Trauma-Focused Groups
How Group Therapy Helps with Trauma
Trauma can make you feel isolated, overwhelmed, and disconnected from others. Group therapy creates a space where you can connect with people who understand what you’re going through because they’ve been there too. It’s not just about sharing stories—it’s about healing together.
Here’s why group therapy can be so effective for trauma:
1. You’re Not Alone
One of the toughest parts of trauma is feeling like no one else understands your experience. In a group setting, you meet others who’ve faced similar struggles. This shared understanding helps break down the isolation trauma often creates. Knowing you’re not alone can be incredibly comforting and validating.
2. Safety in Numbers
Talking about trauma can be hard, but a supportive group provides a safe environment where you don’t have to go through it alone. Hearing others share their stories can make it easier to open up at your own pace. Plus, you can see firsthand that it’s possible to move forward, which can be really encouraging.
3. Learning from Others
In group therapy, you not only get support—you also get new perspectives. Other group members might have strategies or coping mechanisms that you haven’t tried yet. Sharing ideas and advice in a group can expand your toolbox for managing trauma symptoms.
4. Building Trust and Connection
Trauma can damage your ability to trust others. Group therapy provides a safe place to rebuild that trust in a gradual, supportive way. As you connect with others, you’ll start to feel more comfortable in relationships outside of the group too.
5. A Sense of Empowerment
Being in a group that’s focused on healing can be empowering. You’re not just a passive participant—you’re an active part of the healing process, both for yourself and for others. Supporting and being supported by others can give you a renewed sense of control over your recovery.
6. Accountability and Motivation
It’s easier to stay on track with your healing when you know others are rooting for you. Group members encourage each other to keep going, even when things get tough. This built-in accountability can help you stay committed to your recovery journey.
In a nutshell, group therapy works for trauma because it brings people together to heal in a supportive, understanding environment. By sharing, listening, and connecting with others, you can begin to process your trauma and move toward a place of healing.
How Group Therapy Helps with Trauma
Trauma can make you feel isolated, overwhelmed, and disconnected from others. Group therapy creates a space where you can connect with people who understand what you’re going through because they’ve been there too. It’s not just about sharing stories—it’s about healing together.
Here’s why group therapy can be so effective for trauma:
1. You’re Not Alone
One of the toughest parts of trauma is feeling like no one else understands your experience. In a group setting, you meet others who’ve faced similar struggles. This shared understanding helps break down the isolation trauma often creates. Knowing you’re not alone can be incredibly comforting and validating.
2. Safety in Numbers
Talking about trauma can be hard, but a supportive group provides a safe environment where you don’t have to go through it alone. Hearing others share their stories can make it easier to open up at your own pace. Plus, you can see firsthand that it’s possible to move forward, which can be really encouraging.
1. You’re Not Alone
One of the toughest parts of trauma is feeling like no one else understands your experience. In a group setting, you meet others who’ve faced similar struggles. This shared understanding helps break down the isolation trauma often creates. Knowing you’re not alone can be incredibly comforting and validating.
2. Safety in Numbers
Talking about trauma can be hard, but a supportive group provides a safe environment where you don’t have to go through it alone. Hearing others share their stories can make it easier to open up at your own pace. Plus, you can see firsthand that it’s possible to move forward, which can be really encouraging.
1. You’re Not Alone
One of the toughest parts of trauma is feeling like no one else understands your experience. In a group setting, you meet others who’ve faced similar struggles. This shared understanding helps break down the isolation trauma often creates. Knowing you’re not alone can be incredibly comforting and validating.
2. Safety in Numbers
Talking about trauma can be hard, but a supportive group provides a safe environment where you don’t have to go through it alone. Hearing others share their stories can make it easier to open up at your own pace. Plus, you can see firsthand that it’s possible to move forward, which can be really encouraging.
3. Learning from Others
In group therapy, you not only get support—you also get new perspectives. Other group members might have strategies or coping mechanisms that you haven’t tried yet. Sharing ideas and advice in a group can expand your toolbox for managing trauma symptoms.
4. Building Trust and Connection
Trauma can damage your ability to trust others. Group therapy provides a safe place to rebuild that trust in a gradual, supportive way. As you connect with others, you’ll start to feel more comfortable in relationships outside of the group too.
3. Learning from Others
In group therapy, you not only get support—you also get new perspectives. Other group members might have strategies or coping mechanisms that you haven’t tried yet. Sharing ideas and advice in a group can expand your toolbox for managing trauma symptoms.
4. Building Trust and Connection
Trauma can damage your ability to trust others. Group therapy provides a safe place to rebuild that trust in a gradual, supportive way. As you connect with others, you’ll start to feel more comfortable in relationships outside of the group too.
5. A Sense of Empowerment
Being in a group that’s focused on healing can be empowering. You’re not just a passive participant—you’re an active part of the healing process, both for yourself and for others. Supporting and being supported by others can give you a renewed sense of control over your recovery.
6. Accountability and Motivation
It’s easier to stay on track with your healing when you know others are rooting for you. Group members encourage each other to keep going, even when things get tough. This built-in accountability can help you stay committed to your recovery journey.
In a nutshell, group therapy works for trauma because it brings people together to heal in a supportive, understanding environment. By sharing, listening, and connecting with others, you can begin to process your trauma and move toward a place of healing.
5. A Sense of Empowerment
Being in a group that’s focused on healing can be empowering. You’re not just a passive participant—you’re an active part of the healing process, both for yourself and for others. Supporting and being supported by others can give you a renewed sense of control over your recovery.
6. Accountability and Motivation
It’s easier to stay on track with your healing when you know others are rooting for you. Group members encourage each other to keep going, even when things get tough. This built-in accountability can help you stay committed to your recovery journey.
