Group counseling or group therapy is increasingly becoming popular these days. The main factor which has led to this increasing popularity of group therapy is that it is not conducted as individual sessions but rather as a group, which for a lot of individuals would be a type of support that would make them feel less alone. Similarly, there a lot of other benefits too, which you can further explore in this article. You can gain more insight into the benefits of group counseling in this article: https://www.regain.us/advice/
What is group counseling?
Group therapy would typically consist of around 4-10, or sometimes more/less members, and these people are guided by either a single leader or sometimes more than one leader or alternatively, the leader could be a therapist. In fact, it is a type of psychotherapy itself, but the difference obviously is that instead of an individual, there will be several individuals here who are all a part of the same group. These individuals would then be encouraged to talk about the issues that concern them, and together, the whole group would be able to provide motivation, strength, and inspiration to a person. Groups like these typically meet once or twice a week for hourly sessions where they interact with each other and share their stories.
Is group counseling beneficial?
Yes, group counseling is beneficial. In fact, many studies have proven that group counseling has contributed to improving the mental health of people in a great way and thereby has been able to cure depression in many individuals. Do not think depression as just a phase or as an act by people. It is a real illness, and invalidating people based on what they feel is a totally wrong thing to do.
In many other ways, also, group counseling is extremely beneficial for a lot of people. Since there is a feeling of a collective community and belonging, these people are less likely to feel alone or experience feelings of loneliness. Being alone is one major factor that can lead to depression. However, with a group, the feeling of loneliness is less likely to exist. The group members would also be going through situations that are similar to yours, and this will make you understand that you are not alone.
That could be considered as one of the biggest advantages of group therapy, as this won’t be something that you would get in your normal individual counseling sessions.
Other benefits
- Groups can be a safe space for people
- Groups help you to interact with other members and engage with them in talks, discussions, and activities and these can significantly improve your social skills also
- Since there a lot of members in a group the costs would be much less than individual sessions thus making group counseling affordable to larger sections of the population
- Group counseling enables people to find strength and support in other people
- The groups will boost your confidence to a very high-level as well as increase your motivation to get over a problem