Group Therapy

Joining a group of strangers can sound intimidating but has many potential benefits like:

• knowing you are not alone with your struggles
• Discovering that you have lots to offer to others to help them with their life challenges. 
• finding that your self-esteem and sense of isolation improve
• Supportive of your life and relationships
• Developmental in terms of your capacity for joy, peacefulness, and effectiveness in your relationships

The groups will explore concepts including:

• How we communicate
• What contributes to healthy relationships and unhealthy ones
• Why life seems so difficult
• What is the real self and the false self
• What makes us who we are – including how our brain, character and personality develop
• How to be more fully ourselves, as an alternative to being based largely on our early imprinting
• Authenticity, shame, forgiveness, addiction, conflict, needing and wanting, reality, etc…

Once you have overcome the very common initial anxiety that most people feel, group counselling has been shown to be as, or more effective than individual therapy for many people.

“Coming to the group provides an opportunity for a level of communication you just don’t get in ordinary life”.

How we relate to ourselves, and others is at the heart of how we experience life and respond to the various difficulties and challenges that being human entails. Throughout our lives, we all develop ‘habitual’ ways of relating, behaving, feeling and perceiving. But as neuroscience research now supports, we are often on auto-pilot, and not fully aware of all of our habitual patterns. These patterns are likely to manifest in a therapy group, and many people find it to be a very productive setting and an unusually safe place for exploring and experimenting with these habitual patterns.

It is in the nature of group therapy that you will be invited to explore new ways of relating. However, there is no expectation that you will stretch yourself beyond your willingness, as it is important that the group develops as a safe place; when we try out new things, we don’t try them out in a dangerous situation, we try them out in a safe place. Group therapy is a very rare and unusual creative social space precisely because there is this balance between safety, and a commitment to explore and experiment.

The group, with a diversity of members, becomes a microcosm of our lives, and grows more effective and efficient over time, as you learn to use the group to experiment and to reflect on the different responses and reactions each member has, enabling you to discover new ways of living more joyously, harmoniously and effectively.

Gary has 20 years’ experience supporting with peoples wellbeing he now works as an integrative Counsellor and Group therapist. He will support group members in developing relationships with each other to support each person’s individual goals.

 Curious? Here are the next steps:

·       An initial interview will be required this will be 1-1 with the group leader, Interview fee is £50.00 and will last around 50 minutes. We can then explore if the group is for you. This will be suitable for most people seeking group therapy, though an initial interview will help to clarify this, or whether a group with a more specific focus for example would be a better option.

·        The Commitment: You are asked to make a commitment to coming for the first 12 weeks, as this is needed for you to settle into the group. After 9 weeks, you are asked if you want to continue with the group beyond the 12-week point, to allow for a short period of ending if you aren’t continuing. Ongoing group members are asked to give about 12 weeks notice if they intend to leave the group, again to allow for ending well. The group runs for approximately 40 weeks each year, with dates planned in advance.

New members join at intervals throughout the year if a space becomes available. (Max 10 group members)

Fee:

Between £20 – £40 per session payable monthly in advance. Fee to be discussed at interview according to affordability.
To register an interest and to arrange an interview please use the below button to contact us.