Group Therapy
We learn who we are and what to expect from others through relationships. It should come as no surprise, then, that many of our most painful struggles - and the most profound opportunities for healing - show up in relationships.
Process group therapy is particularly well suited to improving relationships: it offers an opportunity to understand and work on relationship patterns as they unfold in real time.
Rather than only talking about relationships from a distance, group members experience them directly with one another. Experiences of closeness, conflict, trust, disappointment, belonging, self-consciousness, and connection naturally emerge in the group. With support and feedback from both the therapist and other members, these moments become opportunities for new learning and lasting change.
Process Group Therapy may be right for you if…
You find relationships stressful, but you're not sure why—or how to make them feel easier.
You struggle to speak up for yourself, set boundaries, or ask for what you need.
You become reactive in relationships and push people away.
You withdraw when relationships become emotionally difficult.
You worry about disappointing others and often put their needs ahead of your own.
You feel lonely and don't want to be.
You avoid conflict, or find yourself becoming overwhelmed by it.
You find yourself drawn to unavailable people or repeating the same frustrating relationship patterns.
You've gained insight into your patterns but still find yourself repeating them.
You wonder how you come across to other people.
What do we do in group?
There is no predetermined agenda or assigned topic each week. Members are encouraged to talk about whatever feels emotionally important, including events and relationships outside the group as well as feelings toward each other. At the same time, we become curious about what is happening between us right now.
For example, while another member is speaking, you might notice that you:
feel unusually close to or distant from them;
feel irritated, protective, envious, intimidated, bored, or moved;
worry that you are talking too much or not enough;
want to comfort someone or solve their problem;
disagree with something but hesitate to say so;
feel left out, overlooked, pressured, or especially understood; or
have a reaction to something I do or say as the group leader.
These reactions give us valuable information. Rather than deciding whether a reaction is "right" or "wrong," we become curious about it: What happened between us? What did you feel? What did you imagine the other person was thinking or feeling? What made it easier or harder to say something?
Over time, the group becomes a kind of interpersonal laboratory: a place to understand how you experience other people, how other people experience you, and what happens when you try something different.
Current group:
Wednesdays, 4:00–5:20 PM PT, Virtual
Fee: $100 per session; need-based sliding scale available.
The group can be a stand-alone treatment or a powerful complement to individual therapy.
Before joining, prospective members meet with me individually to learn more about the group, discuss what they hope to work on, and determine whether the group seems like a good fit.
