Talking about mental health challenges can feel difficult, especially when you feel alone in what you are experiencing. Group-based therapy gives you an opportunity to connect with people facing similar challenges, share experiences, learn from different perspectives, and develop coping skills with professional guidance.
Group therapy brings people together in a structured therapeutic space where a licensed mental health professional guides discussion, skill-building, and interpersonal work. Members may share similar concerns, treatment goals, or life experiences, although their individual needs can differ. Therapists may use approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based techniques, and other evidence-based interventions based on the group’s goals and members’ needs.
In this guide, we will explore how group therapy sessions work, the different types, their potential benefits and challenges, and how to find the right option near you in California.
What is Group Therapy?
It is a form of psychotherapy in which a licensed mental health professional works with multiple participants at the same time. Group size varies depending on the therapeutic approach, treatment goals, setting, and provider.
All members of the group therapy session have similar life challenges as well as treatment approaches. They share personal experiences, listen to each other, and practice new coping skills in a safe place. The therapist leads the session for an hour or two each week to foster healthy communication and share expert feedback.
What Is the Purpose of Group Therapy?
The main purpose is to help people work through mental health conditions in a supportive therapeutic environment with a qualified therapist. It also provides emotional support, helps to practice coping skills, and encourages learning through shared experiences. It helps to practice new ways to think and respond.
What Are the Different Types of Group Therapy?
Group-based therapy is of different types depending on a person’s unique needs, treatment goals, and the approach used by the mental health provider. Some groups focus on specific skills, while others center on shared experiences, emotional processing, or learning about a particular mental health condition.
CBT Group Therapy
CBT therapy applies cognitive behavioral techniques such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, problem-solving, and skills practice to a shared group format.Jalali et al. (2026) reviewed over 153 intervention studies and found that cognitive behavioral therapy significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress scores compared to control groups.
DBT and Skills-Based Group Therapy
DBT and other skills-based groups teach concrete abilities through structured practices. They involve mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. These groups tend to follow a curriculum more closely than process-oriented groups.
Psychoeducational Group Therapy
Psychoeducational groups deliver structured information and practical coping skills related to a specific condition. This helps members understand their diagnosis and build practical ways to manage it alongside peers facing similar challenges.
Support Groups
Support groups center on shared experience and peer connection, often with lighter clinical structure than formal group psychotherapy. They differ from psychotherapy groups in that a licensed clinician isn’t always leading the session, and the goal is mutual support rather than a structured treatment protocol.
Mindfulness-Based Group Therapy
A mindful therapy group incorporates present-moment awareness practices that include mindful breathing, grounding, and mindful coping into the session structure. Mindfulness functions as a technique within many different group formats rather than a standalone therapy model on its own.
How Does Group Therapy Work?
It begins with an assessment to determine whether a particular group is a good fit for an individual’s needs and goals. When a person joins, the therapist establishes expectations for participation, confidentiality, attendance, and respectful communication. After a few sessions, the group develops its own rhythm as the members work toward shared individual treatment goals.
What Happens During a Group Therapy Session?
The sessions often vary based on the treatment goals, but they commonly include the following:
- Check-In: This session starts with an opening ritual. The members share how they are feeling and discuss progress since the previous session.
- Discussion: The therapist introduces a specific theme, skill, or discussion related to the group’s goals.
- Peer Interaction: Members share their challenges and perspectives and offer feedback to each other.
- Therapist guidance: The group facilitator leads the conversation and keeps the group focused.
- Processing: The participants explore what they learned, felt, or noticed during the activity.
- Closing: The mental health provider discusses the key points and helps to prepare for the next session.
What Are the Stages of Group Therapy?
Groups can develop through several commonly described stages. The exact progression varies, but therapists often use the following framework to understand how relationships and participation evolve over time:
- Forming: Low-pressure icebreakers can help members become familiar with one another without requiring them to immediately share highly personal information.
- Storming: the group members become more open about their opinions. But disagreements can arise as they adjust in the group.
