Services

Group Counseling

What is group counseling?

Group Counseling usually consists of a small group of clients who meet together weekly or bi-weekly with one or more Banyan Tree Counselors to explore their struggles and concerns in a  comfortable and confidential environment. Groups are typically 90 minutes in length and  focus on  the concerns of a particular population such as young professionals or specific concerns and challenges like anxiety or depression.

Why is group counseling effective?

There are a number of reasons why group counseling is considered an effective treatment modality and can be a powerfully therapeutic experience:

  • Many times individuals feel isolated with their problems.  During group counseling, clients begin to see that they are not alone.  It is encouraging to hear that other people have similar feelings or difficulties or have even worked through a problem that may seem insurmountable to another group member.

  • When individuals come into group therapy and interact freely with other group members, they often re-visit some of the difficulties that brought them to group therapy in the first place. Under the skilled direction of a group therapist, the members of the group are able to give support, provide new perspectives, and/or offer alternatives to an individual's problems in such a way that the difficulty becomes resolved.

  • Group is an ideal setting for exploring social or interpersonal difficulties, and most of the concerns that bring clients to counseling have an interpersonal component. The group experience allows an individual to better understand his or her interpersonal concerns and to develop new ways of relating to people.

  • In a climate of trust, individuals feel free to emphasize with and help each other. New members are often amazed at how much their contributions help other members. In turn, by helping others, we learn about and help ourselves.

What are the benefits of group counseling?

In a group, you can discover many benefits including:

  • Learn more about how others see you
  • Find that you no longer have to feel deal with your difficulties alone, because there are others who are struggling also
  • Experience how emotionally comforting the support of others can be in your life
  • Hear what methods others in your situation have used to either help or hinder them in their pursuit of getting through their problems
  • Feel what is like to strengthen and improve the lives of your fellow group members by offering them ideas and advice
  • Feel the freedom of finding out how to constructively express what you are feeling about yourself, others, and the world
  • Learn to find similar support in your life outside of group counseling