Group Counseling

Counseling is provided in both individual and group formats.

Group counseling brings together up to eight students and one or two counselors in a safe, confidential environment to discuss shared concerns, explore personal challenges, and support one another. Sessions typically meet once a week and provide opportunities to receive feedback, develop new ways of interacting with others, and gain insight through shared experiences. 

Some groups address general concerns, while others focus on specific topics, such as grief or relationships. Initial sessions focus on building trust and establishing group expectations, including a commitment to confidentiality. Speak with a counselor to learn which groups are currently available and best suited to your needs. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Group Counseling

How Does Group Counseling Work?

When people come into a group and interact freely with other group members, they find opportunities to learn about themselves in many different ways. Under the direction of a skilled group therapist, the group is able to give support, feedback and offer alternatives. Through this process, difficulties can resolve, alternative behaviors are learned, and the person develops new social techniques or ways of relating to people.

In group therapy, people begin to see that they are not alone. Many times people feel they are alone in their problems, and it can be encouraging to hear that other people have similar difficulties. In the climate of trust provided by the group, people learn to care about and help each other.

What Do I Talk about When I am in Group?

Talk about what brought you to Counseling Services in the first place. Tell the group members what is bothering you. If you need support, let the group know. If you think you need constructive feedback, let them know this too. It is important to tell people what you expect of them.

Unexpressed feelings are a major reason why people experience difficulties. Sharing your feelings is an important part of group and affects how much you will be helped. How much you talk about yourself depends upon what you are comfortable with. If you have any questions about what might or might not be helpful, you can always ask the group.

What Group Topics are Available? 

Group Counseling topics change from semester to semester. To inquire about what groups are occurring each semester, please reach out to counsect@neiu.edu to get more information about what groups and topics are available. 

Are There Any Ground Rules For My Participation in the Group?

Ground rules help the group to maintain a sense of safety and trust:

• We ask that you attend each week. Consistency is important in establishing feelings of safety and trust. If you must miss a session, let the group leader know. The group meeting times have been arranged in advance and you are asked to keep to those times.
• Abusive communication will not be tolerated. Group therapists are there to foster an environment in which all group members feel safe in group.
• Group sessions are confidential. Group members and group therapists do not disclose the contents of group sessions to others.
• If you decide that you have gained as much as possible from the group or that it isn't the most appropriate treatment method for you, we ask that you come to one last group session to say goodbye.
• The work of the group needs to be done in the group during group time. Therefore, we ask that you not socialize with other members of your group during the time when you are a member of that group.

What Are Some Misconceptions About Group Counseling?

MYTH: I will be forced to tell all of my deepest thoughts, feelings, and secrets to the group.

Reality: You control what, how much, and when you share with the group. Most people find that when they feel safe enough to share what is troubling them, a group can be very helpful and affirming. We encourage you not to share what you are not ready to disclose. However, you can also be helped by listening to others and thinking about how what they are saying might apply to you.

MYTH: I have so much trouble talking to people; I'll never be able to share in a group.

Reality: Most people are anxious about being able to talk in group. Almost without exception, within a few sessions people find that they do begin to talk in the group. Group members with past group experience remember what it is like to be new to the group, so you will most likely get a lot of support around feeling anxious, as well as support when you begin to talk in the group.

MYTH: I will be verbally attacked by the leaders and by other group members.

Reality: It is very important that group members feel safe. Group leaders are there to help foster a safe environment. Feedback is often difficult to hear. As group members come to trust and accept one another, they generally experience feedback and even confrontation as positive, as if it were coming from a friend. One of the benefits of group therapy is the opportunity to receive feedback from others in a supportive environment. It is rare to find friends who will gently point out how you might be behaving in ways that hurt yourself or others, but this is precisely what group can offer. This will be done in a respectful way, so that you can hear it and make use of it.

MYTH: I am being put into group therapy because the counselors are too busy to treat me individually.

Reality: Group therapy is recommended when your intake counselor believes that it is the best way to address your concerns. We do not assign people to group therapy because we don't have space in individual therapy, or because we want to save time. We recommend group when it is the most effective method to help you. Your intake counselor can discuss with you why group is what we recommend for you.

MYTH: Group therapy will take longer than individual therapy because I will have to share the time with others.

Reality: Actually, group therapy is often more efficient than individual therapy for two reasons. First, you can benefit from the group even during sessions when you say little but listen carefully to others. You will find that you have much in common with other group members, and as they work on a concern, you can learn more about yourself. Secondly, group members will often bring up issues that strike a chord with you, but that you might not have been aware of or brought up yourself.

Interested in Learning More or Joining a Group?

Please email counsect@neiu.edu or call us at (773) 442-4650.