Healing in Community
The Magic of Group Therapy: A guest post by Maggie McGrann, MS, LMHC
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when we often hear about the importance of accessing mental health services, supports and resources. There is much discussion currently about how to make mental health services more accessible, affordable and effective, as well as a growing desire to move away from reliance on health insurance model to support accessibility and the need to focus on emotion regulation, social emotional skills and communication skills.
As a mental health provider, former middle school counselor, parent, and educator, I often notice that these conversations leave out one of the most transformative and accessible options for managing mental and emotional health; small group counseling and peer support groups.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “ group therapy is as effective as individual therapy for a wide range of symptoms and conditions, and it is more efficient, allowing a single therapist to reach many people at once. In many cases, groups can be even more effective than individual therapy, thanks to the stigma reduction and solidarity that people experience in the presence of their peers.”
“Maybe we don’t need more self-help books. Maybe what we really need is a third place again.”
This past week, as I was mindlessly scrolling (which we all are guilty of doing, therapists included), I ran across this quote, “Back in the 1900’s, our grandparents had a third place- not home, not work, but that in-between spot where life breathed a little easier. A barbershop, a local cafe, the church steps, a garden bench, a park, a book club, a bridge table- no screens, no agenda, just regular faces and slow conversations. That’s where stories were told, grief was softened, relationships mended, lonliness eased. Today, we’ve replaced it with doomscrolling in silence. Maybe we don’t need more self-help books. Maybe what we really need is a third place again.”
Other than being called out about the doomscrolling, I felt a deep recognition of this sentiment and a desire to continue to promote and create therapeutic third spaces in all the ways that I can. Therapy is effective for a variety of reasons but one of the most fundamental reasons is the sense of personal connection between therapist and client, allowing clients to share without fear of burdening or alienating others and knowledge that the therapist has the tools and space to help with processing. What group therapy provides is this same space and agreement but so many more connections and witnesses to our personhood. When we are able to be vulnerable, open and authentic with others, we gain a sense of belonging and acceptance which allows us to experience healthy responses and support of our personhood.
Beyond the therapeutic impacts of group counseling or peer support groups, there are advantages in more concrete ways, as well. Small groups cost less per hour than individual therapy; around $30-$60 per hour meeting as opposed to $100-$200 an hour for individual therapy. These groups are often topic-specific (ex: divorce group, grief group, parenting support group) and time-limited, typically running once a week somewhere between five to eight weeks. Groups are facilitated by licensed professionals, with a varying amount of structure depending on needs and goals of the group.
“When we are able to be vulnerable, open and authentic with others, we gain a sense of belonging and acceptance which allows us to experience healthy responses and support of our personhood.”
The group setting allows the facilitator to guide discussion and interactions between members, giving members an opportunity to practice new ways of responding to others, expressing themselves, asserting themselves and receiving feedback. The skills that are taught in individual therapy can be practiced in real-time as a facilitator guides members in healthy conflict, discussion and support skills. Other groups that are focused on peer support provide a safe environment to bring together people who need to connect with others working through similar life challenges or changes. These groups are often focused on allowing space for processing, sharing and helping one another find solutions.
Group therapy can be a supplement to traditional individual therapy or a stand-alone support. One of the most impactful components in treatment outcomes for clients is the quality of the “therapeutic alliance”; in simple terms, does a client believe their therapist cares about them, sees them, and likes them. I think this is noteworthy, as it really solidifies that no matter what clinical knowledge, experience or training a professional has, the connection and openness a therapist is able to build is the most impactful component.
While I have seen this proven true in individual client outcomes, I have seen this magnified many more times when clients are able to build positive rapport and alliances with their peers in small groups. Feeling seen, understood, and valued by others is fundamental to our well-being. When we are experiencing large changes, crises, rejection, depression, anxiety, isolation, grief and so many other challenging life circumstances and mental health challenges, we often withdraw and feel alone with our pain.
While working with a therapist certainly helps with these challenges, the experience of sitting with others who are navigating similar or even quite different challenges is incredibly impactful. Group dynamics allow each of us to gain a wider perspective by coming outside of our suffering and seeing that we are able to offer value to those around us. Groups also provide the opportunity for a “corrective emotional experience”, seeing that you can be accepted as you are, responded to positively when you may not have been previously, and cared for even by those who are different from you. It promotes understanding and community in a way we desperately need in our society.
We heal in community. And we are desperately in need of community. As a clinician who has worked with a wide variety of ages, diagnoses, challenges and concerns, I am confident that small group therapy and peer support groups are a need in Indianapolis.
About the author:
Maggie McGrann is an Indianapolis-based LMHC working in private practice at Magus Counseling and previously working in group practice specializing in severe anxiety disorders. Maggie began her career in education, working within government and higher education institutions, and earned her Master’s in School Counseling in 2014. She spent seven years as a middle school counseling director and one year as a high school counselor before earning her Licensed Mental Health Counselor license in 2022. She specializes in group practice, anxiety disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, PTSD, C-PTSD, and trauma history. Maggie loves working with creatives, neurodivergence, life changes, divorcing parents, co-parenting challenges, LGBTQIA population, and adolescents.
