Family counseling is a form of talk therapy where all members of the family are involved. During sessions, the issues tackled are ones that affect either the family as a whole or individual members of it. This type of counselling helps mediate and direct conversations to help families resolve conflict and communicate more effectively.

Group counseling is a form of talk therapy that involves a group of people, who are not related and may not know each other, meeting up regularly under the supervision and direction of 1-2 trained counselling staff. Oftentimes, these sessions focus on addressing a specific problem or struggle, such as overeating, being a trauma survivor, substance abuse, grief, etc. In these sessions, participants talk about their different struggles and problems pertaining to the issue under discussion.

There are many reasons why families choose to seek counselling as a unit. Often times, they need help understand, addressing, and overcoming an issue that is too emotionally complex for them to resolve in their own. Family therapy is beneficial for families who need support tackling:

– ADHD
– Anger.
– Anxiety disorders
– Autism Spectrum Disorder
– Big or unexpected life changes.
– Communication issues.
– Conduct disorder.
– Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD).
– Divorce.
– Eating disorders, such as anorexia.
– Grief.
– How to cope with an acute or chronic illness of a family member.
– Intimacy issues.
– Mood disorders
– Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).
– Personality disorders
– Physical or emotional trauma.
– Schizophrenia.
– Strained relationships between family members.
– Stress.
– Substance use disorder.
– The death of a loved one.

Any issue that is affecting the functionality of your family unit can be addressed in family therapy. It is often beneficial to have difficult conversations in a neutral environment where a mental health professional can help mediate and direct the flow of communication.

There are five main stages that compose group therapy. They are:

1. The Initial Stage. This is the setup, laying the groundwork for all sessions to come. While this can look different depending on the group, it typically involves:

– Introducing all the members of the group.
– Stating what the issue or issues the group will be addressing.
– Setting counseling goals to determine what approach will be used.
– Establishing group roles and rules.
– Communicating meeting days and times
– Setting the expectations of every member of the group.

2. Conflict and Confrontation Stage. During this stage, members of the group will begin to learn more about each other, exposing character flaws, bad habits, and personality and lifestyle conflicts. While this can initially be uncomfortable, it’s important that everyone has a good understanding of their groupmates so that conflict resolution skills and appropriate communication methods can be established.

3. The Cohesiveness Stage. This stage directly follows the conflict and confrontation stage, when members of the group recognize, understand, and tolerate each other in a healthy way that helps the group move forward. stage is a direct build-up and proof of progress from the conflict and confrontation stage. This is the bonding stage of group therapy, where members begin to work as a team, make up for each others’ weaknesses, and begin to focus on the end goal. If this does not happen, the group cannot move forward.

4. Productiveness stage. This is the most time-intensive stage of group counseling where all members of the group are focused on working towards their counselling goals. The techniques and approaches that have been defined by the councillor and discussed with the group are being employed, with adjustments being made as the sessions move forward.  This stage will continue until every member of the group improves or until the councillor moves to dissolve the group.

5. Termination stage. This stage is focused on evaluating the success of the group session based on the goals that were set during the initial stage. Both the process and the outcome will be evaluated. If it has been found to be successful, then the group will be terminated and possible follow ups will be scheduled. If it was not found to be successful, and the goal was not achieved, the councillor will strategize for better success in the future (either with the same group or a different group). 

While family and group counselling are both a form of talk therapy involving small groups of people, they differ in some keyways. Family counseling focuses bringing the family together, focussing on issues that affect either one or several members of the unit. It is usually guided by a licensed family therapist in a private setting.

In contrast, group therapy unites people together that share a common issue but who may be strangers at the start. Sessions are guided by 1-2 councilors that focus on helping the individual members of the group address their concerns in a group setting.

If you’re looking for professional family or group counseling, contact us at Integrated Health and Wellness Services. Our team is fully licensed, certified, and committed to helping you work through difficult issues so you can achieve more peace, calm, and tranquility in your life. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 1508 Pennsylvania Ave Wilmington, DE 19806. We serve patients from Wilmington DE, Pennyhill DE, Newport DE, Stanton DE, Elsmere DE, Ashley DE, Minquadale DE, Montchanin DE, and surrounding areas.