- Norming: Here, the members begin to trust each other and feel more connected.
- Performing: The group engages in deeper therapeutic work, practices skills, and learns from each other’s experience.
- Termination: In the last stage, members reflect on their progress and discuss their feelings about moving forward.
How Long Are The Group Therapy Sessions?
They usually last between 60 and 90 minutes. However, some specialized sessions last for 120 minutes. The session length varies due to the group’s purpose, format, and treatment goals. Similarly, the number of people in a group ranges from a few members to a larger group depending on the type of therapy and provider. Smaller groups of 4 to 6 members allow more individual airtime. But larger groups of 8 to 12 create more diverse perspectives.
What Does a Group Therapist Do?
A group therapist does more than lead a discussion. They set the rules, protect emotional safety, manage conflict, and guide the members through their stages of development. The four core functions include managing the group’s structure, supporting the well-being of members, helping them to understand their experiences, and encouraging meaningful emotional engagement.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Therapy?
This therapy offers meaningful benefits, but it is not the right choice for everyone who participates. However, understanding the positive aspects and challenges can help you decide whether this type of therapy fits your needs.
Advantages of Group Therapy
Shared Experiences
If you hear other people who face similar challenges can help you feel less alone. Also, this therapy makes it easier to open up and participate when you know that people understand what you are going through.
Social Connection
Regular interaction with people helps to build supportive relationships with group members. These connections help you reduce the feeling of isolation.
Peer Feedback
The group members share different perspectives that you may not have considered on your own. This way, you can see a situation differently and consider new approaches.
Interpersonal Learning
These sessions provide opportunities to practice communication and relationship skills in real time. You can learn how your words and actions can affect others and receive feedback.
Practical Skills Practice
It includes different exercises that allow the members to practice coping, emotional regulation, and problem-solving skills.
Potential Affordability
This therapy costs less than individual therapy because the therapist’s time is shared among group members. However, actual cost varies by provider, group type, and insurance coverage.
Disadvantages of Group Therapy
Less individual therapist time
A mental health provider works with multiple people at once; each member receives less individual attention than they would in one-on-one therapy.
Privacy Considerations
Group-based therapy typically includes clear confidentiality expectations, but privacy differs from individual therapy because other participants are present. Providers explain these expectations before participation.
Group Conflict
Differences in personalities or communication styles can sometimes lead to conflicts between group members. A professional group therapist manages disagreements, maintains respectful communication, and keeps the group focused on its therapeutic goals.
Scheduling Challenges
This group session usually follows a set schedule, which is often difficult for everyone to manage. Missing sessions regularly can also make it harder to stay connected with the group and follow its updates.
Group Therapy vs. Individual Therapy
Both of these approaches offer different benefits. Individual therapy does not offer peer interaction or shared experiences. Here is a quick glance at how both of these can differ:
| Factor | Group Therapy | Individual Therapy |
| Therapist attention | Shared across members | One-to-one |
| Peer interaction | Yes | No |
| Perspectives | Multiple | Primarily therapist-client |
| Interpersonal practice | Strong opportunity | More individualized |
| Privacy | Shared setting | More private |
| Cost | Often lower per session | Often higher per session |
| Treatment focus | Individual and group dynamics | Highly individualized |
Take the Next Step With Brainpower Wellness Institute
Choosing between group and individual therapy can feel difficult. Brainpower Wellness Institute’s licensed providers can help you understand your options and choose an approach based on your treatment goals, comfort level, and mental health needs.
What Factors Make Group Therapy Effective?
Group interaction leads to meaningful therapeutic change through specific processes, rather than simply bringing people together in the same room. Several therapeutic factors help explain why these interactions can support change. These were described inThe Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. They include the following:
- Universality: Hearing other people share similar struggles reduces the feelings of shame and isolation.
- Instillation of hope: Seeing other people making progress helps people believe that change is possible.
- Interpersonal learning: members practice new relational patterns and receive feedback.
