Groups and Intensives
Most often, therapy takes place in single sessions that include the therapist and the individual, couple, or family as may be the case. But sometimes, depending on the client and their circumstances, it’s better for therapy to occur in a group setting or in what is termed an intensive. The therapists at Restorative offer both groups and intensives for a variety of presenting concerns and issues.
Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy where a small group of individuals facing the same issues or who are all likely to benefit from learning the same skills meet regularly with one or more trained therapists. A typical group include 3 to 8 clients.
Intensives are multiple back-to-back hours on the same day and can occur on multiple days. They have a more focused, condensed approach than single sessions with a therapist.
Keep reading to learn more benefits of intensives and groups and explore the specific groups and intensives we offer.
Intensives
Intensives are typically multiple days long, or perhaps multiple back-to-back hours (a mini-intensive) and enable a more focused, condensed approach than single sessions with a therapist. This format allows us to do a lot of work in a relatively short amount of time when compared with a series of weekly, or less frequent, single sessions.
In a typical session we open up an issue, do some work, and then close it back up. And this happens relatively quickly – in just under an hour. With an intensive we have more time and space to unpack an issue or dynamic, do a lot of work, and then “re-pack” after we have made significant progress or changes.
Some issues simply require more time than available in a 50 or 75-minute session to make significant progress. Other issues and dynamics might be best addressed by leaving therapist’s office for field work which also takes longer than the typical session.
Further, intensives may better serve clients who have unique and challenging schedules that don’t allow them to book a series of regularly scheduled single sessions but who may be able to commit to a longer block of time given enough notice.
But intensives are not just more sessions back-to-back. As the name implies, the sessions allow for deeper dives to reach and work with more intense feelings that may not surface in a series of single sessions. Therapists who offer intensives understand the unique aspects of an intensive and are experienced judges of just how fast and far to go and when to wrap up the different segments of an intensive to maximize the effectiveness while considering the effect of such intense work on the client.
EMDR Intensives
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an extensively researched and effective form of psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. EMDR does not require clients to talk about the trauma in detail or do any homework in between sessions, which is a great relief to many trauma survivors.
EMDR intensives provide uninterrupted time for processing and resolving traumatic memories, leading to faster relief from associated effects. This approach is suitable if you feel stuck with persistent symptoms and repeating life issues that seem hard to overcome through conventional means.
This focused time allows clients to experience relief from the many effects of traumatic memories in a shorter amount of time than weekly sessions spread out over many months.
An EMDR intensive may be an appropriate approach if you feel “stuck” with concerning symptoms, want to address relationship and life issues that seem to continuously repeat, and feel that you cannot “think” your way out of these patterns.
If you would like to learn about the specifics of EMDR intensives offered by Rebecca Capistrant, LPC, please visit her blog at the link below.
Couples Intensives
Couples may also benefit from having a longer, more-focused time to explore and address the issues in their relationship. Couples intensives are an appropriate format for the following types of couples (note: you do not have to meet all of these criteria, but rather these are simply examples of the types of couples that tend to do well in intensives):
• Couples that are in crisis
• Couples that have work schedules that preclude consistent, weekly 50-minute sessions
• Couples that live in an area with limited couples’ therapists & thus would need to travel for couples work
• Couples that have a specific area of their relationship that needs deeply focused work
If you would like to learn more about couples intensives offered by Marissa Mundy, LPC, CPCS, and Clinical Director, please visit her blog through the link below.
ERP Intensives
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is a specialized therapy used to treat a variety of anxiety disorders, including OCD, social anxiety, and phobias. Anxiety often makes one avoid the things they feel nervous about. Social settings feel daunting. New people and new places can seem scary and overwhelming. You might avoid interpersonal conflict at all costs, finding it difficult to use your voice and stand up for yourself. And yet, all the avoiding has not been able to reduce your anxiety. In fact, the avoidance of certain triggers actually makes anxiety worse in the long run.
Exposure and Response Prevention provides a way out of the avoidance-anxiety cycle. After learning the ins and outs of how anxiety operates, you’ll create a hierarchy of anxiety triggers from which you wish to be free. Your therapist will teach you specific skills and techniques for leaning into the triggering experience in order to allow your brain to rewire and re-label the trigger as not dangerous, and thus not in need of an anxious response.
An ERP intensive involves putting these skills and techniques to work (with your therapist present) in exactly the situations that provoke the intense anxiety or compulsive behaviors. This work, and the associated feedback loops, often take place outside the therapist’s office and so will require more time for travel and the activities than is possible in single sessions.
Groups
Group therapy sessions aim to provide a supportive and confidential environment where members can share their experiences, emotions, and challenges while receiving guidance and support. Participants can also learn practical skills that can make an immediate difference in their lives. Group therapy is also more cost-effective than individual therapy, as participants share the cost with other group members.
Interacting with others in a group setting helps develop and improve social skills, such as active listening, empathy, and assertiveness. Group therapy provides opportunities for practicing learned skills in real-time within the group. Members can receive immediate feedback during the group, and the therapist can witness the client’s interpersonal effectiveness and growth (or lack thereof) in a live setting.
Witnessing the progress, growth, and recovery of other group members can instill hope and inspiration. Seeing others overcome similar challenges can motivate individuals to work towards their own goals and facilitate positive change.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Groups
DBT groups focus on education and skill-building, which results in cognitive restructuring and behavior change. It is not necessary to teach these skills one-on-one, so psycho-education groups like this one are a great way to cost-effectively learn a set of tools in a short amount of time.
Mindfulness
Distress tolerance
Emotion regulation
Interpersonal effectiveness
DBT skills are powerful tools because they can help people relate and respond to emotions and situations more effectively. DBT skills are organized into four modules.
Group members learn concrete skills that they can apply outside of the group to create lasting change in their lives. While mindfulness and distress tolerance skills help group members work toward acceptance of their thoughts and behavior, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness skills help them work toward changing their thoughts and behaviors.
If you would like to learn more about a current DBT Skills Group led by Jahna Shiovitz, LPC, and Peyton Clark, Clinical Intern, please visit the blog through the link below.
Schedule an intensive or join a group now
Our team of therapists at Restorative Counseling Services are ready to help you create lasting change in one-on-one therapy sessions, intensives, or as part of a group.
Your therapist will create a customized treatment plan which will appropriately utilize these settings so you can reach your goals and live a more fulfilling life.
Please call our Intake department at 678.403.0112 to get connected to one of our expertly trained therapists for a free initial consultation.