Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely not! The first goal of any group is to establish a sense of safety and trust, and you will never be be forced to do anything you don't want to do. First time group members are usually surprised at how quickly safety and trust are developed, and are surprised at how much they WANT to reveal their authentic selves to the group.
Of course there is always the expectation that group members will eventually open up about all things that are relevant to their goals for therapy. Groups will grow curious about a member that continually refrains from talking about themselves, but the group will focus on exploring WHY a member is not opening up.
An analogy could be drawn by noting how important consent is in sexual relationships. There are very few things in this world that are more damaging than non-consensual sex. At the same time, for most adult human beings, there are not too many things more wonderful than consensual sexual interactions. There is a similar dynamic at play with the emotional intimacy aspect of any relationship. When someone feels forced to open about about their "secrets", it is damaging to the individual and the relationship. On the other hand, when people choose to reveal themselves in relationships where they feel safe and trust the other person(s) it is wonderful and helps enrich and deepen those relationships.
It is probably important to quickly note that in group therapy there is a very explicit boundary that group members do not engage in any kind of sexual relationship together. In fact, in most therapy groups there is the expectation that you have zero interactions outside of therapy (including calling each other on the phone or getting coffee together).
Confidentiality is of utmost importance in any therapy setting, and all group members must explicitly agree to maintain the confidentiality of other group members before joining a group. This means that you shoud never disclose the name, or other identifying information, of any group member to anyone outside of group.
Of course you are more than welcome to talk about your experience in group with anyone that you'd like (family, friends, co-workers, etc.). You can talk about what you share in group, what happens in group, and even some of what other people share. You simply need to do so in a way that anyone overhearing your conversation would never be able to "put-the-pieces-together" and potentially figure out who one of your group members is.
Group leaders talk about confidentiality with each member prior to joining a group, and groups spend some time addressing confidentiality in the initial group session. There is always a chance to bring up questions surrounding the topic of confidentiality in any group meeting.
Here at Group Therapy Central most of our groups cost $480/month and meet weekly for 90 minutes ($120/session).
The cost for group therapy here in the United States can vary greatly from clinician to clinician. From what we've seen in our research, the price for a group therapy session is often about half of the cost for an individual therapy session. So if a therapist charges $150 for a 45 minute individual session, typically they charge around $75 for a group therapy session.
Many group members express that they get more out of each minute of group therapy than they do with individual therapy. So your "bang for your buck" can be much greater if you join a therapy group.
We believe it is always important to find out exactly what your health insurance covers in order to know if you want to use it or not. The best way to do this is to contact the phone number on the back of your insurance card and ask them "what is my mental health coverage?" You can also ask"what is my coverage for group therapy?"
Health insurance plans often cover group therapy services, but usually at a much lower rate than individual therapy.
Here at Group Therapy Central we do not work directly with any insurance companies, but are more than happy to work with you and provide the information you would need to seek reimbursement through your health insurance. This is called a superbill.
It is also important to note that here at Group Therapy Central we are currently only conducting online groups with residence of Minnesota. This is because therapist are (currently) not legally or ethically allowed to provide therapy across state lines (unless the therapist is licensed in multiple states). These rules are changing, and currently there are 9 states that allow teletherapy across state lines
This is a wonderful question. Many potential group members are curious about how long they will spend in the group.
This depends on your goals for group. Most people expect to spend about 6-18 months in a therapy group.
You will probably notice changes in yourself within the first few sessions.