Benefits of Group Therapy
Are you considering taking the next steps in your mental health and wellness journey. Have you ever wondered if group therapy could be the right choice for you?
Here are 5 benefits of group therapy to consider:
Camaraderie: One of the most important and obvious benefits of group therapy is the camaraderie between group members. Group therapy is based on a shared need, shared skill set, or shared experience. Simply by participating in the group, there is the opportunity to connect with others with similar goals and desires for their life. Having shared experiences and knowing that others struggle with or are challenged by the same issues or life circumstances can be an extremely beneficial aspect of group therapy. Feeling isolated can drastically increase the amount of distress that an individual feels, so group therapy can be a great way to counteract, isolation, or the feeling that you’re alone in your struggles.
Group therapy is an effective intervention for many mental health disorders: When considering what type of treatment, an individual should participate in, as a trained mental health professional, we are always looking to make sure that we are implementing evidence-based practice for the needs that the client has. There are numerous needs or mental health concerns that have been researched and studied to be effectively treated by different forms of group therapy. Some examples include social anxiety disorders, addiction, personality disorders, and more.
Opportunity to build confidence and practice skills: Group therapy afford a unique opportunity to practice and apply information with other people. Research shows that disability to practice and work on the development of skills in the context of an accepting group actually can increase the self-confidence and self-esteem of group members.
Herd mentality- Change is always easiest to make when others are changing in the same direction. If you want to make a change, it is a psychological phenomenon that change comes easiest when others are doing the same. So finding others with similar goals can help you create a “herd” to increase your chances of success. (Learn more about the herd mentality here.)
More cost-effective: Let’s face it. mental health services can be expensive. And group therapy can be a beneficial, effective, and cost-effective way of receiving evidence-based mental health therapy interventions. Therapists have to be paid for their work, and group therapy, sometimes, can drastically decrease the cost per person due to simple multiplication. For those who are struggling with paying for quality, mental health services, a skills group like a DBT therapy skills group can be a great evidence-based, cost-effective way to receive affordable therapy services.
If you are interested in learning more about group therapy options, we would love to connect with you. Our team of trained therapists facilitates several different kinds of groups for therapeutic support. DBT skills groups are one of our most popular forms of group therapy. And if group therapy is not quite the fit for you, our team offers individual therapy services both online and in person at our Arlington, Texas base therapy office.
