#1: Clients will be coerced to share more than they are comfortable with quickly
There is a common myth that clients will have to disclose their deep, dark secrets in the first session. In well-facilitated groups, clients are actually discouraged from sharing too much too quickly. In healthy relationships, boundaries are essential. Since group work is a training for healthy relationships, clients are encouraged to share as they build trust with members and to speak about what might be getting in their way of developing that trust.
#2: Clients don’t want group treatment
It is true that clients are sometimes hesitant about group treatment. If you think of the media depictions of group therapy-who can blame them? Also, we know that many of the issues that group therapy is most helpful for are also the issues that would contribute to this hesitancy (social anxiety, isolation, depression, anxiety, relationship issues) Research shows that the biggest factor in whether a client will participate in group or not is how their therapist regards group treatment. Clients typically respect their therapist and are willing to try something that the therapist truly believes will help. However, many therapists either haven’t examined their own beliefs about group or are hesitant to encourage clients to move out of their comfort zone and try group.
#3: Too difficult to get groups organized
If a facilitator utilizes common methods proven to help get groups running quickly in the setting that they are in, getting groups organized can be easy. Often the facilitator struggling with getting a group organized has not been trained on how to set clear admission procedures, guidelines, when to get started ( hint: often before you have all members but not too soon!) and the best way to reach potential clients.
#4. Groups needs to be homogeneous and organized around specific issues
Groups that are organized around a common theme can be really helpful and supportive. However, sometimes the most effective groups are those that bring a diverse group of members dealing with varying difficulties. These groups are often easier to fill because so many different clients will thrive in these type of process-oriented groups. These groups can also be more effective in the long term because they are more like “real-life” and the skills learned in the group are more easily generalized to the outside world.
#5. Client problems are mostly too complicated for group, so individual should be preferred
Often clients with “complicated issues” may be struggling with feeling isolated and disconnected. When we reinforce this belief that their issues are “:too complicated” we inadvertently strengthen their beliefs that others wouldn’t be able to connect to and support them. In addition, we may be colluding with the client in their belief that they are “fragile” and that others are also unable to be with their struggles. One of the most therapeutic benefits of a group is that anything that feels especially challenging for an individual to hold on their own, can be held by the whole community. In this space of “collective holding”, difficult issues can feel lighter.
#6: Group therapy provides finishing skills for those clients who have achieved success in individual therapy
Clients who are just beginning therapy may actually benefit more from group therapy than individual because they don’t have to talk the entire time. These members can benefit from the sharing of others who can model ways to talk about feelings and challenges. They can also begin to know themselves better through relating to other members and discerning how their own experience is similar or different from other members in the group. Often times this can be powerful in conjunction with individual therapy as the insights and learning generated in group therapy can provide important material for individual sessions.
#7: Clients must talk in group therapy if they are to improve
Often times, when introduced to the idea of group therapy a client will say “I could never share in front of that many people” and often the therapist just accepts this and agrees thus keeping them in individual. An experienced group therapist knows that clients who take up the most “air time” don’t necessarily experience the most benefits. Often clients can experience profound insight leading to change just by learning through observation. Of course, if clients like this can eventually share parts of themselves with the group, they may experience even more benefit but this isn’t necessary for growth to occur.
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