About Group Psychotherapy
Group therapy is a highly effective form of therapy in which a small number of people meet together under the guidance of a professionally trained therapist to help themselves and one another. This form of therapy has been widely used for over 50 years. In studies comparing group psychotherapy to individual therapy, group therapy has been shown to be as effective and sometimes more effective.
Your whole life you’ve been learning in groups: your family group, school group, social group. Group therapy provides another type of group where you share your problems and concerns, to better understand your own situation, and to learn from and with each other.
Who Can Benefit
Group therapy can benefit almost anyone. Some of the issues typically addressed include:
- Relationship Problems
- Aging
- Medical Illness
- Depression and Anxiety
- Self-Esteem
- Grief/Loss
- Trauma
- Cultural issues (ethnicity, discrimination, lifestyle)
- Substance abuse or other addictions
Benefits of Group Therapy
- improving unsatisfying, frustrating, or disappointing relationships
- enhancing social skills and intimacy
- decreasing loneliness and isolation
- learning to deal with losses more effectively
- diminishing feelings of helplessness
- enhancing self-esteem and mastery
- resolving feelings of shame
- confronting and changing problematic behavior
- instilling hope
The Group Therapy Session
The group therapy session is a collaborative effort in which the therapist assumes clinical responsibility for the group and its members. In each session, typically lasting 75-90 minutes, members work to express their own problems, feelings, ideas and reactions as freely and honestly as possible. Such exploration gives the group the important information needed to understand and help one another. Members learn not only to understand themselves and their own issues but also become “therapeutic helpers” for other members.
Affordable Therapy
Group therapy is an affordable option at less than half the rate of an individual session. The affordability of group therapy allows people to continue doing the important inner work of self-discovery and personal growth for as long as it’s needed.
I’m a Certified Group Psychotherapist
I’ve received extensive training and certification in group therapy through the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists.
Let’s Talk
Schedule a free 15 minute consultation by calling +1 (818) 245-5298
or e-mailing me at Therapy@RenaPollak.com
Rena Pollak, LMFT, CGP | 4872 Topanga Canyon Blvd., #152, Woodland Hills, CA 91364 | 818-245-5298