Difference bewtween Therapy Groups and Support Groups, Group Therapy Central, Nate Page, PhD, LP
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- Have you ever wondered what are the differences between Therapy Groups and Support Groups? Most people don't know. And, quite frankly, most people have a wildly inaccurate understanding of group therapy and support groups.
This video clarifies the primary differences regarding goals, structure, and format. For example, the goal of a support group is usually to help members 'cope' with challenges (and in many support groups are built around a similar challenge), whereas the goal of a therapy group is to help members 'change' (and in most therapy groups members come in with a diverse concerns that they are wanting to change). The video also discusses differences in leadership, size, and expectations in how to relate to group members inside and outside of group.
As mentioned in the video, here is the LINK to RENATA POLLAK's article: renapollak.com/...
Please like, share, and subscribe if you are so inclined. We are wanting our videos to reach people that would be helped by considering group therapy as a valuable treatment option for their concern(s) whether it's depression, anxiety, disordered eating, trauma, addiction, interpersonal dynamics, or other concerns.
Please visit our website to learn more about what we do here at GROUP THERAPY CENTRAL!
WEBSITE LINK: grouptherapycentral.com
Thank you for this. I have looked everywhere for the difference and this nailed it. And you're right many mental health professionals don't know how to express the differences.
Thanks for the kind comment! glad to hear that it helped clarify some things for you.
Hi Nate, This is Rena Pollak. Thanks for the acknowledgement of my blog post. I'm glad that my explanation was useful to you and reached a wider audience.
This is a great explanation of therapy vs. support groups! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you immensely, for providing this insightful informative tutorial. A basic fundamental understanding is always BEST.
Thanks for the information Nate. You didn't mention how to handle guest speakers at support group meetings. I started a prostate cancer support group after my second battle with it there not being a group in our area. I was told by a counselor to be happy with only a few attending seeing it was a cancer group and especially one for men dealing with difficult problems. We currently average in the mid 40's of men and women at our meetings. We have water, snacks and three tables of free education materials. I am one of them and we don't meet in a medical facility which I believe puts them more at ease. Lee
Thank you so much, Dr Page! In my experience, it's so much easier to find resources and training on group therapy than on support groups (12 steps program excluded). Having an understanding of at least clear boundaries between support and therapy groups helps a lot.
If someone has a piece of advice on dealing with group dynamics in support groups, as well as with difficult emotions (namely, between the support group participants) I'd appreciate being directed to the relevant resources or read some nuggets of your personal experience (kinda "3 things I wish I'd known before starting a support group")
Excellent information,, I realized that I am in a need of a group therapy , I am already in a support group . Thanks 🙏🏼
I am so very proud of you, nate!!! Your cousin, Suzy :)
Thank you for explaining the difference between the 2 group types. I had thought they were one in the same.
You are very correct when you sayost mental health practitioners don't know the difference between the 2. In my country, most of us don't know. Now I've known. No more ignorance on my part
You might suggest that a leader in a support group is a facilitator for that group to guide the members so each person has a chance to share.
Thank you. Super helpful.
Love, caring, family, community… it’s not transactional, but there are Values and being heard and giving and receiving through giving… splices of altruism realities.
Breathe. No one likes to feel taken advantage of…
Justice, healing education….
Informative and on point. Well done.
Hi Dr. Nate, what about cost/insurance as a differential variable between the 2? Just my own thought but I thoroughly appreciated your video. Thank you!
I really learned alot in this video as I co-facilitate a depression group. I am a peer specialist so I believe I fall in the support group. I do have a question.... should a peer run support group be more letting them talk, or more me showing them power points on how to get better? Your advice
would be greatly appreciated.
Hi kellyargueta9716. Thanks for the kind comment. I hope your depression group is going well! Hmm...good question. I'm going to answer it like this...I believe what matters more than the structure/activities is how much group members connect to love/belonging each session. As a peer specialist, I would advise you to cultivate a strong sense of compassion towards each group member (and towards yourself)...and allow that compassion to shine through in whatever you do (facilitating talking, showing power points). If you feel a strong desire to teach through power points, than try it out! If you feel a desire to help people open up and talk more, than do that! It is YOUR group (along with all the other peer group members) and so I'm guessing you will all figure it out together. In the groups that I lead, I always ask members what is helping and what is not helping. So if they like the powerpoints, they'll ask for more. If they like talkings, they'll ask for more. AS a group you will probably all find your stride the more you're able to test things out, and be honest about what is "working" and what seems to fall flat. Best of luck!
