Group Therapy
Most psychological troubles entail difficulties with people. Sometimes we deny a need for others and withdraw in depression. Other times we distort how we are perceived by others and lash out in anger that leaves us depleted, guilt-ridden and alone. Many of the issues that give rise to these interpersonal difficulties can be conceptualized themselves as having emerged out of interactions with significant others, such as with early caregivers.
Individual therapy attempts to address these interpersonal issues retrospectively, through the client's narrations, and in the room, by examining the relationship between therapist and client. In a group setting, the interpersonal reactions of clients play out in real time, in a larger arena, against a greater variety of temperments. In group therapy, the group itself is the medium of change.
Group therapy has been found to provide hope, facilitate interpersonal learning, and encourage feelings of universality and altruism.