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Group Therapy

Group Therapy

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Group therapies offer such a unique experience that we cannot get from one-to-one therapy. 

At first, the idea of participating in group therapy might seem intimidating at first, but most who go on to try group therapies see a benefit.

Groups not only help to ease that sense of isolation, but also give the opportunity to practice re-engaging with people and your experiences might be meaningful to someone else, and you'll find that helping others helps you, too. 

About our group therapies

Treatment Groups

We run nearly 40 groups a week! We have some great group therapy options which tackle a range of different subjects such as self esteem, anger, perinatal difficulties, patterns in relationships and much more - take a look below at our groups.

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What happens?

 

Our Treatment Groups run from between 4 and 12 sessions and are specific to the difficulty you are experiencing. Unlike one-off workshops, our treatment groups allow you to explore your difficulties in more detail and learn to manage these.  Treatment groups are an opportunity to be as involved as you would like to be and we ensure participants never feel as though they are forced to speak if they don’t wish to.

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Shared experience

 

These groups allow us to develop skills and tools over time to fully change any unhelpful thinking or behaviour patterns we might have in place.  They are similar to individual therapy sessions with the added benefit of ‘shared experience’ with others who might be experiencing the same thing. We often hear amazing stories of how the group setting has helped people feel less alone as a result!

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We run both online and face to face group therapies. For some types of groups you will have the choice to access either online or in our clinic. 

Many find online groups just as effective as face to face groups and they offer individuals greater accessibility time wise and you can access them from the comfort of your own home. Joining our online session is usually pretty straight forward from your smart phone, tablet or PC and we run all our sessions on Microsoft Teams.

Our face to face groups run from our Vicarage Lane Health Centre in Stratford and we offer clients refreshments. We also encourage clients to follow current guidance around keeping yourself and others safe from covid-19.

We run many groups both online and face to face. Our groups cover many different subjects related to common mental and emotional health problems.

  • Cultivating self worth
  • Overcoming social anxiety
  • Understanding reocurring patterns in relationships
  • Survivors of domestic violence
  • Taking charge of your health group - for individuals with long term conditions
  • Mindfulness
  • Anger and irritability
  • Managing low mood and depression
  • Taming the critical mind
  • Managing chronic worry
  • Overcoming trauma
  • Navigating loss
  • Handling health concerns
  • Overcoming panic and agoraphobia

Will I be made to speak?

We won't place pressure on you. Group therapy is about learning together, so we would hope at some point you feel more comfortable to speak - this is on your terms.

What happens in the first session?

We explore groups rules and discuss confidentiality. We briefly introduce ourselves as facilitators and then if you feel comfortable we ask you to share something about yourself, this can be something simple. We then think about goals and what future sessions may look like.

Will I have to turn on my camera in an online group?

We do encourage you to turn on your camera, this is so others can see you and that we all feel comfortable with each other. We appreciate this could feel challenging, if this does just let us know. 

I'm not great with technology, how can I join?

We have lots of guides to join and your faciltator will contact close the session start date to check your ability to join. We will send you Microsoft Teams link to your nominated email address, or if you wish to your mobile by text message. You can join comfortable via your mobile (most clients do join via mobiles and this works great!) or tablet, media pad, laptop or PC. 

Will I have to sign up to Microsoft Teams and will other see my email address?

No, you will not have to. On your mobile you can join the session within 5 clicks, one of them will be where you download a safe, secure microsoft app and you will be asked to enter a name. If you join via a PC or laptop, you again just click the link to join and you will be asked if you want to join as a guest.

Feedback

Here are some client stories from our groups work...

'The group discussions were absolutely vital and I commend the group on being able to facilitate these really well'

'I was reluctant about groups at first and also doing them online but they have been really useful and helped me move forward'

I have engaged in both face to face and groups and online and I can say that I found online groups just as good, it really helped me as I could engage in the session around my schedule.'

'I can honestly say group therapy has been the best therapy I experienced. I always felt so alone with my problems and being able to work with others with similar problems has been a game changer!'

'Don't fear groups! We are meant to sociable. The group supported me, built me back up after what happened and provided me the compassion I wasn't able to give myself - best thing I have done.'

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