- Giving and receiving support: both directions of support help members feel connected and valued.
- Self-understanding: feedback from group members can reveal patterns that are harder to notice in individual therapy.
“It’s the relationship that heals.” — Irvin D. Yalom, MD, psychiatrist and author of Love’s Executioner
What Is Group Cohesion?
Group cohesion refers to the sense of trust, connection, and support that develops between group members and therapists. Research shows that strong group cohesion is linked to better treatment outcomes across different mental health conditions and environments (Burlingame et al., 2018, Psychotherapy). This is why therapists actively work to build a safe and supportive space.
Why Does Processing Matter in Group Therapy?
Processing matters in a group session because it turns real-time interpersonal interactions into immediate and meaningful feedback on how members relate to others. It helps members reflect on what happened during the session, recognize patterns in their thoughts and behaviors, and apply those insights to relationships and situations outside the group.
Group Therapy Activities and Approaches for Different Mental Health Needs
Activities in group therapy support the group’s treatment goals and reflect the unique needs of members and the type of therapy being provided. They have a clear therapeutic purpose rather than simply filling time. For each mental health condition below, the activities include their therapeutic goal, who they may suit best, the level of personal sharing involved, and an example of a processing question a therapist can ask afterward.
Group Therapy Activities for Anxiety
Common goals: identify anxiety triggers, build coping skills, challenge unhelpful thoughts, improve emotional awareness.
Grounding Exercise is a technique that helps a person shift their attention away from anxious thoughts and back to the present moment.
- Goal: It helps to break the cycle of anxious thoughts by bringing attention back to the present moment.
- Used with: People of any age, especially those experiencing intense anxiety
- Disclosure level: Low.
- Processing question: Which sense was easiest or hardest for you to notice?
Other activities include worry mapping, cognitive restructuring, and exposure-planning discussions.
Group Therapy Activities for Depression
Common goals: increase engagement, address negative thought patterns, build social connection, develop achievable routines.
Behavioral Activation Planning is a structured approach that helps people with depression become more active by scheduling small activities to reduce withdrawal and increase daily engagement.
- Goal: It helps to reduce withdrawal and low motivation by encouraging small activities.
- Used with: Adult groups focused on depression.
- Disclosure level: Low.
- Processing question: What made it difficult to complete the activity you planned last week?
Other activities include strength spotting, positive-event reflection, and activity scheduling.
Group Therapy Activities for Social Anxiety
Common goals: build confidence in social situations, challenge anxious thoughts, practice communication, strengthen social support.
Gradual Social-Situation Practice is an activity that helps people with social anxiety to face situations they find uncomfortable instead of avoiding them.
- Goal: It helps members to become more comfortable with social situations by taking manageable steps.
- Used with: Adults and adolescents experiencing social anxiety.
- Disclosure level: Moderate.
- Processing question: How did the experience feel compared with the situation you expected?
Other activities include role-playing, cognitive restructuring, and support-network mapping.
Group Therapy Activities for Emotional Regulation
Common goals: identify emotions, recognize triggers, build coping skills, improve distress tolerance.
Emotion Thermometer is a simple activity that helps people notice and describe how strong their emotions feel at different times.
- Goal: It helps members notice how strong their emotions are and how they change over time.
- Used with: Children, adolescents, and adults.
- Disclosure level: Low.
- Processing question: “What made the number go up or down this week?”
Adolescent groups often benefit from more game-based formats to lower the pressure around social practice; seegroup therapy games built specifically for teens for examples.
Group Therapy Activities for Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Common goals: improve listening, practice assertiveness, set boundaries, manage disagreements.
“I” Statement Practice is an activity that helps people communicate their feelings and needs without blaming or criticizing others.
- Goal: It helps members to express their feelings without blaming or criticizing others.
- Used with: Groups working on conflict or relationship challenges.
- Disclosure level: Moderate.
- Processing question: “How did it feel to express that using an ‘I’ statement?”
