Group Therapy Helps Transform Lives: Should Anita Join A Group?

I had been doing individual therapy with Anita for two years. She was shy, and needed friends but was fearful of being rejected, so she literally shied away from opportunities. We have wonderful psychotherapy groups and I had invited her to consider joining one, but she always shied away. Certain that this was a good idea, I decided to be forthright. “Anita, I really want you to think about joining a group,” I said one day when she was worried about yet another weekend alone. “You want to socialize with new friends and are too shy to feel comfortable. A group can really help you.”   
Anita, 35, and very lonely since her mother died, considered the points made, and then responded carefully, “Yes, you’re right, of course, but, in all honesty, the group work seems too complex for me to tackle right now. I am shy and cannot imagine learning to be open with a number of others at once. Can you help me?” Her gaze told me that she was interested, but worried that this would be too challenging for her.
“Yes, of course. Despite understandable initial anxiety, with training, most clients benefit tremendously from work with groups. Part of my job is to help patients consider the best treatment for them and to provide it … Research tells us that group treatment is as effective as individual treatment, so group is very useful.” 
I thought it best to give her more information. “When I ask clients what seems so tricky about considering a group, they often mention that it is hard enough to work in therapy alone, but a therapy group has between six and 12 members, so it seems risky and hard to be part of all this energy at the same time and if the group might have members with difficult behaviors. Do you have questions?”
“What kind of difficult behaviors?” Anita was now interested in joining a group but hesitant for the very reasons I had mentioned. “One member can spoil the group for the others by being late, complaining incessantly, interrupting others, or generally not honoring the policies of the group.
“Members might be late too often or talk too much or be too quiet, but we handle this by good leadership. Good leadership is necessary. We bring skill and caring to our group leadership. We take very good care of group members.”
Anita looked perplexed as she said, “If this treatment modality is so tricky to learn, why bother?”
I was glad she asked. “The power of a well-led group can tackle problems more quickly and effectively than other treatment means in certain situations. First, group members improve not only from the interventions of the therapists but also from observing others in the group and receiving feedback from group members.”
Anita carefully considered my answer and asked me to give details. “Let me outline a few reasons, first, members watch others change and add new coping methods to their own lives. These alternative perspectives provide powerful new tools for others to try. And, by treating several patients simultaneously, cost is often reduced as much as one-half that of individual treatment. Group therapy is often covered by your insurance. But, finances aside, one of the main reasons to join is that a group provides powerful support that extends to outside the group meeting. And, a group can act as a hall of mirrors for you to see yourself as others see you.
“Anita, will you consider a group? It could really help you transform your life.” I decided that directness was best… “Skillful group work provides a safe harbor, a neutral space with skillful leadership in which you can discuss your life, hear yourself think out loud, and receive compassionate and skillful feedback from others. You become part of a powerful team.”
To consider: Might I benefit from group therapy? Do I know anyone who might benefit from group therapy? If so, how can I get them the needed information about how to find a qualified expert? 
To explore: The website of The American Group Psychotherapy Association. Get lost in learning about the world of groups, http://www.agpa.org/cgp-certification/.
Dr. Judith Coche leads and teaches others about group psychotherapy. Find her at The Coche Center, LLC, in Stone Harbor and at Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia.  www.cochecenter.com.