Understanding Group Therapy: Benefits, Core Principles, and Distinctions

The need for group therapy
Numerous therapists have remarked about the need for their clients to have a group therapy for a form of supplemental support and another avenue for self-growth and reflection. Many have asked: What is group therapy and how does it differ from self-help or support groups? Is it more beneficial than other types of group modalities?

Goals and Benefits of Therapeutic Groups
Irwin Yalom, the author of the seminal “Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy,” describes several goals and benefits of a therapeutic group. Yalom’s curative factors apply to all support groups as well as to a “process oriented” group therapy, such as I run.

Instillation of Hope: Group members encounter others at various stages addressing similar problems as - or even different from - their own. When they see improvement in others, they recognize that healing is possible for themselves as well.

Universality: Many people feel alone with their problems and, as a result, separated from the world around them. Hearing others share similar struggles brings relief, reduces shame, and fosters connection.
Imparting Information: As a group develops, members often provide information about topics relevant to the group. Research on group therapy has shown that participants often leave with enhanced emotional intelligence.

Altruism: Group members who feel burdened by their deficits and failings experience increased self-esteem when they can offer support and insight to others.

Group Therapy vs. Self-Help Groups
The major difference between self-help groups and group therapy lies in the focus on interpersonal interaction within the here-and-now. Although this may sound deceptively simple, it is a crucial distinction. The group acts as a social microcosm where personal struggles are acted out, challenged, discussed, and held accountable by the group. The therapist’s role is to influence interactions among group members without becoming the focal point or mediator.

Another distinction is that self-help groups are often formed around topics shared by participants, such as addiction, grief, single-parenting, or loss of loved ones. The most well-known self-help groups include 12 Step Groups. Group therapy, on the other hand, does not require a commonality of experiences or symptoms for membership. Group members relate to one another based on how they show up in the group, not solely on the problems they face.

For example, a member of a group may feel her problems were less severe than others. She compared it to a cancer ward where people recovering from successful chemotherapy were grouped with those with a terminal prognosis. I challenged her assumption, suggesting that even those with a terminal prognosis can offer valuable perspectives to those in recovery. This encouraged her to see herself less in black-and-white terms and more on a continuum.

The Power of Interpersonal Process in Group Therapy
Ann, a 26-yr old single student was referred to group therapy by her therapist. At the interview, Ann said that she struggles with a feeling of isolation from others. Her goal was to to feel less alone and have more insight into her social relationships. Ann initially enjoyed the feedback from the group and often made insightful and empathic comments to others. Ironically, the more support she received, the more she considered leaving the group wondering ‘what’s the point of the group if I keep making the same mistakes in my life.’ The process of change was being substituted for quick results. As others in the group shared the forward and backward process of change in their own lives, Ann was better able to tolerate her own process.

Group therapy allows for a dynamic process of growth and healing that provides benefits that extend beyond the therapy room. Members feel a sense of safety and closeness to other group members even as they explore their difficult feelings towards each other. Yalom describes group therapy as recreating the family dynamic with opportunities for repair. Whilst individual therapy can help a client explore internal realities, group therapy is the playing field to test and strengthen those skills.

New groups will be forming in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Irvin D. Yalom and Molyn Leszcz, “The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy,” 6th Edition. 2020