Group Therapy
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
Group therapy can be extremely powerful for many issues, and for some issues – such as questions about how one relates to others – it is the ideal mode of treatment. It can provide a safe place for group members to challenge themselves to relate to others differently, to experiment with different ideas, to seek support, and to find normalization for many of life’s issues. I lead the two Gay Men’s groups alone, and I co-lead the two Mixed Gender / Orientation groups with my dear friend of 20+ years, Dr. Laura Ebady, Psy.D.
Benefits of Group Therapy:
Because so many of the difficulties people encounter take place in the context of relationships, group therapy can be one of the most effective formats for working on your concerns. In a confidential setting, group members encourage, support, and challenge each other to explore habitual patterns and to move towards developing and maintaining ongoing satisfying relationships.
Group therapy has many benefits, which include:
- improved communication and social skills. The group provides an opportunity to try out new ways of expressing yourself and relating to others, and to receive feedback on new behaviors in a supportive, confidential setting.
- reduced feelings of shame and isolation. Learning about the concerns that other members are facing helps you to realize that you are not alone and that others, including people you like and admire, are working on similar struggles.
- greater sense of belonging and acceptance. Over time, members come to know and trust one another. The experience of having others know you and be invested in your wellbeing results in feelings of validation, belonging, and acceptance.
- increased self-esteem and self-confidence. As members come to recognize ways in which they are helpful to one another, they also become more aware of areas of strength. Greater awareness of personal strengths leads to heightened self-esteem and confidence.
- better understanding of oneself and others. Receiving feedback from group members provides you with a greater understanding of yourself and your impact on others. You are also helped to express and explore your thoughts and feelings, which deepens self-awareness and understanding.
Current Group Offerings:
Monday Co-Led Mixed Gender / Sexual Orientation Group
Monday evenings from 4:30 to 6:0p.m.
The is an ongoing psychotherapy group that is open to all genders and sexual orientations that focuses on improving communication, increasing emotional intelligence, and gaining insight about relationship patterns. Members will learn about themselves through exploring their feelings towards themselves and other members, and by giving and receiving feedback. At times we may focus on past experiences and outside relationships but give particular importance to identifying and verbalizing member’s authentic emotional reactions in the here-and-now. This group seeks to help members gain a greater capacity for intimacy and spontaneity in relationships. I co-lead this group with Laura Ebady, Psy.D.
Tuesday Co-Led Mixed Gender / Sexual Orientation Group
Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
The is an ongoing psychotherapy group that is open to all genders and sexual orientations that focuses on improving communication, increasing emotional intelligence, and gaining insight about relationship patterns. Members will learn about themselves through exploring their feelings towards themselves and other members, and by giving and receiving feedback. At times we may focus on past experiences and outside relationships but give particular importance to identifying and verbalizing member’s authentic emotional reactions in the here-and-now. This group seeks to help members gain a greater capacity for intimacy and spontaneity in relationships. I co-lead this group with Laura Ebady, Psy.D.
Wednesday Gay Men’s Psychotherapy Group
Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
This is an ongoing psychotherapy group for gay-identified men focusing on improving communication, increasing emotional intelligence, and gaining insight about relationship patterns. Members will learn about themselves through exploring their feelings towards themselves and other members, and by giving and receiving feedback. At times we may focus on past experiences and outside relationships but give particular importance to identifying and verbalizing member’s authentic emotional reactions in the here-and-now. This group seeks to help members gain a greater capacity for intimacy and spontaneity in relationships.
Thursday Gay Men’s Psychotherapy Group
Thursday evenings from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
This is an ongoing psychotherapy group for gay-identified men focusing on improving communication, increasing emotional intelligence, and gaining insight about relational patterns. Members will learn about themselves through exploring their feelings towards themselves and other members, and by giving and receiving feedback. At times we may focus on past experiences and outside relationships but give particular importance to identifying and verbalizing member’s authentic emotional reactions in the here-and-now. This group seeks to help members gain a greater capacity for intimacy and spontaneity in relationships.
Co-Led Modern Analytic Training Group
Thursday afternoon from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
This is an ongoing training group for psychotherapists interested in learning more about Modern Analytic Group therapy, learning more about themselves both as psychotherapists and as people, and getting case consultation and support. Theory and technique are imparted through the facilitation of interpersonal process and here-and-now exploration. Insight and intra-psychic change for the group member powerfully impacts the way they work with their own clients. One need not be a group therapist (or even interested in leading groups) to join and benefit from this kind of training group. I co-lead this group with Laura Ebady, Psy.D.
What is Group Therapy really like?
Forget everything you’ve seen in movies and t.v. about group therapy. I haven’t yet seen anything that accurately portrays what group therapy is like in mainstream media. There is an excellent example on YouTube that very closely depicts what a Modern Analytic group is really like.
Dr. Elliot Zeisel is one of the most skilled and respected Modern Analytic group therapists in the nation. Several years ago he created the show Group about a therapy group in which Dr. Zeisel plays the character of the group leader, and all of the members are actors who are improvising their characters and filling in details with parts that are personal to them. The show Group, while being a work of fiction, accurately depicts the kinds of interactions that happen in a group that has been meeting for a long time. Watch a preview of the 1st season of Group below:
