Group Counseling
Participating in a therapeutic group can be a helpful resource for students to use both as a stand-alone tool for support, or as an adjunct to individual therapy. Not only will you have the ear of a trained therapist and counselor, but you’ll have an opportunity to connect with peers and form new relationships, provide and receive support to/from others, and discover that you are not alone.
Students interested in group therapy should complete this form. A group counselor will be in touch with more information.
Available groups may include:
- Art Therapy Group: Art therapy is one of the expressive therapies, and focuses on engagement with the creative process as a means for navigating emotions, processing, and healing. No art experience is required, and materials will be provided.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): Provides students with new skills to manage painful emotions and decrease conflict in relationships.
- General Support Group: Join a group of peers for support and processing. Open to all.
- Grief Workshops: For students navigating a death loss of an important person(s) in their life and seeking a supportive environment to connect with others.
- Guided Meditation: Students are welcome to come by the library or the SDCC to drop-in for 15-20 minutes of Meditation. Students with all levels of experience meditating are welcome!
- Healing Circle: The Healing Circle Group is a 5-week group meant to facilitate connection, exploration of our own healing needs, strengthen our self-compassion, and move towards a sense of wholeness.
- Institutions & Meaning: Open to students who have or whose loved ones have experienced institutions such as foster care, adoption, residential treatment, correctional facilities, or inpatient care. A place for students to explore the meaning of diverse experiences with institutions.
- LGBTQIA+ Group: Open to students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or questioning, among other identities. This group provides an opportunity to discuss issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation as well as any other life issues or stressors.
- Mindful Self-Compassion: Join your peers to learn and practice skills for relating to yourself with kindness and care rather than judgment and criticism.
- Mosaic: Men of Color Support Network: Affinity group open to any men of color students. This is a non-clinical discussion group.
- Neurodiverse Group: A semi-structured support group for anyone who identifies as neurodiverse.
- OCD Group: Open to any student who experiences OCD, hoarding, or specific phobias. The group is structured as an informational, skill-building, and discussion group on navigating college and life with these challenges.
- Recognition, Insight, Openness (RIO): A three-session workshop that gives us more insight into how we think and feel as well as tools that teach us how to live meaningful lives despite unwanted internal experiences. RIO also incorporates mindfulness skills and connections to our values.
- Student-Athlete Group: Student-Athletes are invited to join peers from other teams. Topics include time management, self-care, stress, teamwork and identity as a student-athlete. This is a 4- week group. Ideally, student-athletes will commit to all 4 weeks.
- Substance Use Education & Prevention: Weekly group providing education on substance use risk factors that may lead to high-risk behaviors contributing to drug addiction. We will also explore navigating recovery and prevention efforts. Open to any students seeking information and understanding about substance addiction.
- Survivors Group: Open to all students who have experienced sexual, dating, or domestic violence)
- The Body Project: A group-based intervention that provides a forum for women to confront unrealistic beauty ideals and engages them in the development of healthy body image through various experiential exercises. 4 week group.
Commonly Asked Questions
What is the typical size of a group?
Group sizes may vary--some run with as few as 3 members, others may include 12-15 students at a time or anywhere between.
How long do groups typically meet?
The vast majority of our groups meet for 50-minute sessions weekly while they are running.
How does confidentiality work?
Clinical groups and workshops are considered confidentiality just like individual sessions. Participants must sign an informed consent form indicating that they will not share the identities of others who attend groups nor what is shared by others in group sessions.
Are groups available to both undergraduate and graduate students?
All groups are open to both UG and grad students unless otherwise specified, although this is extremely rare.
Do groups meet virtually, in person, or both?
The majority of groups meet in person when feasible to do so. A handful of groups do run virtually only, and others may shift to virtual temporarily in response to necessitating circumstances.