8 Things Group Therapists Can Relate To
•Your “great” idea isn’t actually that great…
You’re preparing for group, and a brilliant idea comes to mind. You plan the activity, and you’re super excited to start group and put this earth-shattering idea into action. You feel like the best therapist everrrrrr… until you start group and find out that the group members couldn’t care less about the activity.
They’re uninspired, and you’re dying on the inside. Yup. It happens. It sounded so amazing & magical in your head… but group aint a fairy tale and things rarely go as planned.
(It’s okay, don’t be so hard on yourself- you’re still awesome.)
•Getting blindsided is basically a daily thing
You’re talking about something innocent, something simple. Communication skills, coping skills, whatever. It’s smooth sailing, and group is almost done. And then the bomb drops. Out of the blue, a group member reveals that they self-harmed last night… that they are suicidal… whoa. Sit tight, group isn’t gonna end on time today.
•Awkward silences eat away at your soul
You know that you’re supposed to grow comfortable with silence… but damn, awkward silences can be really loud…
And everyone is just staring at you!
•Sometimes, you just want to cry or quit or hide forever
Running groups is hard. From time-to-time, you’ll run into a disaster. A group member will personally attack you. A group member will have a meltdown. The group is so small that it’s awkward. The group is so big that it’s overwhelming. Whatever it is, it breaks ya, because facilitating groups is not for the faint of heart!
•Groups can feel reaaaally long
So you started group with a fun little icebreaker. You did an activity, passed out some handouts, mixed in a bit of psychoeducation. You’ve processed whatever the heck needs to be processed. Your group members seem satisfied. High-five, you think you’ve done well… until you look at the clock and realize there’s still fifteen minutes left in group…
•It can be really hard to get someone to stop talking
Enough said.
•You freak out when you’re collecting pens/pencils from your group members and you notice one is missing
If you’re like me and you hoard pens because your agency is too cheap to provide you with anything, then you know what I mean!
•Your heart sinks when group is going well and all of a sudden *that* client walks in
Just when you think you’re going to get out of group alive & well, that one client walks in. Look, we’re professionals, but we’re also human, and there is always that one client that makes us a little nervous. The one where we feel a sense of dread when they walk in. That one client that stirs drama, or likes to push your buttons, or has tirades or meltdowns etc. etc. etc. You know what I mean. Brace yoself!
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