Group Therapy
Improve your wellbeing surrounded by people who understand how you feel. Join friendly, confidential group sessions, develop coping techniques for life, and improve your mental health with help from peers and qualified practitioners.
Your local provider of NHS Talking Therapies for Colchester, Tendring, Southend, Castle Point & Rochford.
Free group therapy available in North East and South East Essex
Led by a qualified mental health professional, you will work with individuals in your group to better understand your thoughts and feelings, and work together to develop lasting techniques to improve your wellbeing. You will not be asked to talk about your difficulties in detail – group therapy focuses on how you have been affected by your experiences and how you can manage these in a way that lessens the impact on your mental health.
By the end of your treatment, we aim to give you the skills to overcome your concerns and the support network to achieve positive progress.
Listen and learn in a supportive space with people who understand how you feel, and start your path to feeling better today.
Frequently asked questions about group therapy…
Before you commit to group therapy, we understand you may want to learn more about this type of treatment. Here are some of our most frequently asked questions about group therapy.
What is group therapy?
Group therapy is a type of psychotherapy where a group of people meet in person to discuss and explore thoughts, feelings and emotions in a friendly, supportive and confidential environment – all led by a qualified therapist.
How does group therapy work?
When you go to group therapy sessions, you will listen to and share with others who are dealing with similar concerns or challenges as you, and gain a greater understanding of your mental health. Through these sessions, our aim is to help you develop lasting techniques that will aid your mental health long after your sessions have ended.
What are the benefits of group therapy?
Living with a mental health problem can feel isolating; like nobody else can relate to your experience. That is why group counselling is so powerful – by working with others who share your problem, you begin to better understand your condition and that you are not alone.
Working in a group can also feel less intimidating than 1-1 therapy, and encourage you to practise the techniques you learn during treatment with others, empowering you to manage your wellbeing effectively now and in the future.
Finally, group therapy is a welcoming, safe environment that tends to encourage people to be more open and honest about how they are feeling. As well as helping on the path to feeling better, this can boost your confidence in other areas of your life, and potentially even form friendships with your peers.
What if I don’t want to tell strangers what happened to me?
During group therapy, you are never asked to share any information you are not comfortable with and will never be forced to talk. But we do recommend that everyone engages with the group as much as they can to get the most benefit from it.
Group therapy generally can be described as focusing on the impact of your experiences, rather than the experiences themselves, so you won’t need to discuss these in detail. We find that talking about your coping and the changes you have made as the therapy progresses can be hugely motivational and supportive.
What types of issues can be addressed in group therapy?
Whether you are living with depression, or finding it hard to cope with anxiety, group counselling can be an effective way to address all types of mental health conditions, including:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Panic attacks
- Grief
- Low self-esteem
- Insomnia
- Anger
- Phobias
- OCD
How confidential is group therapy?
To create a safe, inviting space for all, privacy is an essential part of group therapy. All participants are expected and encouraged to respect the confidentiality of others during and after treatment.
What if group therapy is not right for me?
Everyone’s path to recovery is different. If our group therapy sessions do not provide the outcome you are seeking, we provide a range of alternative mental health therapy services for our patients in Essex:
- Access face-to-face help with mental health
- Start right away with free online CBT courses
- Chat to your therapist with ieso text-based therapy
- Talk to your therapist on a video call
- Call your therapist on the telephone
Get in touch with us today and let us help you find your path to feeling better.
Access group therapy in Essex
Supportive group therapy is available to anyone in Therapy For You’s catchment areas in North East and South East Essex. If you believe you would benefit from group counselling, we can help along your journey to feeling better.
North East Essex group therapy services
Here are the areas and postcodes covered by our mental health services, available for anyone aged 16 or over.
- Clacton-on-Sea
- Colchester
- Frinton-on-Sea
- Harwich
- Manningtree
- Tendring
- Walton-on-the-Naze
- West Mersea
South East Essex group therapy services
Here are the areas and postcodes covered by our mental health services, available for anyone aged 18 or over.
- Canvey Island
- Castle Point
- Hadleigh
- Leigh-on-Sea
- Rochford
- Shoeburyness
- Southend-on-Sea
- Westcliff-on-Sea
Ready to start your journey to feeling better with Therapy For You?
Discover our treatment pathways, gain lifelong techniques to improve your wellbeing and embrace a happier, healthier future.
Omni Online CBT
Instantly begin an online video course delivered by trained NHS clinicians.
Talking Therapies
Make a self-referral for our 1-1, group, phone or video therapy sessions.
ieso Typed Therapy
Check your eligibility for ieso and text a qualified therapist around your schedule.
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