Group therapy is a powerful therapeutic approach that leverages the collective strength and shared experiences of individuals to foster healing and personal growth. Unlike individual therapy, group therapy offers a unique dynamic where participants benefit from the support and encouragement of their peers, gaining diverse perspectives and insights that can reshape their understanding of their own challenges. In this collaborative environment, individuals can practice and refine social skills, develop new coping strategies, and find solace in knowing they are not alone in their struggles. The structure of group therapy often makes it more accessible and cost-effective, while the immediate feedback from both therapists and peers accelerates the healing process. By reducing stigma and promoting a sense of community, group therapy not only enhances individual well-being but also builds a supportive network that encourages accountability and sustained progress
Learn more about group therapy and see our current groups here.
Below, you can see past therapy groups led by CMP associates to get a sense of the different types of groups that people find helpful. Note that these are past groups so they are not currently offered. Instead, this article is designed to provide an overview of the many different types of group therapy that are available to people so that you can search for the types that are right for you.
Couples Therapy Group
Deepening intimacy through connection, care and repair
WEDNESDAYS 7 – 8:30 PM ONLINE
STARTS JUNE 22, 2022
For California-based couples who want to improve communication and intimacy, and have a deeper sense of safety and ease of connection in their relationship.
Using Stan Tatkin’s Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT), attachment theory, polyvagal theory, interpersonal neurobiology, somatics, touch, and mindfulness, we’ll spend 8 weeks exploring your relationship in a group setting.
Group focus and themes:
Explore your dynamic as a couple and identify the patterns and cycles of your challenges.
Understand how some of you and your partner’s behaviors can create insecurity and instability in your relationship, and what a secure relationship looks and feels like.
Learn how to be in each others care (and how this is different than codependence)
Improve your communication skills to navigate conflict more successfully
Gain tools and practical skills to enjoy a happier, healthier and more easeful relationship
Group is facilitated by Odessa Avianna Perez (Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #118193) – a trauma-informed somatic psychotherapist and a level 1 trained PACT therapist.
You Are Not Alone: Building community for those living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
This is a zoom support group for people who experience PMDD.
Navigating life with PMDD is difficult, and often feels very lonely. My intention with this support group is to change that. I want this group/space to be a place where PMDD peeps can come together, connect, and meet other people living with PMDD.
Please note, this is a support group, not a therapy or process group. The group is open to all people living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Trans, nonbinary, and BIPOC folks of all ages are welcome!
This support group is free.
Date August 4th, 2024
This group is via Zoom.
Led by Samantha Lunt
Samantha Lunt shares in part:
“In therapy with me, you are welcome just as you are! I invite you to show up as a real person with all your quirks, inner contradictions, and intersecting identities. I can meet you there because I’m a real person too. I’m open-minded, gentle, and a great listener.”
And adds:
“As a trained Somatic therapist, I know how to tune in and listen to the wisdom of a client’s body. My work is trauma-informed, mindfulness-based, relational, and experiential.”
And shares about the group:
“I invite you to show up in any capacity you can. You are welcome to go off-camera, stretch, move, eat/drink, and take breaks as needed. Introducing yourself or sharing about your journey is not mandatory!”
To learn more, or for a Zoom link please email [email protected] or visit https://www.pmdd-therapy.com/groups
Survivors Rising: for Male Identified Survivors of Sexual Trauma
GROUP SIZE: 6-8 members
DATE: Begins early October 2020
TIME: Sunday afternoons and/or weekday evenings once weekly for 8 weeks
LOCATION: online via Zoom
GROUP FACILITATOR:
Rory Valentine Diller at the Center for Mindful Psychotherapy
The New Mamas Support Group
A nourishing space to share the new challenges and joys of new motherhood.
- find your unique way through this time of change
- get the support of a therapist
- explore the wisdom of a circle of mothers/birthing parents
New motherhood can be challenging. It can be invaluable to hear from other new moms. You might feel isolated or overwhelmed, wondering if your experience is normal. Or maybe you just crave adult conversation. The group supports each person to find their own way. I bring 15+ years of experience as a midwife and you bring yours. Discussion topics include sleep, moods, postpartum sex, guilt and shame, our relationships with our own mothers, breast feeding, birth stories and more.
