fbpx
Conditions

What to Expect from Your First Anxiety Group Therapy Session

If you are starting a therapy program for anxiety, a big part of that program will include group therapy. Group therapy for anxiety can provide a unique opportunity to build skills and address issues, especially related to things like social anxiety. However, for all of the benefits of group therapy for anxiety, many people are apprehensive at the start because they don’t know what to expect.

Knowing what to expect from your first session will help you feel more confident and better prepared.

What Happens During Your First Anxiety Group Therapy Session

anxiety group therapy

Everything starts with an initial introduction to the therapist, the professional setting, and the supportive atmosphere. Here, the therapist will offer a better explanation as to how they will guide discussions and what the rules are for the entire group in order to maintain a safe space.

There will be a brief discussion on how the group dynamic works, how you introduce yourself, and then you observe others sharing their experiences and have the chance to share yourself.

Below are the basic four things to expect during your first session:

  • Introductions: Introductions are the first part of any initial group therapy session. This is where the therapist will introduce themselves and introduce the group to the professional setting. This might also be a chance for each member to briefly introduce themselves to one another. Rest assured that this is a chance to recognize how supportive the atmosphere and the therapist will be.
  • Goals: From there, a brief discussion will happen, led by the therapist, during which they discuss the goals for the group and what you can expect moving forward during each of your sessions.
  • Sharing: After that, there might be opportunities for members to start sharing their personal experiences and their feelings. If you are in an anxiety group therapy session for the first time, don’t hesitate to share that you have anxiety about the session or that you don’t know how to deal with your anxiety. Whatever gets shared will typically come with suggestions for how to cope or strategies that might be effective, things that are offered by both the therapist and other members.
  • Discussions: The rest of the discussion will likely be interactive, wherein you will participate in reflective exercises so that you have a better understanding of your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions.

It is completely normal to feel nervous.

As you prepare for your first anxiety group therapy session, just remember that everyone in the group is likely dealing with similar emotions, and if you think you are nervous, they are probably all equally nervous.

What to Expect During a Session

So, what can you expect during the ongoing sessions for group therapy?

  • Sharing experiences
  • Discussing coping strategies
  • Engaging in relaxation techniques or mindfulness practices

While the first anxiety session is mostly there to help introduce you to what will happen moving forward, help you assimilate with the other people, and lay the groundwork for your treatment plan, each ongoing session will provide a place where you can share your experiences with one another, learn new coping strategies, and practice techniques that apply to the type of anxiety you have.

For example, suppose you are participating in social anxiety group therapy. In that case, the discussions you have will likely focus on overcoming fears related to social situations, and this will involve structured exercises that can help you whenever you find yourself in a social setting. These techniques can be practiced during your group therapy settings.

It is important to note that group therapy isn’t about being forced to share personal details.

While many people worry about the pressure of having to share in every session or feeling uncomfortable sharing personal details, especially when they are new to the group, therapists will always encourage participation at a level that is most comfortable for each person. You can absolutely set boundaries, and if you choose not to share, you won’t be pushed into doing so.
During any group therapy sessions, respect for boundaries and confidentiality will always be maintained so you don’t have to worry about your group sessions worsening your anxiety.

Benefits of Group Therapy for Anxiety

There are many benefits of participating in social anxiety group therapy or other anxiety group therapy sessions:

  • You are part of a group: Participation in group therapy for anxiety will help you recognize that you are not alone. There is great therapeutic power in hearing other people share their experiences, particularly as those experiences can often resonate with your personal struggles.
  • You have emotional support: By participating in group therapy for anxiety, you can return to a safe, shared space where you will have emotional support provided by all of the other participants. This can be especially useful if you are going through issues related to social anxiety or if you don’t have a supportive home environment with friends or family who understand and can relate.
  • You can learn from one another: With each session, starting from the first, your anxiety group therapy provides an opportunity to learn from others’ coping mechanisms and success stories, which may be more relatable than individual therapy.
  • You can learn specific techniques: With things like social anxiety group therapy, you have the opportunity to learn specific techniques to handle anxiety in social situations and everyday situations, which lend themselves to better recovery.
  • You can improve self-esteem: Being in a group of people with similar experiences to yours can help reduce feelings of isolation and, with that, can help boost your self-esteem, letting you realize that you are certainly not alone and that you have overcome many trials thrown your way, many symptoms and struggles, and that you will continue to do so moving forward.
  • You can boost overall growth: By sharing small victories within your group, like speaking up or confronting a fear, you have the opportunity to boost your overall growth, which leads to better healing.

No matter the type of anxiety you have, getting through your first session and continuing to participate in group therapy for anxiety can reap several benefits.

The more you put into your sessions, the more you will get out of them, and that extends to being focused and present. You will likely derive more emotional support and camaraderie from sharing your personal stories or victories when prompted, but you shouldn’t feel pressured to do so until you are comfortable.

Summing Up

There are many benefits of group therapy for anxiety, and knowing what to expect can help alleviate a lot of fears. Anxiety group therapy offers a supportive, structured environment for addressing anxiety.

That said, the first session is about settling into the group, getting to know the therapist, and understanding the group’s dynamics. Remember that group therapy is an excellent tool for overcoming anxiety. While the journey might seem overwhelming with each session, it becomes easier to confront and manage anxiety.