Group Counseling
The Counseling Center offers a range of group experiences that allow students to address issues, identify with others, and examine relationship patterns that are interfering with their goals.
Group members are expected to rigorously maintain confidentiality so that members can benefit fully from their experience in a trusting environment.
Members determine the amount of energy, mental and emotional, that they wish to invest in the group process. The more one invests, the more one benefits.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM GROUP COUNSELING
As a result of participating in a support group students will have the opportunity to:
- Seek and receive feedback about their behavior
- Experience feelings of connection and solidarity with others who have similar experiences
- Express feelings they have been hesitant to share
- Develop new ways of relating to others
- Interact with people different than themselves
- Provide support to others
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF GROUP COUNSELING
- Be yourself. Start from where you are, not how you think others want you to be.
- Define goals. Take time before each session to define your goals for that session. Common goals include sharing more about yourself, asking more questions of others, and being more assertive.
- Take time for yourself. You have the right to take group time to talk about yourself. People hesitate to take up time for several reasons. By recognizing what your own reluctance means, you increase self-awareness and begin the growth process.
- Take risks. This may mean expressing difficult feelings, sharing information you usually keep secret, or addressing something that is upsetting to you. Think of group as a place to experiment or practice new behaviors.
- Respond to others. Group is a place to practice responding to others in ways other than suggesting solutions or advice. Being a group member can be a chance to respond to others disclosures with personal reactions, communicate understanding, and give support without trying to “fix” other’s problems.
