Group Therapy vs Individual Therapy

Do You Prefer Group or Individual Therapy?

Month: October 2014

Group Therapy vs Individual Counseling

Posted on October 9, 2014

individual counseling group therapyGroup therapy and individual counseling are both important and useful in their own ways. One satisfies the social aspects of healing while the other satisfies the introspective aspects of healing. People apply either of these two healing methods to a number of troubling life circumstances, including addiction, mental disorders, relationship disagreements and family problems. Both forms of sharing and receiving are highly beneficial to a person’s mental health, but both forms are not necessarily beneficial on every occasion. There are situations that call for private, intensive counseling and there are situations that call for a collective type of catharsis.

For example, a situation that group therapy would lend itself usefully to would be an addiction support group, or a cancer support group. Group therapy is usually organized over something widespread, under resourced and burgeoning into a socially acceptable topic. Freedom of identity is a value that grows within our society more and more over time, so the matters that support groups form over are expanding. However, they often still center around something that is somewhat taboo, or too uncomfortable for the average person to talk about. Alcoholics, drug abusers and sex addicts have a condition that many people do not want to talk about, so coming together to share experiences, struggles and encourage one another away from addiction is vitally important to them socially. Sadly, even those suffering from physical diseases such as cancer or AIDS struggle to find others who are strong enough to talk with them about their disease, so a support group is a useful, nurturing connection to make for someone in this circumstance.

On the other hand, individual counseling is essential to a number of different circumstances, such as in the case of a sensitive mental disorder or a singular traumatic event. Individual counseling better suits instances where the problem is sensitive or personal. Similarly, it may be a better option if the individual themselves is sensitive or uncomfortable sharing their private matter with a group of people. This is largely up to the individual, but traditionally, individual counseling is more successful at getting to the underlying root causes of psychological issues and aiding in cognitive behavioral progress.

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Month: October 2014

Individual Counseling

Posted on October 9, 2014

counseling on individual basisFor certain life difficulties, nothing encourages the healing process like individual counseling. This universal practice involves sitting down with a professional counselor to talk through problems and receive advice. Making use of a professional counselor rather than another kind of acquaintance is important to individual counseling. It is also good to talk to people you trust who are not professional counselors, but for the least biased, most mentally sound and useful perspective, a professional counselor is worth the money.

One way that individual counseling is effective is that it allows the sole focus to be on one individual. In group therapy sessions, this is not the case. When a person does not need to share the floor with others, a lot can be accomplished. Allowing a person to delve back into their memories and uncover the moments that affected them, for better or for worse, is imperative to understanding their psychological make-up. A person can begin to reevaluate themselves using cognitive behavioral techniques when they have the time and the attention of their counselor.

In individual counseling, a person’s privacy is fiercely protected. Because the patient is alone with the counselor, they are free to share things that they would feel uncomfortable sharing in a group setting and a more complete picture of who they are is captured. It is the ethical and legal obligation of that mental health professional to keep the information that is shared in each session confidential.

The therapy received in individual counseling is also far more intensive than it would be in any other setting. Because of the privacy, openness, honesty and individual focus that individual counseling creates, an incredible amount of progress can be made in a reasonable amount of time. And because the sessions are private, barriers are lifted that allow the patient to be more truthful and direct, which facilitates the healing process. Individual therapy is a strong asset to a person looking to recover from mental unhealthiness or distress.

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Month: October 2014

Group Therapy

Posted on October 9, 2014

support groupThe benefits of group therapy are numerous for people fighting for their mental health. There are a number of reasons to seek out a support group, ranging from addiction to mental disorders to troubled family members to grieving the loss of a family member. The concept is simple. People who are like-minded or in similar life situations come together in one place to help each other through their hardships. Their model of therapy has been around for over a century and has proven very effective in helping people cope with life’s difficulties in a healthy manner.

The time spent sharing testimonies and struggles is very important to the group’s purpose. By relating to one another’s experiences, group members have the opportunity to compare their situation with other people’s and learn how others have dealt with similar circumstances. People who are experiencing particular problems within themselves or within their relationships often feel alone in their problems. An enormous benefit to the sharing that takes place at group therapy is that it negates the feeling of being alone in coming to understand that other people have been through what you have been through.

Even if your situation is somewhat unique, organized support groups have an ethic of being non-judgmental and supporting to all members. One can expect to attend a group therapy session and acquire support for what they are going through. Those who attend regularly and do their part to support others can also expect to form friendships with other members of the group. Some friendships formed in group therapy and support meetings become lifelong, and many people attest to their success in recovery being owed to the people from their support groups who held them accountable. If you are going through a difficult life circumstance of any sort, chances are there is a support group that has been created specifically for what you are going through. Do not suffer in silence on your own. Reach out to a section of the mental health services network in your area and ask what is available to you.

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