Yes I want to ask you questions or more questions
Very well explained. 👌🏻
Such a great video!! Thank you!!
Good video! I'm in group therapy and am tired of one person taking up most of the time talking about their own problems, leaving not enough time for anyone else. I feel like quitting. Any advice?
That is quite unfortunate Nancy. My guess is that other group members feel the same as you, but everyone is scared to speak up. If I were you, I would bring your feelings into group before quitting. If one person is monopolizing the group everyone suffers (even the monopolizer). When I am leading groups and someone is monopolizing, I might lightheartedly ask the group "are we really going to let ____ get all the attention today?" or more seriously "how can we, as a group, make sure everyone is getting the attention and care that they need?".
If your group is a process group, these are the exact things to be talking about (who tends to monopolize, who tends to get "missed", how do we get distracted from our goals, how do we recognize when are we "nailing it" and doing really good therapy work together, etc.). If you can bring your feelings into the group it could help everyone get better at addressing the difficult, but real, elephants in the room.
There is also the strong possibility that this person monopolizes in other relationships/settings in their life (with a similar impact on their family, friends, co-workers as the impact it is having on group members), and so it would be helpful for them to recognize this pattern and have a chance to work on it in group. I hope something in what I said resonates for you. Best of luck, and let us know what happens!
@@natepage7304 thank you for your response! I did speak up and it went really well. The person even thanked me for saying something instead of just letting it go. The conversation came around to why others were letting it go and I feel like the group as a whole now has a better dynamic. I'm glad I didn't just leave the situation which is my usual pattern! Thanks for sharing your insight.
@@NancyWileyArt Wow! That is really encouraging to hear. Thanks for sharing. It sounds like you were holding something that everyone was feeling, and the group got unstuck by you bringing it up. It is also nice to hear about you recognizing your own pattern (of simply leaving situations), and having a corrective experience with addressing things head on this time. Great work!
Thank you!!! Great explanation
A learning point for me. Thank you for your expert answer sir
Thank you, this is really helpful
Thank you! We appreciate your information.
Thanks for your comment Tracy. I hope the information was helpful.
Cycle breaking in generations of echos of imperfection over time and space. So many things…
Thank you! What specific disorders can be assigned under Therapy Group? and under Support Group? and what disorders can be used under both?
Great explaination! Thank you so muchh
Need counsel right now
Thank you. This was very helpful.
Thank you
I am homeless and always down and sad
Everything
Gave me good insight! 😊 Thanks!
I'm dealing with life
If we take therapeutic relaxation in support group will that be ethical enough to do so?
Thank you so much! This is helpful.
beautifully explained..
How to join online support group ,where to find ?
how long the sessions for both of them?
I'll love to join
I am there's
Great logo!
Thanks! I'm glad you like it. :)
Nice
Is a process group same as a therapy group?
Good question! A process group is one that is self-reflective about trying to understand the processes at play (as opposed to a "content group" that is only focused on content). A "content grou" can definitely be a therapy group. For example, a psycho-educational group is usually a "content group" that might not bring in much process but can be classified as a therapy group. Another example is a DBT group (which sometimes intentionally limits processing to instead focus on psychoed, skill development, and sharing of feelings without much "cross talk" or other forms of processing). Another way to think about it is process-based individual therapy the same as individual therapy? There is plenty of individual therapy that brings in processing, but plenty of modes that don't. Hopefully this helps answer your question!
@@natepage7304 Thank you for the reply. That makes sense.
this is good
hi Nate. Can you help me? I am from Brazil, I am therapist and my sister is a psychologist (sorry for my english, not too fine). I pretend to create a business of online support and therapy groups. We dont have this here in BR. do you have any material, videos or something eles that can help us to start this? I think about create a websitee, instagram profile and make the groups on whatsapp to help people. We already do this for free but want to make a business so we can help more people.
🙂
You I am a good support other
You are very correct when you sayost mental health practitioners don't know the difference between the 2. In my country, most of us don't know. Now I've known. No more ignorance on my part
Thank you