Details:
- Meets every other Friday on Zoom from 11:30-12:30
- Free & drop-in
- Mamas with newborn babies up to 24 months welcome
- babies and toddlers welcome
Group Facilitator:
Colette Mercier MA, Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist # 113237 & Licensed Midwife, LM 218. Supervised by Lily Rosman MFT #95520 & Shirley Dvir MFT #44258. Employed by Sonoma Counseling
Support for Single Parents
Are you a woman navigating the journey of parenting alone or in a co-parenting dynamic? Feeling isolated and swamped, and in need of support and community?
Together we will:
- share and witness experiences that are often invisible and unrepresented in our culture;
- build internal resources and community support for handling loneliness, overwhelm, and self-doubt;
- integrate and heal the narratives we hold about our life journey and choices;
- have protected time built into your schedule for self-care and support.
The group will open with a 3 hour mini-retreat, including guided meditation practices, time to get to know one another, and an opening ritual. Thereafter, the group will meet every other Saturday morning for 1.5 hours for 6 weeks.
Details
Initial 3 hour retreat, followed by 6 bi-weekly meetings at 2046 Lincoln St, Berkeley, CA 94709.
Saturday morning 10-11.30am
LGBTQAI+ and POC affirming and inclusive
Group aims to begin in Spring 2020
GROUP FACILITATOR:
Andrea Baxter Drugan is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in Berkeley. She practices an integrative, attachment-based approach to psychotherapy. For more information please visit www.andreabaxtertherapy.com
WILD WOMXN THERAPY GROUP
Re-wild, and reclaim your personal magick as we explore the Autumnal ‘Descent’ in Earth, Self and Mythos supercharged by the healing vitality of sisterhood.
A powerful marriage of modern, depth-informed group psychotherapy and ancient healing frameworks that harness the energy of Earth’s cycles. Together, we will bring enchantment back into your sacred relationship with Earth.
Join us in a three month, depth-informed educational therapy group for womxn, spanning the Autumnal descent and re-emergence brought to you by Annalise Oatman, MA, LCSW, of Awake Therapy Space and Dana Marie Nielsen, MA and AMFT of Wild Woman Therapy and the Center for Mindful Psychotherapy.
FALL 2020 SCHEDULE:
Sunday 10/27: Opening Ritual Retreat 4:00-7pm
Monday 11/4: Zoom call 7:00pm-8:30pm
Monday 11/11 Zoom call 7:00pm-8:30pm
Monday 11/18 Zoom call 7:00pm-8:30pm
Sunday 11/24 Ritual Retreat 4:00-7pm
Monday 12/2 Zoom call 7:00pm-8:30pm
Monday 12/9 Zoom call 7:00pm-8:30pm
Sunday 12/15 Ritual Retreat 4:00-7pm
Monday 1/06 Zoom call 7:00pm-8:30pm
Monday 1/13 Zoom call 7:00pm-8:30pm
Monday 1/20 Zoom call 7:00pm-8:30pm
Sunday 1/26 Closing Ritual Retreat 4:00-7pm
*Retreat locations will be in person sessions in various sacred spaces and natural environments in the Bay Area. Transportation can be arranged.
GROUP FACILITATOR:
Dana Marie Nielsen
Registered Associate MFT #97764
Supervised by Natalie Small #92747
With: Annalise Oatman, LCSW# 88254
“COME AS YOU ARE” DRUG & ALCOHOL HARM REDUCTION GROUP
Drugs and alcohol can be messy and destructive if you lose control of your use. You may find that despite your best efforts you are experiencing thought and behavior cycles that are leading you to a place you don’t want to be. In this dark place it can be overwhelming to know where to look for support. For many drug and alcohol users, groups have been found to be extremely helpful in maintaining motivation, holding accountability, and building supportive relationships in community as you work to come to right relationship with mind altering substances.
“HARM REDUCTION IS A SET OF PRACTICAL STRATEGIES AND IDEAS AIMED AT REDUCING NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH DRUG USE.” FROM “PRINCIPLES OF HARM REDUCTION” HARM REDUCTION COALITION
The Harm Reduction philosophy holds a “Come As You Are” attitude towards drug and alcohol group support. At any stage in your use, Harm Reduction aims to meet you where you are at and help you reduce any harm you may experiencing through your drug and alcohol use. This could mean moderation, abstinence or other strategies, depending on your specific goals. With Harm Reduction you set your own definition of success in your relationship with alcohol and drugs. The group will help you to come up with strategies and approaches that will help you meet your goals, and will hold you accountable and motivated to stay on track.