Other activities include active listening exercises, assertiveness role-play, and conflict-resolution scenarios.
Group Therapy Activities for Self-Esteem
Common goals: recognize personal strengths, develop self-compassion, challenge negative self-perceptions, explore personal values.
Strengths Exchange is an activity that helps group members recognize their own positive qualities by receiving feedback from others.
- Goal: It helps to recognize strengths and build self-esteem through positive feedback from others.
- Used with: Adult and adolescent groups.
- Disclosure level: Low.
- Processing question: “What was it like to hear someone else identify a strength in you?”
Group Therapy Activities for Trauma and PTSD
Common goals: build emotional safety, develop grounding skills, strengthen coping, improve emotional regulation. Trauma-informed groups should avoid pressuring members to disclose traumatic experiences before they feel ready.
“Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her humanity.” — Judith Lewis Herman, MD, psychiatrist and author of Trauma and Recovery
Grounding and Stabilization Exercise is an activity that helps people manage distress, feel more present, and regain a sense of control when difficult emotions arise.
- Goal: This helps to develop a coping skill they can use during moments of distress.
- Used with: Adult trauma-recovery and PTSD support groups.
- Disclosure level: Low to moderate, paced entirely by the member.
- Processing question: “What helped you feel most anchored during that exercise?”
Other activities include positive-feedback exercises, self-compassion prompts, and values exploration.
How Is Group Therapy Different From Group Counseling?
Both these terms are often used interchangeably. But they differ in their focus and depth. The main differences include the following:
| Aspect | Group-based Therapy | Group Counseling |
| Main focus | Treats mental health conditions and deeper emotional concerns | Addresses specific life challenges, concerns, or situations |
| Duration | Often longer-term | Usually shorter-term |
| Clinical depth | Involves deeper therapeutic work | Generally focuses on practical support and coping |
| Goals | Reduces symptoms, supports behavior change, and improves emotional functioning | Builds coping skills, problem-solving, and adjustment |
| Facilitator | Usually led by a licensed mental health professional | Usually led by a qualified counselor |
| Common examples | DBT groups, CBT groups, trauma groups, and depression groups | Grief, stress management, adjustment, and school counseling groups |
| Overlap | Can include education, support, and skill-building | May resemble group therapy when addressing ongoing mental health concerns |
How Can I Find a Group Therapy Provider Near Me?
When looking for group therapy near you, consider the group’s treatment focus, therapist credentials, session format, schedule, group size, cost, and insurance coverage. Ask whether the provider offers an initial assessment to determine whether the group fits your needs.
Brainpower Wellness Institute offers group-based therapy across multiple California locations, along with telehealth for members who prefer or need a virtual option. Finding the right group starts with confirming location, format, and clinical fit before your first session.
Locations at Brainpower Wellness Institute For Group-based Therapy
Brainpower Wellness Institute provides group therapy and related psychiatric care at offices in Orange, Long Beach, Yorba Linda, Corona, San Diego, San Francisco, Torrance, and Fresno, California, in addition to Anaheim. Each location offers in-person appointments, and most also connect to the practice’s broader telepsychiatry services.View Brainpower Wellness Institute’s full list of locations.
Where Can You Access Group Therapy in California?
In-person therapy in Orange County, San Diego, or the Bay Area gives members a physical room and face-to-face interaction. Telehealth group-based therapy removes the distance barrier entirely; members anywhere in California can join a session that matches their clinical needs without factoring in commute or location.Learn more about telepsychiatry options if location is a barrier to joining a group that fits.
Get Professional Therapy at Brainpower Wellness Institute
Group therapy can provide more than shared activities or discussions. With the right group and professional guidance, members can build connections, practice new skills, gain different perspectives, and work toward meaningful treatment goals.
Book a session to get started.
Brainpower Wellness Institute makes care easier to access with flexible scheduling and weekend appointments, along with insurance and self-pay options. Our providers use a personalized approach to help each member find support that fits their needs.
