When you picture going to a therapist, what does it look like? Perhaps, images of red couches and interpreting ink blots come to mind. You sit alone in a room while your therapist asks difficult questions and takes notes on a clipboard. But what if, instead, you’re sitting around a table with other people just like you? Learn more about Adolescent Group Therapy NJ below.
Group therapy, very simply, is a method of treatment that involves more than one client. These groups may focus on a specific type of therapy (like DBT), teach a specific skill, or be used to process emotions or recent experiences as is appropriate.
While at first glance, group therapy can seem a little unusual, it actually has many benefits, especially for teens.
Benefits of Adolescent Group Therapy
Some of the most frequent behavioral issues that teens face stem from poor communication. Whether your teen becomes angry and irrational during conversations, or refuses to open up at all, group therapy (and DBT) can help.
Through increased social interaction between teens, group therapy provides the opportunity to improve interpersonal skills and practice appropriate and respectful communication.
Group therapy shows teens that they are not alone. Has your child ever used the phrase “You just don’t understand”? As parents, teachers, or therapists, sometimes it can be hard for us to fully grasp the feelings and experiences of today’s adolescents.
However, when faced with other teens who are going through similar experiences and can relate to their struggles, adolescents feel understood and supported.
More people also means that more ideas and more diverse backgrounds are heard. Teens work together to offer helpful insights and unique perspectives to the group’s collective understanding of a topic. As adolescents experience new people and stories, they develop skills of empathy and patience that carry into all social interactions.
Adolescent Group Therapy NJ at Blueprint Mental Health
Blueprint Mental Health offers outpatient therapy to teens and adults who are experiencing an array of mental health issues. We use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help our clients. Through these therapies, they learn to cope with challenging experiences and emotions, and change their patterns of behavior. Opportunities for group therapy are available.Â