continued to meet weekly for 7 years, until I moved out of town. They still all get together every once in awhile 15 years later and I will see them, we do some emailing, when I'm back in the area for work next month.

It was an incredible experience, not only for the friendship but because I really learned how my past impacted my current life. They saw me through a bad breakup and then into a healthy marriage.

It wasn't always easy going, we had at times to work really hard not to trigger each other or be more compassionate and gentle, but these were always great learning experiences too.

[lifetimemeds]

I tried group therapy run by several therapists including mine. It was most unsatisfying. My therapist treated me like she didn't really know me. Yet the other therapists were giving hugs to their own clients. Maybe it made me jealous, like sibling rivalry. I didn't like it when my therapist gave time to others but not me. I finally quit. Maybe my reaction was due to the strong transference and the long time I had been with that therapist. It made me feel invisible, unimportant, and abandoned. I don't think I will try group therapy/support group if my own therapist is involved.

[feralkittymom]

My T and the University Center had a policy that clients couldn't be in a group run by their individual T concurrent with individual therapy. Clients were free to be in groups run by other Ts. There are a lot of good reasons for such a stance.

[Abe Froman]

Originally Posted by junkDNA

i was in a process group that my T facilitated for like 2 years or so. he was very different in the group than in individual therapy . what i mean is he was much more of an observer in the group and didnt speak up much. he let us talk and figure things out etc. he would ask certain people what they thought about what someone was saying or comment on body language and nonverbal stuff. he would talk about the themes of the group at the end. that was his method of running a process group. in individual he is much more interactive.

Like this. Our group is new and small. It got started because I found my T's wife's listing online for groups. So I met with my T, he became my new T, ten put together this group.

But he's a lot of an observer in there. But there is another guy, working on his LPC, who speaks up more. Once he's finished the accreditation he's suppose to take over the group. But he's been working with addicts for 17 years or something. This isn't his first rodeo.