Strength in Numbers: 5 Key Benefits of Group Therapy for Black Women
A study published this year by the American Psychological Association (APA) highlighted that although group therapy is just as effective—if not more so—as individual therapy and more efficient too, it is so underutilized and underappreciated that it only accounts for 5% of mental health treatments in private practices.
In this article, we explore the benefits of group therapy, as well as its potential to address the unique needs and experiences of Black women, creating a space where we can find our voices, share our stories, receive communal support, and flourish on our path to mental wellness.
What Is Group Therapy?
Group therapy, also called talk therapy, is a form of psychotherapy where a small number of people who share a challenge, behavior, or diagnosis get together and receive guidance from one or more therapists at the same time.
Participants aren't at all there to 'fix' each other. The therapist(s) is the one who bears that responsibility. S/he typically acts as a leader and facilitator, establishing ground rules, setting the memo for the sessions, encouraging full participation, empathizing with each member while assisting them in navigating and confronting their unique challenges, dishing creative intervention methods, and maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment, amongst many other responsibilities.
There are many different types of group therapy including skill-based, interpersonal process, relapse prevention, self-help, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), PTSD therapy groups, and so many more. And they can be organized physically or virtually.
5 Benefits of Group Therapy for Black Women
● Group therapy makes you feel less alone
When we suffer emotionally, we can often disconnect or withdraw from friends and family for many reasons, including the fear of burdening others, being misunderstood or dismissed. We might even engage in self-gaslight, convincing ourselves that we are being overly sensitive or dramatic or that our struggles are trivial, excuses, or non-existent because we need to be available to love, nurture, and pour into others. But our self-minimization does nothing to lessen our suffering; instead, it makes us edgy and hinders our ability to support our loved ones in the way we should or makes it less enjoyable and fulfilling. And like that, our mental health journey keeps growing lonely, counterproductive, and tiring.
Getting group therapy can cause you to realize that you aren’t alone and there are people who understand how you feel or even share the same experiences, helping you gain a sense of belonging and shared purpose. It can also bring a sense of relief or calm to your mind and encourage you to stop self-minimization so you can successfully work through solutions with your group therapist.
A 2021 research on 138 LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults in community settings in Ontario, Canada, reported group therapy to help reduce participants' depression, reignite hope, and improve their stress appraisal and ability to cope with universal and minority stressors. And after observing how the 8-week group intervention helped address feelings of isolation and shame caused by bias, internalized stigma, and challenges tied to the participants’ minority status, the research concluded that group therapy can outperform individual therapy when catering to people with marginalized identities.
● Group therapy can help develop your social skills
Participating in a group therapy session, whether in a physical or virtual setting, provides an opportunity to develop social skills like active listening, effective communication, recognizing emotion, empathy, self-reflection, and self-management or emotional regulation. Remarkably, you can pick up these skills even if you only listen without speaking in the group discussion.
However, group therapy benefits extend beyond honing social skills. It can also build your confidence, self-esteem and overall self-esteem when fellow group members point out or compliment your strengths, efforts, or progress.
● Group therapy costs less than individual therapy
The average cost of psychotherapy in the U.S. is $100 to $200 per session. In contrast, group therapy sessions are approximately half to one-third of the expense of individual therapy. Yet more than 50 clinical trials comparing the duo have been said to “overwhelmingly support the equivalence of the two formats in producing the same degree of improvement for several disorders.”
● Group therapy provides a sounding board
As you share your experience or recount a particular situation with fellow group members, you can gain clarity, or others might present diverse and valuable perspectives. Either way, you will leave your group therapy session with new insights, an improved and unbiased understanding of yourself or a situation, and a sense of support that will help you on your journey to personal growth and healing.
● Group therapy helps you learn more about yourself
Group therapy provides the safe, non-judgemental, and supportive environment we Black women crave the most; one where we can come as we are and comfortably bare all. This environment can force you to come face-to-face with the truth about your fears, struggles, stressors, expectations, triggers, and self-limiting or -sabotaging beliefs, and jumpstart your self-discovery journey.
During the group therapy, you can identify and name the overwhelming emotions you’ve had bottled up for long. You may even find yourself exploring experiences from the past or present that you didn’t think were such a big deal but had an impact on your self-perception or behaviors. Better still, you can experience moments of profound self-realization and recognize opportunities for personal growth as you listen and extend your support to others within the group.
Fortunately, with the guidance of your therapist, you can develop unique, personalized and effective techniques to manage your stress, overcome high-functioning depression, and rediscover yourself. A study published in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry way back in 1987 evaluating the benefits of group therapy for Black women revealed that it helped many women achieve “their goals of self-exploration, insight, and significant behavioral change.”
Final Words: Benefits of Group Therapy for Black Women
Group therapy isn’t for everyone. If you have a severe social anxiety disorder, would like to be the sole focus of your therapist, or fear you might experience difficulty with finding the exact time as everyone else in your group to join in, it might not be the right fit for you. But, you should give it a try if you must reap the benefits discussed in this article.
For $0.80 per minute, our Women’s Virtual Process Group for Women of Color will help connect you to a safe and supportive space with sisters who totally get it and, like you, want to heal and live more authentically from the comfort of your room, office, or while you are on the GO. As Black women, we need to bundle together to be agents of change to each other.
References
Pappas, S. (2023, March 1). Group therapy is as effective as individual therapy, and more efficient. Here's how to do it successfully. American Psychological Association. Retrieved September 16, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/03/continuing-education-group-therapy
Craig, S. L., Eaton, A. D., Leung, V. W. Y., Iacono, G., Pang, N., Dillon, F., Austin, A., Pascoe, R., & Dobinson, C. (2021, June 07). Efficacy of affirmative cognitive behavioral group therapy for sexual and gender minority adolescents and young adults in community settings in Ontario, Canada. BMC Psychology, 9, 94. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00595-6
Lauretta, A. (2023, May 4). How Much Does Therapy Cost In 2023? Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/how-much-does-therapy-cost/
Paturel, A. (2012, November). Power in numbers. American Psychological Association, 43(10), 48. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/11/power
Boyd-Franklin, N. (1987). Group therapy for black women: a therapeutic support model.The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,57(3), 394–401.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.1987.tb03548.x