GROUP THERAPY

Group therapy provides the opportunity for participants to learn new skills and process life-changes alongside peers in a cost-effective setting.  Although many people don’t initially consider group therapy, it can provide advantages over individual therapy.  First, group membership often provides a rewarding sense of community that motivates individual participants to experiment with behavior change. Second, watching peers succeed in applying new strategies often provides participants with a sense of hope.  Third, group therapy allows participants to hear how others struggle with similar experiences, which most participants find normalizing.  Fourth, in skills training groups, individuals have the opportunity to learn through formal instruction and observation, that is, by seeing how peers apply skills to meet their individual goals.  Fifth, participation in the group may provide organic therapeutic opportunities not available in individual treatment (e.g., learning how to assert one’s needs or accept help). 

Groups typically target specific mental health issues (e.g., social anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia), skills (e.g., interpersonal effectiveness, organization and planning), or experiences (e.g., bereavement, the diagnosis of a disability).  If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Mandel’s current group openings, please reach out.