Johns Hopkins University Counseling Center |
|
Is Group Therapy Right for You?
|
Fall,2009GROUP SCHEDULE
The Counseling Center is pleased to offer a variety of groups designed to meet the diverse needs of the
|
Dissertation Support Group Working on a dissertation can sometimes feel lonely, overwhelming, and can seem never-ending. Join with other advanced graduate students to share suggestions, encouragement, and support. Topics discussed include motivation, time and workload management, self-doubt, perfectionism, dealing with faculty, and balancing dissertation with the other things in your life! Thursdays, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Contact: Barbara Baum, Ph.D.
|
Enhancing Social Confidence For students who may sometimes feel shy, anxious, or awkward, a group to expand your skills interacting with others. Help and support with such issues as meeting new people, getting beyond “Hello,” deepening a friendship, asking questions in class, talking with a professor or university administrators, etc. Contact: Barbara Baum, Ph.D., Peggy Hayeslip, M.S., & Dick Sanders, Ph.D.
|
Graduate Student Therapy Process Group A small, weekly process group for male and female graduate students, designed to facilitate personal growth and self-awareness through discussion in a safe, confidential environment. Each week, members are invited to bring concerns that they would like to address. This might include (but is not limited to) themes such as developing more satisfying relationships (romantic, friendships, or familial), coping with the demands of academic life, adjusting to life transitions, self identity, etc. Contact: Doug Fogel, Ph.D., & Iris Song, M.A.
|
| A support group for international students who are struggling with changes in cultural values, communication patterns, academic standards, and general life style differences. The group will provide our international students a supportive environment to explore their struggles and learn effective coping strategies. Contact: Garima Lamba, Ph.D. |
|
Mindful Eating Group A group for men and women who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Group members will be given strategies to decrease eating disorder behaviors, while also learning how to challenge the beliefs that lead to poor body image. Group members will also be exposed to mindfulness techniques that will help them to develop a positive mind-body connection, as well as to increase awareness of personal patterns that may maintain eating disordered behavior. Contact: Jennifer Moran, Psy.D., & Sarah Halpert, M.A.
|
Strengths Group A group focused on identifying individual strengths and values and facilitating attempts to utilize one's strengths and live in a manner consistent with one's values and aspirations. We will explore topics from the positive psychology literature such as curiosity, creativity, openness, gratitude, kindness, and mindfulness. Group members will be encouraged to explore their own individual strengths as well as these topic areas both in session and on their own. The group setting will provide a supportive and encouraging environment in which to do this. Contact: Jennifer Kane, M.A., & Jessica Parrillo, M.A.
|
| Substance Abuse Recovery Support Group For undergraduates and graduate students who have problems related to current/past substance abuse and who want to stop abusive substance use or prevent relapse. This confidential group will help members explore the consequences of their substance use, identify barriers to change, and learn strategies for relapse prevention. This group is also appropriate for students in recovery who want to develop new coping strategies and healthier relationships with others. Fridays, 2-3 p.m. Contact: Shelley Von Hagen-Jamar, Psy.D.
|
Undergrad Therapy Group: Connecting On Campus A weekly, unstructured, process-oriented group for undergraduate students, providing members an opportunity to openly discuss the issues that concern them, such as unsatisfactory relationships (family, friendship, or romantic), isolation, anxiety, depression, self-esteem and academic pressures. Members will help each other better understand their difficulties and will support each other through the process of positive change. Contact: Garima Lamba, Ph.D.
|
Women's Trauma Recovery Group For women who have experienced a traumatic event in their lives – whether recently or long ago. The group will not require disclosure of any details of the event but rather will facilitate discussions about feelings and changes in beliefs associated with the trauma and will focus on identifying individual paths to recovery. Group members will be able to share their experiences and feelings in an understanding and accepting environment. Goals will be to help members express feelings, reduce guilt and self-blame, develop positive coping strategies, and strengthen self-esteem in a healing, empowering and safe space. Contact: Jennifer Kane, M.A., & Jessica Parrillo, M.A. |
Additional Groups Planned for Spring 2010
|
Body Image Group For undergraduate and graduate women who are struggling with body image concerns. Group members will learn skills to challenge negative beliefs about their bodies, while simultaneously working to develop a positive and accepting stance towards themselves. Group members will also be exposed to mindfulness techniques that will help them to develop a positive mind-body connection. Contact: Jennifer Moran, Psy.D.
