Group Therapy
Summer Group Therapy Heading link
Looking to add consistency and connection to your summer plans?
Stay connected with peers and continue to manage your well-being over the summer by joining one of our therapy groups. Keep scrolling to learn more about our groups and how to get started.
Group Therapy Heading link
What is group therapy?
You might think group therapy is just individual therapy in a circle, or that it’s only an good option when individual therapy isn’t available. The truth is, group therapy is an empirically supported treatment for mental health concerns and has its own unique process that is intended to be different from individual therapy.
Group therapy is widely regarded as the best option for students whose distress involves difficulties in relationships with others. Rather than talking one on one with a therapist, the shared space of group allows for greater experiencing of relational dynamics between members, and the processing of these dynamics facilitates healing.
Groups generally meet once a week, have 5-8 members and 1-2 trained group therapists, and do not have a session limit; however, a few groups are specifically designed to be time-limited. Group therapy can be an ideal place to:
- Explore personal concerns and connect with others, who may have similar experiences, in a trusting, confidential environment.
- Understand your interpersonal style, patterns, and reactions and their potential impact on your relationships with others and on your mental health.
- Empower yourself to change relationship patterns that are not working for you and practice these changes in your relationships with group members.
- Practice openness and vulnerability with trusted others in a way that reflects your values, honors your cultural identities, and facilitates healthy relationships and outcomes.
- Experience healing in relationships and translate this into relationships outside of group.
If your distress involves concerns in your relationship with a friend, family member, romantic partner, professor, advisor, boss, etc., or if you have concerns about how you function in relationships more generally (loneliness, people-pleasing behavior, feeling like an outsider, difficulty prioritizing or communicating your needs, etc.), then group therapy might be for you! Keep scrolling to learn more about which groups are available and how to take the next step.
Getting Started with a Group Heading link
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Students looking to join a therapy group must be referred following an initial consultation appointment or by their Counseling Center therapist.
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Students can then schedule a 30-minute "pre-group meeting" with the co-facilitators of the group. During this meeting, the group leaders will help you determine whether that particular group is a good fit for your clinical and interpersonal needs.
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An exception to this is the Conquering Anxiety group, which requires you to attend an initial consultation but does not require a pre-group meeting.
Schedule an Initial Consultation
Identity-Based Therapy Groups Heading link
Check out each tab below to learn more about our therapy groups for students with specific identities.
First-Generation Student Process Group
Fridays 1:00 p.m – 2:30 p.m., resuming Fall 2023
This group is open to students who identify as a first-generation student, including those who are the first within their family to attend college (regardless of U.S. generation status) and students who are navigating the U.S. culture/education system for the first time (such as international students).
This group will provide these students with a supportive space where they may process how navigating new spaces or roles for the first time may influence their relationships, as well as explore with other group members how to navigate such struggles.
LGBTQ+
Tuesdays 3:00 p.m – 4:30 p.m.
This interpersonal process therapy group is for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or other gender or sexual minority identities to explore issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and interpersonal experiences. The group is also open to students who are questioning their gender or sexual orientation.
Men's
Wednesdays 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
This interpersonal process group is for students who identify as men and want to better understand themselves and others in relationships. This group addresses masculinity, emotional expression, relationship building, and exploration of roles commonly assumed by men.
TNBGE Group
Mondays 4:00 p.m – 5:30 p.m.
This interpersonal process therapy group is for students who identify as transgender or gender expansive to explore issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and interpersonal experiences. This interpersonal process group offers a space for group members to gain support in integrating their identities with other areas of their lives.
Trauma for Womxn Group
Mondays 3:00 p.m – 4:30 p.m., resuming Fall 2023
This interpersonal process therapy group is for students who identify as a womxn (cis or trans) to explore issues related to past traumas that continue to impact their experiences forming and maintaining relationships with others.
General Therapy Groups Heading link
Learn more about our therapy groups open to students of all identities.
IPG
Mondays 3:05 p.m – 4:30 p.m.
Fridays 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., resuming Fall 2023
An interpersonal process group is a space for students who may benefit from exploring their personal and interpersonal growth, as well as exploring interpersonal reasons for their distress in a safe, supportive environment with others who may have similar experiences.
Grad
Tuesdays 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Thursdays 3:05 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
These interpersonal process groups are spaces for graduate students who may benefit from exploring personal and interpersonal growth, as well as exploring interpersonal reasons for their distress in a safe, supportive environment with other graduate students who may have similar experiences.
Skills-Based Groups Heading link
Looking to learn some skills for supporting positive mental health? Check out our skills-based groups.
CAG
Fridays 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m, new session starting June 16th, 2023
This six-week group will help you address anxiety using the evidence-based approach behind Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The aim of ACT is to bring an open and willing attitude toward all internal experiences and actively working on what you truly care about, even when pain is present. The goal of this group is to help you relate differently to your anxious feelings, depressed moods, worrying mind, and self-defeating behaviors. Sessions will include skill-building, mindfulness activities, group discussion, and experiential exercises.