Group Therapy vs. Support Group: What’s Right for You?

Group Therapy is a form of psychological treatment where a group of patients meets to work on their issues with the help and supervision of one or more therapists. The interactions between the group members are part of the treatment, with multiple sources of feedback and ideas providing the chance to learn to connect with others in new ways and change how they deal with their problems.

There are a lot of different types of therapeutic groups, largely determined by the purpose of the group and how it is organized. Groups can be focused on a particular problem that the group members share, like anxiety, or they can have members facing a wider variety of problems. Group discussions can be structured and focused on learning and practicing new skills, or they can be more free-flowing and process-oriented. Groups may be time-limited, with a certain number of pre-planned sessions, or they can be ongoing. Membership can be open, where someone might join at any time, or it might be closed where members can only join at particular times.

Key elements of Group Therapy include:

Professional Facilitation: A trained therapist leads the sessions, offering structured activities, discussions, and interventions to address the group’s needs.

Focused Goals: Group Therapy often has a specific focus, such as cognitive-behavioral techniques, interpersonal relationships, or trauma processing.

Confidentiality: Participants are typically required to maintain confidentiality, fostering a safe space for sharing personal experiences.

Therapeutic Techniques: The therapist uses various therapeutic techniques to facilitate growth, such as cognitive-behavioral strategies, mindfulness exercises, and role-playing.

Depending on what type of Group Therapy is being chosen, sessions can vary. Generally, a session will involve roughly 4-12 patients and one or more therapists who act to lead and facilitate the work of the group. Groups are generally weekly and can last anywhere between 1-2 hours. Regular attendance is expected.

Therapists might be very active in the group, like in skills training where there is a specific topic that is taught and practiced. Therapists also can be comparatively silent, only occasionally directing or intervening in the conversation between members to keep the group moving in a productive and therapeutic manner. Most groups are mostly focused on talk, but some groups may include activities such as art projects, music, or even exercise. Members are expected to participate with at least some level of sharing.

While both support groups and Group Therapy offer support, the goal of Group Therapy is to help members change, while the goal of support groups is to help members cope.

Support groups tend to have a particular theme, such as parents with sick children, and all who attend have some connection to that theme. They tend to be much less structured than therapeutic groups. At times there may be particular presentations about a related topic, but most often the group discussion is focused on supporting members with their current struggles.

Personal sharing is optional. Support groups can be very large and are often open-ended, with members coming and going, attending only when they feel the need. While support groups often have leaders or organizers, they tend not to have clinical training and act as facilitators rather than someone who might intervene or make interpretations.

Key Elements of Support Groups includes:

Peer Support: Participants support each other through shared experiences, emotions, and coping mechanisms, creating a sense of solidarity and empathy.

Informal Structure: Support groups tend to have less formal structure and are less guided by a professional. They often follow an open discussion format.

Shared Experiences: They are formed around a specific theme or challenge, such as grief, addiction recovery, chronic illness, or parenting.

Personal Empowerment: Individuals often feel empowered by both giving and receiving support within these groups, as they recognize they are not alone in their experiences.

Group Therapy can be a very effective treatment for a wide variety of issues, all of which need a clinician’s expertise. By providing a safe space for social practicing, groups help improve social skills, increase self-awareness, promote learning by watching others’ success, promote self-esteem as mastery occurs, and improve social connections.

Skills-based groups can provide needed general training about a topic that can then leave an individual therapist more time to tailor treatment to the needs of a specific patient.

Support groups are highly effective at giving people “in the same boat” a support network. The groups can help people feel less alone with their problem and can also provide a lot of practical problem-solving advice that might help a group member manage their situation more effectively.

Many people with a wide variety of problems can benefit from Group Therapy, depending on the type and focus of the group and whether it is “stand-alone” Group Therapy or a combination of group and individual therapy.

Proper screening is key to determine whether someone could benefit from Group Therapy in general or from a specific group. Prospective group members should expect to connect with the group leader in some fashion to discuss their histories, core issues, and group goals, as well as the group format, rules, and expectations. A leader might then accept that person into the group or might offer other options. A patient might decide the group is for them or might opt for a different form of treatment.

At this point, there are groups for practically every major type of psychological disorder.

Group therapy treatment is available for:

• Addictions
• Anger management
• Autistic spectrum disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Borderline personality disorder
• Grief Counseling
• Depression and other mood disorders
• Divorce
• Domestic violence
• Eating issues
• Gender issues
• Insomnia
• Parenting
• Psychotic disorders
• Sexual functioning issues
• Somatic symptom disorders
• Childhood Trauma

Find your nearest LifeStance provider and learn more about Group Therapy options today.