Group therapy is one of the most used therapeutic modalities currently, both as an isolated therapeutic element or as a complement to individual psychotherapy.
This type of group intervention has been studied for several decades and there are many benefits that have been found when it comes to helping all the people who participate in it overcome any type of psychological alteration.
Regarding the main psychological disorders that are addressed in group therapy, we can highlight post-traumatic stress, cases of addiction, personality disorders, shyness and social phobia, conflictive relationships, chronic diseases, emotional dependence. , grieving processes and cases of depression or anxiety.
In this article We will explain to you what exactly group therapy is for and what it contributes to the well-being of patients.
Group therapy sessions are held weekly or every 15 days and last approximately one or two hours.
These sessions are led by a qualified therapist who assumes the role of moderator and who guides each of the sessions with the aim of addressing the crucial topics at each moment.
Throughout the therapy, The members of the group progressively acquire more prominence when directing the topics and in the end the interactions usually consist of book interventions between all the members of the same, who progressively provide feedback.
These are the main benefits that group therapy offers to any of the people who participate in it.
1. The group functions as a therapeutic element
One of the main characteristics of group therapy is the fact that the group itself exerts a therapeutic effect in each of the people who make it up.
In this therapeutic modality, each member expresses their current problems or feelings and all the others listen to everything they have to say and also contribute their perspective or opinions on the matter, as well as solutions that may be useful.
This constant interaction and the fact of feeling heard and understood have a very positive effect on the mental health of each of the members, by contrasting points of view through assertiveness and not confrontation. A unique space is created in which patients can really talk about what they feel and start managing it emotionally.
2. Improved self-esteem
Improving self-esteem is one of the main benefits of group therapy something that can be seen from the first sessions of it.
And being part of a group in which you feel represented and where all members share the same problem and therapeutic objective contributes significantly to improving mental health, self-esteem and being more positive.
3. Ability to share without being judged
Group therapy also allows each of its attendees to share and express without censorship everything they want, freeing themselves from their discomfort by expressing it in words and knowing that they will not be judged by the other members of the same.
The feeling of security and trust that comes from belonging to a therapeutic group is also of great importance when it comes to openly expressing everything that the person feels.
4. Improvement of self-knowledge
Talking to other people, listening to their points of view and problems that are similar to ours also helps us to know ourselves better and be aware of things that happen to us that we had not noticed before.
The group works in this sense like a shared mind in which each member learns from the others and also about himself, his problems, needs, ambitions and also virtues or defects.
5. Establishment of emotional bonds
As in any community of people who live together, in the long run significant emotional bonds are formed with the people who make up the therapeutic group.
This encourages each member to care about the other people in the group for their well-being and mental health, which also contributes in a very positive way to each person being able to overcome their problems more effectively and quickly.
6. Possibility of having other points of view
Having other points of view helps us learn content that we could previously ignore and also take into account other perspectives that can be useful to overcome our problem; This allows enrich the way in which the patient interprets reality.
That is why group therapy also serves to learn from other members and to expose our own conception of the world, also enriching other people.
7. Learning social skills
Learning social skills within the therapeutic group is especially necessary for those people who may present deficits in this type of relationship skills.
Thus, in group therapy, each member learns to function efficiently and relate correctly with other people, training skills such as active listening, empathy, respect and assertiveness.
8. Possibility of having role models
Membership in a therapeutic group also makes it possible for each member to take another person in the group as a behavioral model, which will allow you to move forward starting from references and examples.
In the same group we can find different members who function as role models and they can find in other people the same positive example that they exercise.
9. Extra motivation
As indicated, important links are established in the therapeutic group that They help the relationship between members act as a source of mutual motivation.
This helps each member become even more motivated to overcome their problems or psychological disorders with the aim of not being left behind and not failing the other members of the team.
