Therapy service
Group Therapy
For discovering you're not alone in what you carry, and finding change in the company of others.
6-10
Typical group size
60-90 min
Typical session length
Weekly
Usual frequency
8-16+
Typical course length, sessions
Understanding it
About Group Therapy
Group therapy brings together a small number of people, usually six to ten, with a trained facilitator, to work on shared or overlapping difficulties in a structured, confidential setting. It uses the relationships between group members — not just the therapist — as the main vehicle for insight and change.
Group therapy works on a simple but powerful premise: many of the difficulties that bring people to therapy are, at heart, relational — shame, isolation, feeling fundamentally different from everyone else. A group directly interrupts that isolation, because you're sitting (even online) alongside others who understand, sometimes without needing it explained.
The group itself becomes a kind of live laboratory for how you relate to people. Patterns that show up in a person's outside relationships — withdrawing, people-pleasing, taking over, fearing judgement — tend to surface in the group too, which gives both the facilitator and other members real material to reflect back, gently and in the moment.
Groups can be structured around a specific theme (such as anxiety, bereavement, or trauma recovery) with a psychoeducational component, or run more openly, allowing whatever is present for members that week to be explored. Both formats rely on confidentiality and agreed ground rules to create enough safety for honesty.
It's common to feel apprehensive before starting — sharing personal material with strangers is a big step. Most people find that after an initial adjustment period, the sense of being genuinely understood by people with lived experience of similar struggles becomes one of the most valued parts of the work, often deepening rather than replacing any individual therapy already underway.
How it shows up
You might recognise some of this
Nobody has all of it. Most people recognise a handful — and that's enough to start.
Best suited to
- Feeling isolated or fundamentally different because of what you're going through
- Wanting to learn from others facing similar difficulties, not just a therapist
- Difficulties that show up strongly in relationships or social situations
- Wanting a lower-cost, ongoing space alongside or after individual work
- Being ready to both give and receive honest feedback
What sessions involve
- A pre-group assessment to check fit and explain ground rules
- Regular sessions, usually 60-90 minutes, with the same core members
- Structured check-ins or open reflection, depending on the group's format
- Confidentiality agreements that protect everyone's privacy
- A facilitator managing safety, pace and group dynamics throughout
What changes
- A reduced sense of isolation and shame
- Real-time feedback on how you come across to others
- Practice trying out new ways of relating in a safe setting
- A wider sense of perspective from hearing other people's experiences
- Increased confidence in social and relational situations generally
When this may not be the right fit
- Active crisis or high risk needing intensive individual support first
- Significant difficulty tolerating being observed or discussed by others
- A strong preference for complete individual privacy
- Very acute, unprocessed trauma that needs individual stabilisation first
- Timing that doesn't allow consistent attendance, which groups depend on
Signals
When this helps
- Social anxiety and isolation
- Depression and low mood
- Grief and bereavement
- Trauma recovery, alongside individual work
- Low self-worth and self-criticism
- Difficulty with relationship patterns
The work
How therapy helps here
Reduces isolation by connecting you with others facing similar difficulties
Offers real-time, safe feedback on how you relate to others
Provides an ongoing, often lower-cost space for continued growth
The evidence
What the research actually says
Plain-English summaries of the guidance our therapists work from.
Group therapy is recommended for several common conditions
NICE guidance identifies group-based psychological interventions as an effective, and in some cases first-line, option for conditions including depression, social anxiety and the aftermath of trauma or loss, often alongside or after individual work.
The group itself is a therapeutic factor
Research on group process consistently identifies factors like universality (realising others share your struggle) and interpersonal learning as active ingredients in change, distinct from and additive to individual therapy.
Outcomes are often comparable to individual therapy
Meta-analyses comparing group and individual formats for conditions such as depression and anxiety generally find broadly similar outcomes, with group work offering additional relational benefits individual therapy cannot replicate.
Cohesion predicts benefit
Studies of group therapy find that a sense of belonging and trust within the group — often built over the first several sessions — is one of the strongest predictors of whether members go on to benefit from the work.
What to expect
How a course of therapy usually unfolds
A guide, not a script — your therapist shapes this around you.
- 1
Assessment
A one-to-one conversation with the facilitator to check the group is a good fit and explain how it runs.
- 2
Joining and orientation
Early sessions focused on ground rules, confidentiality and getting to know other members.
- 3
Building trust
A settling-in period where members test the safety of the space before sharing more deeply.
- 4
Working phase
The main body of the work — sharing, feedback, and exploring patterns as they arise between members.
- 5
Ending
A planned close, whether for the whole group or an individual leaving, that allows proper acknowledgement and goodbye.
Worth saying
Common worries, honestly answered
“I'll be forced to share before I'm ready.”
Good facilitation never forces disclosure; you can listen and participate at your own pace, especially early on.
“Group therapy is a lesser, cheaper substitute for 'real' therapy.”
Group therapy offers distinct benefits — like real-time interpersonal feedback — that individual work can't provide, and is often used alongside rather than instead of it.
“Everyone will judge what I say.”
Groups are built on explicit confidentiality and respect agreements, and most members are focused on their own vulnerability, not judging others.
Between sessions
Small things that genuinely help
None of these replace therapy — but they're a gentle place to begin today.
- Write down one thing you'd like to get from the group before you start
- Notice, without judging yourself, how it feels to be seen by others
- Try giving one piece of honest feedback, even if it feels uncomfortable at first
- Stay for the settling-in period rather than judging fit after one session
- Keep a private note of patterns you notice repeating in how you relate to the group
FAQs
Frequently asked
Find the therapist who fits
Answer 10 short questions and we'll match you within 48 hours — no card needed to start.