In recent years, psychologists have begun bringing groups together to conduct psychotherapy within a group context. The people are brought together to talk within a trusting group to work together to improve mental health while developing trusting relationships. Often, the people within a specific group are struggling with similar problems. This connection allows them to build a network of like-minded people.
With the ongoing threat of COVID-19, gathering together in a group setting is not always possible. The inability to meet together has been devastating to group therapy due to the mandatory isolation and lockdown status throughout the world. Because group therapy is a place where people can unite and help each other through hardships, it has been challenging to live without it. Even without in-person group therapy, there are different ways to cope with addiction and mental illness, even though the pandemic.
Because we haven’t been able to meet in person together for group therapy, we have started holding group therapy sessions online. The chance to meet together virtually has been an incredible opportunity.
What is Group Therapy, and Why Is It Beneficial?
Group therapy is an environment with numerous clients, and the discussion is organized by a therapist (or sometimes more than one).
Group therapy is a chance for people to bond and discuss what they are feeling and experiencing. It is often beneficial differently than one-on-one therapy because it offers numerous other points of view and opinions. The discussion is more extensive than just a client and therapist; it involves a whole group of people with different ideas.
The group therapy environment helps people know that they are not alone, that other people share similar struggles and helps them feel connected. It is an excellent opportunity to talk through your thoughts in a trusted environment.
Not only do you have the chance to receive social support from people, you also have the chance to offer your support to others. Providing support to others helps people develop social skills and learn positive communication. It also provides an opportunity to see people who have successfully gone through group therapy. These people provide a great model for what newer members of the group can aspire to achieve.
On top of all of that, group therapy is also typically more affordable than individual therapy.
7 Benefits of Virtual Group Therapy
There are some massive advantages to holding virtual group therapy. Some of them include:
- Safety
An obvious advantage to having virtual group therapy is the safety of the therapist and the members of the group. Safety is an utmost priority for us at Alvarado Parkway. We value your safety, as well as our own.
Having group therapy online allows us to stay safe. On top of this, it will enable us to include at-risk populations as a part of our group therapy. For many people, it isn’t possible to leave their homes and gather with other people. Virtual Group therapy allows us to include all members of our society.
If we meet in person, that necessitates masks for everyone’s safety. Masks put an additional barrier between people and can hurt the communication we have. Virtual group therapy removes this barrier.
- Stay In Your Own Environment
For a lot of people, leaving your environment is intimidating, challenging, and overwhelming. Virtual group therapy also allows us to offer treatment to clients in their natural environment.
If a client comes to our office and participates in group therapy, it is a great experience; however, we don’t get to see that same person in their natural environments. Offering treatment in their natural living environment offers us a deeper look into who they are as a person.
Being in their own space also makes it easier for clients to apply what they learn in group therapy to their everyday life because they are learning in their environment. This is a huge advantage.
- Convenient
The convenience of online meetings can not be understated. We have all likely experienced this in the last 18 months; maybe you worked online, had online classes, or had regular online meetings.
This is convenient because you don’t have to drive, you don’t have to leave 25 minutes early to account for rush hour traffic, rush home to eat dinner on time, or arrive late back to work because of a car accident on the highway.
Virtual group therapy is often a lot more convenient for everyone than in-person group therapy.
- Less Intimidating
Picture this; You are struggling with a severe mental illness, and you are advised to attend group therapy. So, on Tuesday evening, you get in your car and drive to a new environment. Maybe you know some of the people, but you don’t know everyone.
After you sit down, eventually, it is your turn to share something. How do you feel? Many feel nervous, intimidated, sweaty, and an understated anxiousness to open up to new people.
Holding virtual group therapy sessions can help remove some of that intimidation. Ensuring people feel comfortable within the session will allow them to open up to everyone there.
- Flexibility
Often we don’t do something because we can’t fit it into our schedule. We put off doing something for ourselves because we don’t have the time to do it.
Group therapy is no different.
Having the chance to meet virtually offers flexibility we lack in many aspects of life. It allows you to enjoy more flexibility in your daily planning, and it is more efficient in the long run.
It is easier to take care of yourself when you’re capable of being more flexible throughout your daily routine. A significant demographic of people have the chance to take advantage of group therapy when offered online. We want more people to practice self-care and get the help they need.
- Ability to Have Very Specific Groups
A huge advantage of doing group therapy virtually is the ability to have specific groups. Because it is online, you can organize groups of particular demographics, illnesses, and people.
Having unity in the groups of people meeting together makes it easier for people to connect and ensures the discussion stays on specific topics. Often, this also helps people relate to each other easier and develop long-lasting bonds.
Because you aren’t constrained to small geographic areas, you can hold the group therapy and bring together specific groups that you wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to integrate.
- More Intimate
It sounds counterintuitive that having these conversations online would be more intimate than in person. How can having them through a screen help people feel closer together?
Because people are at home, they are more comfortable, so they let their guard down. They allow themselves to feel, communicate and connect more because they are in their own environments.
Feeling an increased amount of unity is especially prevalent for the younger generation. Newer generations often feel more comfortable communicating online rather than in person. Meeting virtually helps them open up more and feel more relaxed in environments, leading to a more intimate discussion.
Do What Works For You
Group therapy is a great chance to bring people together, learn social skills, develop connections, and support each other while clients overcome their hardships.
There are a lot of benefits to group therapy no matter the setting; in the last year and a half, we have been forced to hold group therapy virtually, and have seen many unique advantages to holding meetings online.
Virtual group therapy has also started a new movement of other forms of therapy and online treatments. It is exciting to see people receiving the treatment they need while making the best of challenging situations and staying safe.
If you or someone you know is going through mental illness or hardships in their life, never hesitate to reach out and contact us. We want to help you (and those you know) manage your struggles.
