Group Psychotherapy
Group psychotherapy can take many forms. For the sake of simplicity, I will break down groups into three different sections: support, educational, and interpersonal. Further down this page are descriptions of the groups I lead.
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| Support Groups |
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Support Groups are exactly as they sound to be. By getting together a group of people with common experience (cancer, sexual abuse, 9/11, etc), healing takes place via the support and closeness one feels with fellow group members.
The group leader is there to facilitate the interactions, provide the structure such as where and when the group meets, and has at least some expertise in groups or the subject. However, the group leader is for the most part minimally involved and tries to stay a witness to group interactions.
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| Educational Groups |
| Educational Groups are also topic driven. These types of groups often feel like a class with opportunities for interaction and discussion after the main lesson is given. The leader is very involved in every aspect of the group. He/She is the designated expert in the topic of the group (e.g. smoking cessation, relaxation, depression). Group members often will raise their hands to ask questions and gather further understanding about their situation. Group leaders will sometimes open up the group for support and cross-conversation.
Educational groups are typically limited to a certain number of sessions, with each session specified for a new piece of learning.
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| Interpersonal Groups |
| Interpersonal Groups often contain some aspects of support from other members and teaching from the group leader. However, this is not the main focus of the group. The purpose is to work on relating to others and get feedback on how one comes across in relationships.
Interpersonal groups are based on the idea of the “social microcosm.” This idea purports that when an individual joins a group of strangers and is encouraged to interact without a specific focus or direction, the individual will end up behaving and feeling in the same ways they have always behaved and felt when interacting with others. Thus comes the saying, “everywhere you go, there you are.”
This is a truly fascinating, and magical process. In interpersonal groups, the leader attempts to stay out of the way and in many ways does not “lead” at all. In fact, there is no specific topic for this type of group. What the group discusses is entirely up to them. The role of the leader is to facilitate the relationships and symbolically hold the remote control on the interactions, helping members to pause, stop, and fast forward. The leader also helps the group focus on here-and-now interactions, as it is in the relationships that form in the room that the group members will learn about how to relate to others in a more satisifying way. Interpersonal groups are usually open-ended, with members often choosing to participate for extended periods of time.
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Group Therapy with Ben-Elfant-Rea, LCSW
I have experience leading all three types of groups, and have come to appreciate the unique benefits of each format. In accordance, I lead three different groups designed to address three different populations:
| Learning to Understand, Reduce, and Cope with Anxiety |
This is an educational and support group. In this group, participants will:
- Learn about the causes of anxiety from a cognitive-behavioral, systems, and psychodynamic perspective
- Practice proven methods of reducing your anxiety
- Share with others the impact that anxiety has on your life and relationships
- Gain support in a warm educational setting
- Learn more about how anxiety effects their interpersonal relationships
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| Feel Free in a Committed Relationship |
This is both an educational and an interpersonal group. To explain this group, it is helpful to look at the questions I present when advertising:
- Do you have a history of feeling overwhelmed by the emotional needs of your romantic partner?
- Do you consistently feel that your past or current romantic partner is too demanding and needy?
- Do you become increasingly anxious the longer you stay in relationship?
- Do you have trouble committing to just one person?
- Do you have a history of short-term relationships?
- Do you keep finding superficial flaws in potential partners?
- After having sex, do you find yourself wanting to get away from your partner?
This group is designed for those that answer “yes” to these questions. The fear of engulfment and suffocation in relationships is a serious issue because of the degree to which it interferes with life satisfaction. Individuals with this fear often experience one or more of the following: relationship discord, anxiety and stress, serial break-ups, infidelity, needy partners, and drug/alcohol abuse.
The Feel Free in a Committed Relationship group is a twelve-week course offered four times per year designed to illuminate why these problems have emerged and how to effectively resolve them. Participants will learn to challenge their current ways of thinking about relationships and acquire tools that help them feel more fulfilled, safe, and understood.
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| Interpersonal Group |
| I have been leading the same interpersonal group for three years with the original members. I will be starting an additional interpersonal group in the Spring of ’07. The membership of these groups is constantly in flux as members graduate or stop attending due to conflicts in schedule. As a result, I always have potential new members on a waiting list.
Themes in these groups center around discovering unconscious tendencies that keep one distant in relationships and repeating the same patterns in intimacy. Though testimonials are not possible, these groups are incredibly powerful and offer the possibility of permanent positive change in one’s life.
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