Groups

LGBTQIA+ Support Group

This support group is an opportunity for WSU LGBTQIA students and allies to gather, learn from each other, and share support. Each group will center around pertinent topics of interest to participants, likely including coming out, self-acceptance, family issues, and dating/relationship challenges.

Trans/Gender Diverse Support Group

Transgender students encounter unique stressors and experiences other students don’t understand. This group provides group members with the opportunity to explore their unique wants and needs. Peer support and learning from each other will be an important focus.

Grief and Loss

Have you lost a loved one? Are you grieving and need somewhere safe to talk about it? Please join us for the Grief and Loss Group, a place to learn about the grieving process and talk about these feelings with others.

Understanding Self and Others Group

Do you have a hard time connecting with others? Social anxiety, insecurity, depression, and other mental health concerns can hold many people back from building and maintaining close relationships. This group can help you learn more about yourself and how to build better relationships with others.

Living BIPOC Group

This support group is an opportunity for students of color to gather, learn from each other, and share support. Each group will center around pertinent topics of interest to participants, likely including belonging, self-acceptance, navigating college, relationship difficulties, etc.

International Student Support Group

This support group is an open space to share experiences and connect with other International Students while focusing on building belonging, acknowledging cultural differences and adjusting to new culture, navigating the college experience and ultimately helping students thrive at Weber State.

Embodied Healing: Using Trauma Sensitive Yoga to Reconnect With You

This group is a ten-week group of gentle yoga and psychoeducation for students. Thirty minutes of yoga will be followed by 30 minutes of trauma education as participants learn to reconnect with themselves. Using a set series of movements, we create space to choose a positive relationship with the body after trauma.

What is Group Therapy?

It’s common for people to be a little apprehensive about group therapy. There are many misconceptions about group and what participating in a therapy group looks like. Therapy groups come in many shapes, sizes, and approaches, but in general, groups vary between 6-10 members, with one or more therapists present to help lead the group. While the group format may at first seem intimidating, groups also bring unique advantages and opportunities for learning. Research tells us that group therapy is just as effective as individual therapy and that for some problems group therapy may be the preferred treatment.

At the Weber State University Counseling and Psychological Services Center, we have several groups that can benefit you in a number of ways. Some of our groups, such as the ADHD group, are a little bit like a class. The counselor shares information with the group members, while members speak about their own experience and practice new skills during the session. Other groups, such as the Interpersonal Process group, are less structured. Much like individual therapy, people come to the group with different issues to discuss, and the focus of the group can change week to week. In these groups the therapist acts as a facilitator, helping members share with one another and providing feedback, direction, and support as needed. Members improve not only from the interventions of the therapist but also from observing others in the group and receiving feedback from group members.

Unique Benefits of Group Therapy:

  • ‌  Opportunity to receive support from peers
  • ‌  Increased ability to connect with others in a genuine way
  • ‌  Greater self-acceptance and a reduction in self-criticism
  • ‌  Ability to recognize you are not alone in the issues you struggle with
  • ‌  Opportunity to learn about how others perceive you in interpersonal relationships
  • ‌  Improved skills in identifying feelings and self-disclosure
  • ‌  Increased access to diverse perspectives and solutions

Common Misconceptions About Group Therapy:

I’ll be forced to talk about all my deepest fears and insecurities.

You will never be forced to share in group therapy. In fact, you may benefit simply from observing others in a group as they work through difficult issues and considering how their situation might apply to you. In group therapy, we foster a supportive environment. Most people find that when they feel safe enough to share what is troubling them, a group can be very affirming and helpful. You do not need to share what you are not ready to disclose.

I won’t get the same “face time” in group therapy as in individual therapy, so it will be less helpful.

Group therapy presents unique opportunities for learning and insight that you may not encounter in individual therapy. As you listen to other members sharing their experiences, you may find you share much in common with them. In other instances, group members may bring up issues that strike a chord with you, but that you might not have been aware of or brought up yourself. Additionally, group therapy provides the unique opportunity to access multiple perspectives and sources of feedback.

I will be attacked or judged in the group.

Group leaders focus on creating a safe and affirming environment in a group. One of the benefits of group therapy is the opportunity to receive genuine feedback from others in a supportive environment. Group leaders will encourage feedback that balances statements of support and challenge. At times, feedback will be given that may gently point out how you might be behaving in ways that hurt yourself or others. This will be done in a respectful, gentle way so that you can hear it and make use of it.

Group therapy is second-best to individual therapy.

While individual and group therapy are different, both are effective in different ways. We recommend group therapy when it is the most effective method to help you. Your intake counselor can discuss with you why group therapy would be effective for you.

Common Questions: