Group Therapy Exercises

The concept of group therapy was developed in the first half of the 20th century, as a form of psychotherapy in the United States of America by Joseph H. Pratt, Paul Schilder and Trigant Burrow. Since then, this form of therapy has undergone many changes to encompass diverse groups of people, as well as their problems. Healing together as a family or a community is an old concept. This concept has been taken out of homes, and put forth with a clinical approach to help people solve their problems collectively, despite not being related to each other, but having the same common fears, problems, or difficulties.

The therapy is based on the premise of helping people emotionally and psychologically, to deal with personal problems, utilizing the collective power of the group, with assistance of the therapist who leads the process of healing. The type, exercise techniques and duration of the group therapy exercises are determined by group needs and is mostly decided by the therapist in coordination with the family of the individuals in the group. Most therapists develop their own activities, however, the ones listed below are some of the generic activities usually followed in most group therapy sessions.

Ice-Breakers: In a group therapy session, participants are mostly strangers, who need to get comfortable with each other in order to help each other emotionally. This is essential as a session that deals with any emotional feeling, comes with a rider of shame, guilt and fear. If these issues have to be dealt, the feeling of being surrounded by strangers needs to diminished. Ice breaking group therapy activities do just that; break ice and reduce the level of formality among people. Simple games as passing the parcel, musical chair, or even sharing jokes or a few light moments, usually does the trick.

Need for Therapy: Here the role of the therapist is predominant. While most individuals know why they are a part of the group therapy, a vocal acknowledgment always helps, whether dealing with addiction or depression. Educating the group about the approach of tackling the issues can be done through a lecture, interactive session, or through leaflets. As this session talks about focusing on the key problems, many individuals within the group start to add tips for understanding the situation and suggestions for overcoming it. These ideas should be encouraged, as this is a sign of people coming together to help each other.

Encourage Trust and Support Building: As the group spends time together, either on daily basis, or as per a decided schedule, it is time to weave trust within the delicate fabric of the group. This is important, as most people in the group deal with demons of addiction, depression, health issues, etc. and trusting anyone does not come naturally under such circumstances. Here, mostly pairs or a team of four are made, with one or two people blindfolded. The blindfolded person's hand is held by the seeing partner, and they perform activities such as crossing the street or some pre-placed hurdles, etc. To build support in a team of three or four, one person is blindfolded, another's arm is tied back, and one plays mute. They are given simple tasks as cooking up a salad, planting a few saplings, or even shopping. These sessions help the group by encouraging one another to keep trying to accomplish the task, all the while, sharing and being supportive of each other. This affirms trust, support and unity within the group.

Confessions and Acceptance: Once the trust is built, it is time to let people open up with confession and acceptance of the grave repercussions that their action brought or can bring in the future. As people in the group are all struggling with the same problems, these stories of struggle and disappointment, becomes a part of the journey towards better mental health or change in perceptions. This activity is carried out either by talking directly to all, or just reading out an earlier written confession. Some counselors also invite the family or sponsors to celebrate victories of each individual in the group. Each victory leads to a positive change.

Group therapy exercises have helped many to overcome a difficult phase in their lives. Many organizations, such as alcoholics anonymous, weight watchers, abuse victims, etc. work towards building a better and stronger community, and the power of many definitely helps.