Group Counseling
CPS offers a variety of therapy groups designed to address students’ presenting concerns and individual needs. Group counseling provides a safe, confidential environment where students can give and receive support and feedback while working through concerns alongside others. Groups typically include 6–8 students and one or more facilitators.
All groups are considered clinical therapy groups and require participants to have completed intake paperwork and an intake appointment prior to joining. During an intake appointment, a clinician will assess each student’s needs and make an appropriate referral to help ensure they get the most out of the group experience. Students may also ask their clinician about group therapy and discuss whether a group would be an appropriate fit.
Types of Counseling Groups
Process Groups
Process groups focus on addressing issues such as loneliness, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, relationships, and interpersonal challenges. These groups provide a space for validation, encouragement, and mutual understanding. They present a safe space for exploration of thoughts, feelings, experiences, and reactions. Group members share experiences, give and receive feedback and support, and explore new ways of relating to others in a safe and confidential environment.
Skills-Based Groups
Skills-based groups provide a space in which students can learn and practice tools for enhancing their well-being and taking charge of their mental health. These groups are usually more structured and involve direct instruction from the group facilitator. Coping skills for managing emotions can be emphasized in these groups.
Recent Counseling Groups
- ACT Your Mood
- Anxiety Skills Mini Group
- Finding Balance
- Graduate/Non-Traditional
- Meaning Through Music
- Men's Awareness and Processing Space (MAPS)
- Radical Body Image Acceptance
- Resisting Distraction Mini Group
- Spectrum
- Stress Less
- Women and Relationships
- Understanding Self and Others (USO)
If you have suggestions about counseling groups you would be interested in, please let us know! You may call 740.593.1616 or email your ideas to counseling.services@ohio.edu.
Benefits of Group Counseling
Participation in group therapy can increase one’s sense of emotional support and wellbeing by providing space to process emotions and life experiences with peers. The experience of group therapy allows clients to move outside their comfort zones by sharing their experiences and experimenting with new behaviors in a safe, confidential, and supportive environment. Group members can also learn new skills to understand and manage emotions as well as receive information about helpful resources to further enhance wellbeing.
Still Not Sure About Group?
Here are some reflections from previous participants:
"Group therapy this semester helped me to deal with my emotions and honestly kept me afloat. I always looked forward to sessions and would leave them feeling grounded. I appreciate the connections I formed and the kindness with which we all treated each other.”
"Group was a very useful tool for me. Group helped me to realize that I am not the only person going through different scenarios in my life, and it helped me to manage my coping skills."
"Co-leaders were wonderful and made me feel safe and accepted. The dynamics of any group can be challenging but I think they did a wonderful job at making space for growth and healing for everyone."