Hi I did group therapy for about 6 months before I started individual therapy. I was in day care at a hospital so did lots of different groups. I found the ones based on CBT really good as they had a set structure (although ultimately CBT could only take me so far and was not the best type of therapy for me). In the groups that didn't have a set structure I found myself getting frustrated as there didn't seem to be enough time for me.

I liked group therapy because it was comforting to know others were in my position. One girl in particular had a very similar story to mine. It helped with my feelings of lonliness. I still regularly meet up with 3 of the girls I meet in one of the groups and we've become really good friends. You know what 18 months later I remember much more about my interactions with the rest of the group than with the therapist. As this was my first experience of therapy being in a group was less intense which at the time was exactly what I needed.

The group size varied between 3 and 12. Sessions were 2 hours with a short break in the middle.

Hope this is useful.

Daisy.

lg, what kind of therapy is it? cbt. dbt? just curious, as i have been talking to dbt t about a group of women my age for skills training. just fyi, i would be the fourth. one hour, one t (not my usual t), and $70 a week, 6-8 month committment...which concerns me.

i do hear it is less intense, as daisy said. and as i see it, too, there will be others struggling with hopefully like issues, so it just won't be me (crying on the couch) and t (composed and with all the answers). y'no? there will be company in the misery, which could help with the shame and disgust i feel at myself for being such a mess at times.

i too worry about sharing, and getting enough attention, as i tend to not speak up. and, for an hour, it seems expensive...as compared to $120 for a private hour.

let us know more about your situation. i think it sounds really interesting. and can see some real redeeming factors in group.

jill

Daisy,

I think it is interesting that you recall more about your interactions with the other group members than with the T. That sounds nice actually. To be able to have your focus elsewhere and not wrapped up on T while in therapy. I can only imagine how good that would feel.

Jill,
It will be group CBT I think. I am going to find out more about them tomorrow. One of the groups is geared towards eating disorders and the other is more about living your life with passion. I am not sure which I will do yet. Maybe both.

I know what you mean about feeling like group therapy is more expensive even though technically it costs less than individual. Somehow the one on one attention seems worth every penny, no matter how pricey it is.

DF,
One thing that came to my mind after reading your very helpful reply is that with group T, there is more opportunity for transferrence, more opportunity for misunderstanding, more opportunity for hurt feelings.....but perhaps with all of that comes more opportunity for growth. I won't just be learning to trust in a T, I will be learning to trust in 7-8 group members. That is scary, but could be very good for me.

I have done a few eating disorder groups when I was in college but I honestly don't remember much about them because my brain was so foggy back then. The groups were really small too so I felt that everyone got time to talk, but there was one girl who I felt stole the show. Then there was another girl who hardly ever spoke at all.

One thing that I do remember about the group therapy that I did not like was that the T also saw two of the girls privately and sometimes she would bring things up in group that they had mentioned in their private sessions with her. That didn't seem right to me and I am a little bit worried about my T doing that in group therapy.



I don't think I could do group therapy with T1. I would get too jealous of watching her interact with other people. The group therapy I am thinking of doing is run by T2 and I've only known her a few months and am not yet attached. I think it might actually help me keep from getting attached to her if I do her groups as well and see her interacting with other clients.

quote:

Originally posted by deepfried:
.. every group has its dynamics... there is going to be the quiet person that hardly talks, the aggressor that causes stuff, the person who pretends to be the T to avoid their own stuff, the drama queen, the suck up, the T obsessed who only talks to the T/looks at the T, the avoidant, the needy etc.

... in an ED group you can usually say restrict or something but if you say 'size 2' you'll probably get beat up in the parking lot later .

This post made me laugh on so many levels!

I can totally see myself being the one who tries to be the T because they don't want to deal with their own stuff, lol.

lg, daisy and df,y'all are really making me think i need to try this. i have told me t i will be there next week.

the interpersonal relationship aspects of dealing with others (with like issues) could be a really learning opportunity. and, as one who has become obsessed with this whold world of therapy, it is a place i know nothing about. so, the adventure seems enticing.

i think having interactions in an open environment with other women (who i often don't get along with too well) could really be a learning place.

i hope you venture in, too, lg, it would be interesting to compare notes.

great and timely topic! jill

ok, thanks to support here, i have talked to the t that does group dbt, and i told her i would come next week and try it.

she seemed nice. sounded mature. said there are three women in the group, but one may not make it.

i don't know if it is better to have a larger group, but that is what it is.

i have strong feelings within the same day to do this, and hours later, feel, i don't need it.

but, i have the time, and it is not that expensive (hello, df!!), so, i am going to try it.

i will report in, but this is a dynamic i have not experienced, so while i am at all this therapy, i might as well try it. it will be great for my book i'll eventually write of short stories of the hell of going through therapy. from the patient's point of view!! there needs to be more of that!! y'no??

i am kind of excited. right now. hope the women are like me somewhat. they are 'high functioning bpd traits/features'...whatever that means.

i may bag out, but, at this point, i am in. and i have this fantasy that i will like this dbt gal better than my other one, and will eventually go to her for the individual work and she will be empathetic to me and make me feel more wanted than dbt gal does. so, we shall see.

despite my pessimism, i always have a glimmer of hope, as we all do, and MUST, to keep trucking through this quagmire of therapy. slush slush...

jill