WHAT IS THIS?​

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Experiential learning is the opposite of book-learning. It is learning through experience, and it is likely remembered much longer than didactic learning since the learner is fully involved in the experience, both cognitively and affectively. 

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Experiential groups are a direct and powerful way to build our relational, emotional and cognitive maturity and skillset, two important ingredients that make for a competent therapist.

 

The task of knowing oneself is essential in maturity, a marker of a good life, and a necessary ingredient in managing relationships. Since the person of the therapist is the instrument of therapy, including experiential training is essential.

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“Every therapist should have a therapy group for themselves to prevent burnout and for their continued professional and personal growth.” - Irvin Yalom

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Being involved in experiential learning throughout the therapist’s development is an ongoing imperative and it is vital to the counselor-in-training for their future group leadership.

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Oftentimes therapists are on the giving side of the fence, and experiential groups are an opportunity to receive support, accountability, and care. Similarly, therapists work independently on their goals and aspirations and are quite isolated when working in private practice. A training group allows them to share their ambitions and dreams, often finding support and evaluating the real possibility of achieving these dreams.

 

In addition, participating in training-process groups is beneficial for practicing skillfully since the experience pushes one to examine one’s own biases and blind spots and encourages the development of empathy and the acceptance of others.

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Among other things, this group is an opportunity for individuals who want to understand and improve the quality of the relationships in their lives.

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We will use our interactions with each other to explore interpersonal patterns that interfere with intimacy and connection with others and learn new ways of relating that deepen and strengthen the relationships to themselves and to others.

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RISKS & BENEFITS​

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“Risk - the possibility of failure or loss - cannot be avoided if the possibility of success is to have any meaning. There are risks of emotion that involve honestly and spontaneously expressing feelings, admitting fear, or professing love. There are risks of growth in giving up control, in being yourself, or in trying something that has never been attempted before. There are risks of intimacy in working through vulnerability, jealousy and trust. There are risks of autonomy in cutting off dependencies and being more responsible. And there are risks of change that involve breaking old rules, patterns, habits, and moving into the work of the unknown.” - Jeffrey A. Kottler, Professor Emeritus, Psychotherapist, Educator and Author.

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The dance of intimacy, shifting between too much closeness and too much distance, can be observed and investigated over time, both for specific members and for the group as a whole.

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The group is a microcosm of the macro world in which we live, and as society undergoes change, the nature of human interaction is also changing. The group provides a space to process the impact of change to our internal and external environments as we replicate our large world experiences in the small group.

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Along with being a place to explore the above, you will also have the opportunity to:

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• Co-create a brave, supportive, and cohesive space to address personal, relationship and societal issues

• Explore and (re)define how you show up in the spheres of race, class, sex, sexuality, age, size, ability, etc., where the effects of the present as well as the past will be felt

• Practice expressing your own challenges and aspirations, feelings, ideas, and reactions as freely and honestly as possible 

• Gain greater self-awareness and skills for dealing with your concerns

• Practice taking emotional risks and stepping outside your comfort zone

• Explore your attachment styles, patterns of communication, and ambivalence about getting closer

• Discover that others feel similar or the same as you and develop self-compassion and more compassion for others

• Practice navigating difference in constructive, connective, effective ways

• Learn how to maximize your ability to relate to others, so that you feel more connected and not so alone

• Discover ways to communicate more effectively and build and sustain healthier relationships.

• Learn how to better navigate tension, turbulence and repair when relational ruptures happen.

• Explore how you impact others and how others impact you

• Begin to understand the meanings you give to your experiences

• Become more grounded, integrated & self-confident

• Learn about yourself and improve your relationships with other people

• Learn what triggers you to be the person you DON’T like being, so that you can be the person you DO like being!

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THE THIN LINE BETWEEN PROCESS GROUPS & PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUPS​

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The boundary between therapy and experiential education is not always easily drawn and in some ways, there is no difference. The main difference in our group is that we will use the last 10 minutes of each session to debrief the highlights, lowlights and takeaways in relation to your development as a therapist.

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FRAMEWORK

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• 12 weeks

• Weekly zoom meetings

• $55+HST per session

• Agenda is member-driven

• We are currently in the process of forming a new group for March or April 2024.

• Time & date to be determined by waitlist/demand

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For Ontario CRPO-qualifying psychotherapists only. 

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Please contact me for a 60-minute intake interview so that we can get to know eachother a bit, discuss your hopes and fears about the group, and decide if this group is a good fit for you.

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I look forward to connecting!

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Some of the above content sourced from:

1.  This article by Haim Weinberg (2023) Online Training Process Groups for Therapists: A Proposed Model, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 73:2, 141-165, DOI: 10.1080/00207284.2023.2170236

2. What is Group Psychotherapy? AGPA

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Last but not least, keep an eye out for my podcast THE POWER OF GROUP THERAPY launching March 1, 2024. Follow and join the conversation @thepowerofgrouptherapy on Instagram.