|
| Disability Support Group For students with disabilities who are interested in gaining support as they navigate the impact of their disabilities. The group provides an opportunity for members to discuss any topic of concern, including (but not limited to) self-advocacy issues, self-esteem struggles, other people's misconceptions and burden of having to explain or hide your needs. Members will help each other better understand their difficulties, share suggestions and provide support. Appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students with any disabilities (both visible and invisible), including those with learning, visual and hearing challenges. Contact: Sarah Halpert, M.A.
|
Groups and Workshops by RequestThe Counseling Center staff is open to requests for specific workshops or groups. Let us know what you want, and we'll work with you. Call Barbara Baum, Ph.D., at 410-516-8278, or email her at baum@jhu.edu. |
|
Group therapy, like individual therapy, is intended to help people who would like to gain support, increase self-awareness, and learn new ways to cope with personal or interpersonal challenges. Group therapy can be especially effective for people interested in exploring their interpersonal style and enhancing their approach to relationships in such areas as trust, intimacy, anger, conflict, assertiveness, taking risks, or improving self-esteem. Some groups are more theme-focused (e.g., Dissertation Support Group) with more of an exclusive emphasis on providing support and strategic problem-solving. The best way to learn about a specific group is to talk with the leader(s) of the group. Who can benefit from group therapy? Group therapy is appropriate for dealing with a variety of interests, problems, or challenges. It is especially effective for people who would like to improve and better understand their interpersonal patterns in relationships, whether these involve difficulties in social, academic, working, romantic, or even sexual relationships. It is also suitable for people who struggle with emotional difficulties such as anxiety or depression. What do I talk about when I am in group therapy? Because unexpressed feelings are a major reason why people experience difficulties in relationships, sharing your feelings in the group affects how much you will be helped by it. Of course, you control what, how much, and when you share information with the group. Members talk about whatever is troubling them or whatever brought them into therapy in the first place. Most people are anxious about beginning to talk in group. However, within a few sessions people typically find that they are able to talk in the group and that they get support from other members as they begin to share. For process groups, the issues discussed each week arise from the members rather than being initiated by the group leader(s). Participants can discuss personal concerns or problems from everyday life; relationships with friends, family members, or significant others; or specific reactions, thoughts, or feelings to events within the group. Essentially, no topic is off limits in the group. In contrast, because theme groups (e.g., Dissertation Support Group) may have a strong didactic and/or problem-solving component, with greater homogeneity concerning member goals (e.g., finishing the dissertation), discussion and/or personal disclosures may be focused more around a specific topic area. How does group therapy work? There are a variety of factors that make group therapy effective, and these factors will be emphasized to differing degrees depending on the group and/or the group leader(s). Again, the best way to learn about a specific group is to talk with the leader(s) of the group. Group therapy works on many levels. First, it provides a confidential space to be open about issues that are troubling you and to gain support. It is not uncommon for people to feel alone with their problems or circumstances. Discovering that other people can relate to your experiences can be very comforting. Group members can offer validation, as well as fresh ideas or viewpoints for looking at a particular situation. Another advantage of group therapy is the opportunity to learn about oneself by listening to others. It can be very helpful when listening to other members to consider how what they are saying might apply to you. You will find that you have many things in common with other members and, as they work through their concerns, you can learn a great deal about yourself. It may also be the case that someone raises an issue that seems to really relate to you, but that you might not have been aware of or brought up yourself. Another reason people join group is to become more aware of patterns in their relationships that are problematic in some way. When people join group they usually begin to recreate the difficulties that brought them to group in the first place. Within the safety of the group, members are able to try out new ways of relating that can then be put into practice in other relationships outside the group. What is expected of the participants? It is very important that group members be able to develop a significant level of trust in each other. It is therefore critical that each member make certain commitments to the group and its members. Depending on the group, such commitments might include agreeing to come for a minimum number of sessions, coming to every group meeting or calling if you have to miss a group, and keeping confidential the identity of the participants and any information brought up in group. As in any relationship, the development of trust, cohesion, and a sense of safety allows people to talk personally and honestly. We hope that this site has provided you with helpful information about group therapy. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to raise them with your Counseling Center counselor, if you have one, or with the group leader(s) of the group in which you are interested.
|
Return to: Counseling Center Homepage |