5. A Sense of Empowerment
Being in a group that’s focused on healing can be empowering. You’re not just a passive participant—you’re an active part of the healing process, both for yourself and for others. Supporting and being supported by others can give you a renewed sense of control over your recovery.
6. Accountability and Motivation
It’s easier to stay on track with your healing when you know others are rooting for you. Group members encourage each other to keep going, even when things get tough. This built-in accountability can help you stay committed to your recovery journey.
In a nutshell, group therapy works for trauma because it brings people together to heal in a supportive, understanding environment. By sharing, listening, and connecting with others, you can begin to process your trauma and move toward a place of healing.
Teen & Young Adult Group (Ages: 14-26)
Program Details:
- Duration: 6 months
- Focus Areas: Trauma psychoeducation, emotional regulation, cognitive coping skills, individualized trauma narratives, in vivo exposure, group processing, and closure.
Learn More About Mental Health
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is characterized by symptoms that often develop after we go through a traumatic incident. These symptoms can include feelings of depression and anxiety, intense fear, difficulty relaxing, constantly looking for potential threats, intrusive memories of the trauma, nightmares, and difficulty concentrating. Our therapists are trained in state-of-the-art trauma therapy, helping clients to improve their symptoms and ability to function in everyday life.
Depression
Do you feel sad or depressed much of the time? Are you exhausted, despite getting enough sleep? Do you feel as though you have lost your motivation to accomplish your goals, succeed at work, parent, etc? Depression is characterized by these feelings, as well as changes in your eating and sleeping habits, difficulty concentrating, and feeling worthless or not good enough. Sometimes, depression can be associated with thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Our therapists provide support to help you feel better and enjoy life again.
Work/Life Balance
Do you struggle with the ability to find the balance between your marriage, parenting, work, friendships, interests, and hobbies? In the last few years, as work has moved from in the office to remote, it has been hard to create a boundary between work and your personal life. We can help to create a plan to help restore a healthy work and personal life. We can work with you to put that plan into action, setting small goals, and leading toward creating a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
LGBTQI+
We are allies of the LGBTIQ+ community and recognize the diverse needs and support individuals need. We have worked with clients in the process of transitioning their gender, who are looking for support with managing the effects of hormones, changes in relationships, and community support. We understand while individuals may come into counseling for any number of reasons not related to sexuality, such as depression, anxiety, and trauma, the LGBTIQ+ community has its own set of unique challenges as well. We are here to support our clients and provide a safe space to cope with stigma, discrimination, and mental health issues.
Relationships Problems
If you are struggling in your relationship, therapy can help! We address communication issues, emotional and physical intimacy, and creating a deeper more meaningful relationship with your partner. If stress is affecting your relationship, we can help to create a plan to address and improve both of your stress management skills.
Family Therapy
The goal of family therapy is to help improve your relationship with your spouse, partner, children, or parents. It addresses how the family deals with stress or problems, and improves communication and understanding.
Insomnia
Do you have trouble either falling or staying asleep? Have you tried doctors, medications, herbal supplements, and internet recommendations, without any real change in your ability to sleep and feel rested? Our therapists are trained in CBT-I, which is a state-of-the-art therapy that is very effective for insomnia. This is a relatively quick therapy, with fast results!
Anxiety
When anxiety becomes a problem, people can find themselves constantly worrying or afraid. They can feel physiological symptoms such as difficulty breathing, shakiness, rapid heart rate, exhaustion, and difficulty eating or sleeping normally. If you are struggling with anxiety, our therapists are trained in Mindfulness Based Therapy, which has been shown to be extremely effective in treating anxiety.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Do you struggle with unwanted and unreasonable thoughts that can cause you to feel anxiety? Thoughts can be related to contamination of germs, fears that you left your stove on in your house, fear of saying things because they may come true, or other distressing thoughts. These distressing thoughts then cause compulsions or repeated behaviors to manage them. Behaviors can include
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- Repeated checking of the stove, locks, or appliances, even if you know it is off or locked,
- Frequently hand washing, even to the point of rashes or skin irritation,
- Compulsive list making
- Superstitious behavior
- Compulsive hair pulling
- Compulsive collecting or difficulty getting rid of things
- Needing to repeat a routine, such as opening or closing a door
Grief/Loss
It is inevitable that at some point in our life, we will experience the grief of losing someone we love. It is normal for grief to affect our relationships, work, motivation, and outlook on life. While grief is a very normal process, it can be helpful to have some additional support from therapists who understand the process, and help guide you in your healing process.
Stress Management
Stress is a big issue this day, whether it is from work, family, or life in general. Stress can cause a whole host of medical and mental health issues, such as upset stomach, headaches, pain, and muscle tension. Long term, stress can seriously affect our health, leading to heart attacks, IBS, Stokes, and cancer. Our therapists can teach you healthy ways to manage and decrease stress. Our focus is on creating balance and wellness in your life. If stress is caused by other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD, we can help to treat both issues in therapy.
Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction is a scientific term for problems with desire, pain, and orgasm during sex. Clients seek help when they have problems maintaining an erection or having an orgasm before they are ready. Clients might also have problems feeling desire towards their partner or sex in general. Or maybe you feel pain during sex, which doesn’t have any type of medical cause. Our therapists can help to diagnose and treat many different sexual dysfunctions that cannot be addressed by medical professionals.
Couples Counseling
Are you struggling with your relationship? Is it hard to talk about what is going on? Do you start fighting about one thing with your partner, only to find that you are fighting about something else entirely? Would you like to feel closer to your spouse? Our therapists can help improve communication.