Group Therapy Discussion Questions (3+List)

This blog aims to provide you details on Group Therapy discussion questions.

Group Therapy Discussion Questions

Here are some questions to ask during group therapy:

• What are the benefits of Group Therapy and positive psychology related to Groups for some while?
• What are your expectations about the future?
• What would be your goal for the Group Therapy session?

The importance and effectiveness of Group Therapy sessions cannot be denied.

Healing through discussion and talk therapy is very beneficial for socializing clients and helping them in the process of healing.

Talk therapy has two major goals.

The main aim of talk therapy is to facilitate the cycle of relational and emotional recovery through the spectrum from the issue to a sense of better mental well-being.

And though we always come to the counseling with an issue or question, we often come as people who want to be noticed and respected, who want to feel like we are significant, who want to practice self-compassion, and who want to find a connection to help us recover and see ourselves and our life condition in a better way.

What is Group Therapy? 

Group therapy is defined by Cherry (2017) as,

“a form of psychotherapy that involves one or more therapists working with several people at the same time.” 

It is typically a supplement to private counseling, and often even medicine, but it may be used as a stand-alone remedy for other disorders or issues. 

There are 11 key characteristics of group counseling, according to one of the most respected group therapists, Dr Irvin D. Yalom:

1. Instilling Hope.
Group therapies involve clients belonging to different treatment stages.

This is the reason why some newly incoming clients may feel motivated by group therapy sessions when they look at the results on old clients.

2. Universality.
Universality is another important feature of Group Therapy.

As you all know that in group therapies all the clients work together for the process of healing, this helps individuals learn that all of them have shared problems, and this elicits any chances of feeling alienated.

3. Imparting Information.
Members of the group can be a wonderful informational resource. 

4. Altruism.
Altruism is another major characteristic of Group Therapy.

The Group Therapy is given a chance to its members to help others in one way or the other in the process of healing.

5. The Corrective Recapitulation of the Primary Family Group.
The wordy theory applies to the method of understanding and discussing clients’ memories in adolescence, attitudes, habits and emotions, and discovering how to recognise and prevent disruptive or unhelpful behaviours. 

6. Development of Socialization Techniques.
Group therapies increase the chances of socializing their members.

It gives an opportunity for clients to socialize themselves and interact with other members of the group to increase their social circle.

7. Imitative Behavior.
Clients can observe and imitate or model positive and helpful behaviors towards the therapists as well as with others in the group. 

8. Interpersonal Learning.
Interacting and getting input from the psychiatrist and other participants of the community will help a person understand more about themselves. 

9. Group Cohesiveness.
Another important feature of group therapy is cohesiveness. Group therapies give a chance to its clients to develop the sense of belongingness.

10. Catharsis.
Group therapies give a chance for catharsis.

Since the group members share common problems, they are motivated to express their true selves freely.

Discussing their emotions, feelings, and experiences freely helps clients feel relieved and relaxed.

11. Existential Factors.
Although group counseling offers encouragement and assistance across the group, it also makes people understand that they are accountable for their own decisions and the resulting implications (Cherry, 2017).

Now you would have understood why group sessions are very significant and fruitful, rather than individually.

While some of these principles may be applicable to individual therapy, most need group setting.

15 Therapeutic Questions for Group Therapy Discussions

There are two main goals of group therapy.

While it approaches the resolution of issues in almost the same manner that interpersonal counseling does, it also has the function of having oneself in the atmosphere where we are less alienated from others as all of us in the space would have common experiences.

Group Therapy and individual therapy are similar in a way that the same problems of clients are addressed in both kinds of therapies.

The main focus of group therapy is the interaction of the client with the group members to encourage them to express their true selves freely so the therapist can have an idea of how they really are in terms of relationships in their real life

While the therapist is trained in delivering structure for discussion and guiding questions, the greatest benefit lies in inter participant exchange.

In a group therapy, a leader is selected who can closely observe all the group members and identify the similar characteristics between each participant so he can encourage them to help each other.

The majority of group therapies are conducted in the form of round-robin debate.

Rules of ethics are developed and adhered to, positions delegated to group members, and room typically set up in a circle to promote cooperation and to allow all to have a voice.

Group Therapy discussion questions are based on individual therapy topics, that is, they inquire from clients the reason for their presence in therapy sessions and their expectations about the future.

• How about talking about the benefits of Group Therapy and positive psychology Groups for some while?
• What are each of your expectations about your coming future?
• Who would be that person in this Group Therapy session if you did not come to this session?
• What do you think you must have done?
• Is it your own choice to come here or has anyone else been asking you to? 
• How do you feel coming here every week? 
• What is the best thing about this session in your view? 
• Is there something about this group session that you don’t enjoy? 
• Do you feel frustrated about anything lately?

The type of Group Therapy discussion questions can vary with respect to the topic of discussions such as Anger Management bereavement or substance abuse.

The questions mentioned above are some examples of questions that the therapist can ask from their clients.

It is not important to ask all of these questions. The questions that need to be asked in general are as follows:

• What brought every one of you into the group? 
• Tell us two or three terms that can represent you best. 
• Now, just think of those words, how do they relate to why you’re here? 
• What do you like the most about you? Is it something that makes you feel positive? 
• What has recently occurred in your life?

Homeworks and workout guides are some things that can be provided to clients to speed up the process of their healing. Often sessions begin with progress reports and conclude with a rundown of activities.

How do you run a group therapy session?

A Group Therapy session can be run by following the policy of non-violence, making group fun, respecting the privacy of group members, encouraging clients to participate without any reservation, and being straightforward as well as direct without being unassertive.

How do you ask a counselor questions?

A number of counselor questions can be asked from clients.

These include questions about the reason behind their presence in the session, the reason why they think like this, the reason behind their consideration of this decision etcetera.

What questions should I ask a counselor?

The questions that can be asked from the Counselor include asking how long they would like to see them, the steps to follow to set up counseling goals, questions about the number of sessions and the length of a session, questions about the type of homework that is given to clients, and how should the client prepare for the first session.

What should I not tell my therapist?

The things that the client must not tell his therapist include the following: 

• Things about the therapist that have upset you 
• The behavior of the therapist you did not like 
• Being unsure about your progress 
• Feeling like you’re not getting something 
• Feeling like your therapist is not understanding you or is not concerned about you

What is an example of a probing question?

Examples of probing questions includes inquiring what the client would do if… happens? what the client would do in case of…? and so forth

What is the ideal size for a therapy group?

The ideal size for the therapy group is about 6 to 15 participants. A group contains about one or two therapists.

The smaller the group, the more will be the interaction between group participants and the more effective would be the session.

This blog mentioned some of the most important Group Therapy discussion questions that the therapist needs to inquire from his clients in Group Therapy sessions.

We hope you will benefit from this blog. If you have any questions or queries regarding this blog, let us know through your comments.

We will be glad to assist you.

References 

Therapy Questions Every Therapist Should Be Asking by Beata Souders (2020)

Your Ultimate Group Therapy Guide (+Activities & Topic Ideas) by Courtney E. Ackerman (2020)

Amazon.com 

Unsplash.com