# Group therapy?



## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

Has anyone here ever done this?


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## jk3456 (Jun 23, 2010)

I am supposed to be doing group therapy sometime in the fall. With people like us and other people with similar social problems. I'll tell ya how it goes.


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## Whitney (Oct 2, 2008)

Never done it, but I think it would be great exposure. But only if everyone in there was diagnosed with SAD or AvPD, not just some kind of general group or something. I don't know of any in my area or I would consider it.


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## coldsorehighlighter (Jun 2, 2010)

My therapist wanted me to try this but I kept refusing. I can't recall now if it was just for people with SAD or any kind of anxiety disorder. I should have went, I think it could be helpful, but like anything, you have to be in the right frame of mind, ready to commit to changing your lifestyle.


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## ~Jessie~ (Jan 22, 2007)

I tried it a couple years ago, epic fail. SA is too severe for it, waiting for one-on-one therapy now. They said it was a CBT group for people like us but it really was a mix of anxiety disorders. Small group, all females, it was nice except everyone was way older than me. I was the only young one there so... I pulled myself out of group therapy. The doctor was going to anyway since I missed 3 sessions.

You definetely need to be in the right frame of mind. I would like to try it again, just not anytime soon.


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## Whitney (Oct 2, 2008)

~Jessie~ said:


> I tried it a couple years ago, epic fail. SA is too severe for it, waiting for one-on-one therapy now.


Yeah I've heard it should only be done _after_ you've made enough progress in one-on-one therapy. Otherwise it is likely to fail.


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## ~Jessie~ (Jan 22, 2007)

Yea, I went through the diagnosis phase and they figured I'd benefit from the group therapy, and though I agreed to take that step in joining it. I wasn't fully ready to go ahead with it. The only reason why they recommended it was because there is a very long waiting list for one-on-one therapy. I heard good things about the whole thing already, I just am not quite "there" yet.. 

Everyone in the group had mild to moderate SA, I was the only severe one. And even if I managed to get through that, they said if you feel you need more time than just join another set of sessions. There was one for every season. I'd probably be hopping to over 50 of those if I did. But I do plan to make it a final step in overcoming SA. To do group therapy with no major issues. I actually experience my SA symptoms very strongly in there that when I came back home, I just wanted to nap to regain my energy lol.


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## kosherpiggy (Apr 7, 2010)

I'm currently in it. I started doing it when I was about 13. I stopped doing it because of insurance crap. I went back to it when I was 17 and it's the same therapist.


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## candrnow (Jun 15, 2010)

I'm doing 14-week group therapy in a couple of weeks. I'm nervous of course, but excited as well to finally tackle SA head on.


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## jk3456 (Jun 23, 2010)

my therapist and I didn't go in to much detail about it. But, I guess there will be people there who have other problems that affect their social skills. But, she said lots of people who have SA go to see her. This is just at the University of Kansas too.


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## jk3456 (Jun 23, 2010)

~Jessie~ said:


> I actually experience my SA symptoms very strongly in there that when I came back home, I just wanted to nap to regain my energy lol.


Ugh! I feel like that all the time.


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## BetaBoy90 (Jan 5, 2010)

Hey Pita I've been through 4 sessions of it through my hospital and I'd definitely recommend it. If you feel uncomfortable at the beginning you can just sit and watch others interact, as you keep going you get accustomed to all the others and at least first me I've started to open up with them.

It's a great way to meet different people and share things with them, while also learning alot about others as well.


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## engima (Feb 3, 2009)

Yes, and its helpful if you can manage through it. I noticed quite a few people left after the first few sessions.


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## Eia Au (Jul 13, 2010)

I chose to go to group therapy on my own to improve my social skills, but at the time I didn't know I had SA, so I did not know what to look for in a group. There were a few people in the group struggling with low self esteem and self doubt/pity, depression, etc. that I related to and felt comfortable with but the others I never did warm up to. I was also the youngest group member and the least successful career wise which also added to my discomfort. The lady that hosted the group had training as a social worker not a psychologist and really emphasized identifying and staying with uncomfortable feelings which was a new idea to me. I do think overall it was a good experience, however I think if I were to pursue group therapy again I would try to find a group that was a better fit.


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## spirowilliam (Jul 23, 2010)

Group therapy is useful treatment. It is one type of the discussion or to share a knowledge each other. It is helpful for the better result. It manage the different session for the treatment solution.


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## droen (Jul 27, 2010)

I'm doing group therapy at the clinic I'm attending. It's actually pretty nice. The group leader is really nice and good at what she does and the vibe in the session are usually uplifting. A couple of things that kinda of make me feel uneasy though.

The other group members are a good 15+ years older than I am (23). Most of them have children around my age. Also their problems and worries and so much different than my own. For example, I'm worried about a woman not calling me back. These people are trying to cope with the death of their children, or some serious trauma like being robbed at gun point. It makes it hard to relate with them and makes me feel and look really whiny.

Despite that, its still a pretty positive experience although lately the sessions have become a place for the folks there to share their grief over they're particular trauma instead of learning to cope with our anxiety. As long as this doesn't become a the normal routine, I'll keep going. When we're actually talking about anxiety and how to cope with it, it's really good and uplifting.


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