Anxiety group therapy is an approach to treating anxiety wherein people meet in groups. Usually, these groups range from having six to 15 people, with the therapist or psychiatrist acting as the facilitator. Here, patients can freely share and discuss with each other their anxieties, an activity that may help them overcome their problems.
Typically, a patient first undergoes an individual session with a therapist. If the therapist finds the patient emotionally and mentally fit enough, he can place him in an anxiety group therapy. Patients are often grouped together based on the type of anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder. Patients with phobias are also treated and can be grouped accordingly.
One advantage of being included in anxiety group therapy is that the patient gains support from other patients who experience similar anxieties. Many anxiety-ridden patients feel like outcasts and assume that nobody else goes through their sufferings. Learning that there are other people who feel the same way can be encouraging. Aside from receiving support and sympathy, patients also benefit from giving other patients understanding and compassion, thus learning how to relate to other people better.
Aside from experiences, patients can also exchange tips with each other on how to overcome or prevent anxiety attacks. Sometimes, individual sessions with therapists do not teach patients practical and handy tips to redirect their anxieties. Only those who have overcome the anxieties and found their own little ways of handling it can give effective advice to other patients. Anxiety group therapy also provides a venue for all patients to gain new perspectives and see their disorders in a different light.
Anxiety group therapy may not be recommended for patients who have severe anxiety disorders or whose phobias are of the social type. If the therapist strongly feels group sessions can benefit the patient, he can place the person in a smaller group of three or four people. The patient can also start out slowly as an observer, rather than a participant. In some cases, both group and individual sessions are scheduled to maximize the possibility of treating the disorder.
Daily group sessions can last up to 90 minutes, and anxiety group therapy as a whole can last for the long term. The duration of treatment can depend on the needs of the patients and the time range in which personal goals can be met. Some therapies can end just after two months, while some can last for more than a year. Some patients would even meet with each other after the therapy has finished, creating relationships that can last a lifetime.
