Group Therapy
Group therapy is an underutilized mode of psychological treatment. Therapeutic elements for change are present in group therapy processes that are not available in the context of individual therapy. Group therapy gives a person the unique opportunity to hear similar experiences of other group members. It is not uncommon for people to hesitate at the idea of discussing personal information with strangers. However, group therapy is especially helpful in allowing a person to try behaviors and interpersonal skills that are not likely to occur naturally in the context of individual counseling or in the “social groups” that we participate in each day. For example, group therapy can help individuals increase their ability to be honest and assertive, as well as practice relationship skills that can generalize to their personal relationships. People who have participated in group therapy often say that group therapy has helped them:
· Learn to express their thoughts and feelings more honestly
· Learn how they come across to others
· Learn to say what is bothering them rather than holding it in
· Discover and accept previously unknown or unacceptable parts of themselves
· Become more trustful of groups and other people
· Learn that they are not the only one with their kind of problem(s)
· Learn some of the causes and sources of their problems
Connections Group
The Connections group is for adult women who struggle with issues of guilt, shame, and social isolation. The empirically validated curriculum is based on in-depth research by Dr. Brene’ Brown (www.ordinarycourage.com) and her colleagues. The Connections group is open to up to 8 women per cycle. Each cycle runs for 12 weeks with weekly 1.5-hour sessions. The overarching goals of the group are to help clients recognize shame as a universal experience, increase empathy and self-compassion, and ultimately build a resilience toward future shame experiences. Group sessions will contain reading material and audio-visual instruction, as well as an opportunity to process the information with two facilitators and other group members. Please call to be placed on the wait-list for the next Connections cycle. For answers to frequently asked questions about the Connections group, please click here.
Interpersonal Group Therapy
Once a year Dr. Ward offers a Yalom-style interpersonal group therapy opportunity. The group is open to adult men and women, and is focused on using each group member’s perceptions and experiences to help each other group member learn how his or her personality and behaviors affect others. Group members can expect to receive honest feedback on how they affect others, for the purpose of allowing the individual to develop insight into effective and ineffective personality traits. The ultimate goal of the group is to increase each group member’s social effectiveness and ability to form and maintain close and healthy interpersonal relationships. Please call today to be placed on the wait-list for the next Yalom-style group.
Connections
The Connections group is for adult women who struggle with issues of guilt, shame, and social isolation. The empirically validated curriculum is based on in-depth research by Dr. Brene’ Brown (www.ordinarycourage.com) and her colleagues. The Connections group is open to up to 8 women per cycle. Each cycle runs for 12 weeks with weekly 1.5-hour sessions. The overarching goals of the group are to help clients recognize shame as a universal experience, increase empathy and self-compassion, and ultimately build a resilience toward future shame experiences. Group sessions will contain reading material and audio-visual instruction, as well as an opportunity to process the information with two facilitators and other group members. Please call to be placed on the wait-list for the next Connections cycle.
Interpersonal Group Therapy
Once a year Dr. Ward offers a Yalom-style interpersonal group therapy opportunity. The group is open to adult men and women, and is focused on using the group member’s perceptions and experiences to help each other group member learn how their personality and behaviors affect others. Group members can expect to receive honest feedback on how they affect others, for the purpose of allowing the individual to develop insight into effective and ineffective personality traits. The ultimate goal of the group is to increase each group member’s social effectiveness and ability to form and maintain close and healthy interpersonal relationships. Please call today to be placed on the wait-list for the next Yalom-style group.