In our Harm Reduction group we will:
- Learn strategies and tools to reduce harm caused by drug and alcohol use.
- Share our stories and find support in community.
- Set goals and hold each other accountable.
- Process difficult emotions that may be underlying causes of addiction in a group setting.
- Build supportive relationships in community.
- Create a safe space to talk about addiction and alcoholism.
DETAILS
GROUP SIZE: 4 – 8 members
DATE: New cohort starts Fall 2019
TIME: Sundays AM
Group Facilitated by Connor Moss
OVER THE RAINBOW: SUPPORT FOR EXPECTANT AND NEW PARENTS AFTER PREGNANCY LOSS
ABOUT: A rainbow is something beautiful after a dark and wild storm. A rainbow baby is a baby born after a miscarriage or stillbirth. Similarly to how the beauty of the rainbow will not undo the damage a storm might have done, a rainbow baby can bring joy and hope while the painful feelings of the loss might still linger. Many parents who have lost a pregnancy will experience fear of another loss, anxiety, confusion, guilt, and often a new layer of grief. They may also struggle with difficult emotions in the postpartum period. Community, compassion, and psychological education and attention are essential components of the healing process. This class offers parents with a rainbow baby a sense of community, as well as tools to acknowledge, communicate and work with their feelings.
Location: San Francisco, CA 94110
Dates: Drop-in group every other month, see link for details
Group Facilitated by Jennifer Komm
MINDFULNESS, COMMUNICATION & TECHNOLOGY
If we are not careful, it is all too easy to fall into becoming more of a
human doing than a human being, and forget who is doing all the doing,
and why. —Jon Kabat-Zinn
ABOUT: Humans really are wired for connection and, thanks to remarkable tech advances, many of us connect with an ever-increasing frequency throughout the day. If it sometimes feels like your connection to the sweet, shiny smartphone—the “black mirror”— is more compelling than you’d like it to be, this one-time group is an opportunity to spend a few hours
consciously exploring your relationship to technology and communication.
THE GROUP WILL INCLUDE:
- Meditation instruction and practice
- Discussion drawn from mindfulness teachings on skillful communication
- A dip into some relevant neuroscience findings
- A few practical offerings for hacking your relationship to the phone or laptop
- Group size is capped at six participants, so there will be a chance to share thoughts and feelings about living a tech-laden life, as well as periods of silence and sitting meditation. (No meditation experience necessary: the group is suitable for new or experienced meditators.)
LOCATION: San Francisco’s Hayes Valley
DATE: Contact Julia for info about next group
TIME: 10AM-12:30PM
Group Facilitated by Julia Ward
SHY CLUB: FOR QUIET TEENS & YOUNG ADULTS
ABOUT: Shy Club is an in-person group for teens and young adults of all genders.
What do you think of when you hear the word “shy”? Has this word been used to describe you? How accurate does it feel? What does shy mean to you? You may think of other adjectives that relate such as quiet, introverted, or reserved. Or, you may think of shyness as the opposite of being loud, outgoing, and boisterous.
Everyone’s experience is unique, and being seen as “shy” can look a lot of different ways and mean a lot of different things; it’s not a one-size-fits-all descriptor. Maybe you relate to being shy and don’t carry harsh judgements about your experience.
Maybe you feel comfortable with yourself most of the time, but at times feel misunderstood by others. Maybe you have a lot to say, but aren’t sure how to express yourself authentically. Maybe you’d like to discuss your experiences with other people who really get it.
Through the use of dialogue, mindfulness exercises, communication skill building and creative projects, Shy Club is about:
- Being who you are and how you are.
- Embracing your strengths and vulnerabilities.
- Learning how to take care of yourself in a world that can sometimes feel shallow, overwhelming, or insensitive.
- Increasing self-esteem and feeling more comfortable to be yourself around others.
- Gaining confidence to use your voice and set boundaries.
- Discovering tools to manage your deeply felt emotions.
If you’re looking for a way to connect with yourself and others without all the pressure, Shy Club may be a great fit for you! Space is limited so email [email protected] to sign-up!
GROUP OPTIONS: Ages 12-14, Ages 15-17 or Young Adults (18+)
LOCATION: Downtown San Francisco (above Powell Street BART)
TIME: Most groups meet Mondays or Thursdays from 5:30pm-6:30pm for 8 weeks.
Group facilitated by Jessica Weikers and April Snow