Group psychotherapy
Group therapy is typically chosen in the following situations:
- The consulting psychotherapist recommends combining individual psychotherapy with group therapy.
- The patient specifically wants group therapy.
Before starting group therapy, there is usually an individual session with the group leader, a doctor-psychotherapist, who assesses which group would be most appropriate for the patient’s needs.
Benefits of Group Therapy:
- Multiple perspectives: Interaction with various people in the group offers diverse viewpoints and emotional reactions, fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and one's issues.
- Social support: Group therapy provides a sense of community and shared experience, which can be healing for patients who may feel isolated in their struggles.
- Learning from others: Patients can learn new coping strategies and problem-solving approaches from group members who may have similar challenges.
- Increased empathy and self-awareness: By witnessing others' struggles and offering support, patients often gain greater empathy and insight into their own behaviors and emotions.
In essence, group therapy offers a unique and powerful environment for healing, where emotional growth and understanding are fostered through shared experience and mutual support.
The duration of one group therapy session is 90 minutes, with one session held per week.
Confidentiality
In group therapy, confidentiality is strictly maintained—outside of therapy, each group member is only allowed to share their own feelings and is not permitted to disclose any information that could identify other group members. Experience shows that patients adhere to this rule.
If there is someone the patient knows among the group members and working together in the same group becomes unfeasible, the patient should contact the group leader, and an alternative group will be offered. The clinic does not guarantee that there will be no acquaintances in the group, as confidentiality requirements dictate that the patient cannot know in advance which other patients will be participating in the group before starting therapy.
Group therapy helps to:
Feel more comfortable and freer to discuss issues in various social settings and groups.
Learn to better understand and relate to the people around you.
Feel sufficiently safe and confident in oneself.
Resolve problems within the family and marital life.
Overcome chronic difficulties in understanding others, and difficulties in forming pleasant and lasting relationships.
Free oneself from long-term depressed moods and various phobias.
Manage anxiety, fear, and panic attacks.
Support those who don't feel happy enough or feel lonely.
Gain a better understanding of oneself.
