GROUP THERAPY
Group therapy is a powerful way to participate in recovery. I offer groups for adults who were victims of childhood abuse. Group is the most effective way I know of to heal the wounds of the past and the wounds that are still effecting your life and relationships. With my assistance, group becomes a safe place to learn, talk, listen and gain insight. You will find relief to your pain, shame, secrets, distorted thinking and issues with trust.
I understand how apprehensive everyone feels when thinking about participating in group therapy. Everyone feels nervous, and many feel scared. My responsibility as a group leader is to ensure the safety and comfort of all group members. Every individual is at a different place in their process at any given moment in time. This can change week to week or even moment to moment. No group member must ever feel forced or pressured to do anything they are not comfortable doing. All boundaries need to be respected. This is especially true with individuals who have had their boundaries crossed at an earlier point in their developmental years.
Another wonderful component of group is the normalization of experience that can only occur when seemingly dis similar individuals discover the wealth of shared thoughts, emotions and experiences that unite them in ways they never expected. Often participants will come to understand the dynamics and consequences of other group members before they achieve this level clarity for themselves. Individuals are much more eager to forgive, understand and nourish others before they are able to reward themselves in the same way.
Every potential member of group that I have had the privilege of meeting has always felt that his/her particular story was not significant enough to entitle them to be a group member. Unfortunately, this seems to be a universal truth with all survivors of abuse. Anytime an adult focuses or expresses their sexuality on a child in any manner, a very important boundary has been crossed and a form of abuse has occurred. Children are simply not emotionally or intellectually equipped to handle any form of adult sexuality. Although a child may not be able to specifically explain or language what has occurred, they intuitively experience something that is both frightening and overwhelming. That child's safety has been shattered. This is, of course, also true for both physical and emotional abuse. Unresolved issues of hostility or violence are equally likely to both frighten and overwhelm a child's limited resources. In the same manner, the child's development and well being has not been respected, and the child's natural development will be interrupted. All forms of abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional) have long lasting effects well into adulthood. They can affect all levels of a person's functioning regarding their interpersonal relationships, ego strength, family, occupation and the ability to trust others (as well as to be able to trust himself/herself).
Group therapy is a wonderful adjunct to individual therapy. If you are currently participating in individual therapy, group can be a useful and supportive addition to this important process. I often work in conjunction with other clinicians to align treatment in a coordinated and mutual manner.
For more information about childhood abuse and the types of abuse, please visit my link "Childhood Abuse" to the left of the screen.
Groups have a maximum of 6 members. They last two hours and are $60 per session.
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