Group therapy
Group psychotherapy for difficulties in belonging, trust, openness, and the wider experience of being with other people.
For some people, the difficulty shows up less in one close relationship and more in the wider experience of being with others.
You may find yourself holding back, adapting quickly, feeling outside, fearing rejection, or longing to belong while also feeling cautious about closeness.
Group therapy offers a relational space to explore patterns, try new ways of relating, and feel less alone alongside others.
My approach is relational and trauma-informed, with close attention to attachment, emotional regulation, and the patterns that can emerge in connection with other people.
If you would like a clearer sense of the wider approaches that inform this way of working, you can read more here: Approaches I integrate in therapy ›
This may be particularly relevant if you are looking for group therapy in Reading, Berkshire, or online, or for support with recurring relational patterns.
When difficulties show up with other people
Group therapy can be helpful when the difficulty is not only what you feel inside, but what happens in connection with others.
You may notice this in different ways: feeling unable to speak openly, becoming self-conscious very quickly, fearing exclusion or criticism, withdrawing when contact starts to matter, or adapting so much that it becomes hard to know what you really feel.
Some people come because they feel alone even in the presence of others. Others come because they long for more closeness, honesty, or belonging, but find that something in them pulls back, braces, or becomes guarded when relationship becomes more real.
When group therapy may be helpful
Group therapy may be helpful if you experience:
feeling alone even when around other people
difficulties with trust, belonging, or connection
fear of rejection, exclusion, or being misunderstood
social anxiety, self-consciousness, or shame
finding it hard to speak openly or show vulnerability
patterns of people-pleasing, self-silencing, withdrawal, or over-adapting
uncertainty about your place with others
wanting connection but also feeling cautious, guarded, or overwhelmed by it
recurring interpersonal patterns across different settings
Why group can be powerful
In individual therapy, relational patterns can be reflected on and understood. In a group, some of those same patterns may become visible in the moment.
That can make group psychotherapy a particularly rich space for working with attachment, relational trauma, and expectations about connection.
It also offers opportunities to try out new ways of relating and notice what happens in real time, with support around what emerges.
For many people, this gradually makes it easier to stay present, speak more openly, and feel less alone with patterns of shame, guardedness, or fear of rejection.
What group psychotherapy can feel like
Group psychotherapy can feel different from individual work. At first, it may bring up uncertainty, self-consciousness, or a wish to stay in the background.
It is common to wonder whether you would speak, feel too exposed, or fit.
Over time, the group can become a place where familiar relational patterns are noticed more clearly, and where new experiences of connection, honesty, and belonging can begin to emerge.
The aim is not pressure, but to create a therapeutic space where what happens between people can be explored with support, pacing, and care.
What group psychotherapy can support
Over time, group psychotherapy may support you to:
notice recurring relational patterns more clearly
feel less alone in the presence of others
experiment with speaking more openly
recognise when shame, withdrawal, people-pleasing, or guardedness begin to take over
develop more steadiness in connection
build a greater sense of belonging, perspective, and relational confidence
“I was unsure about group at first and expected to feel outside it. Over time, it became a place where I could notice how quickly I held back and begin to take more risk in being real with other people. I felt less alone, less guarded, and more able to stay present in connection.”
— Group client (anonymised)
How I work in group therapy
My way of working is grounded in relationship and informed by trauma, attachment, and the nervous system. That means I pay close attention not only to what people say, but to what happens in the group when contact feels meaningful, risky, confusing, or difficult.
This includes attention to patterns such as holding back, adapting, people-pleasing, guardedness, shame, overwhelm, and withdrawal, and to the ways earlier experiences may still be shaping present expectations of connection.
The work is paced carefully. The aim is not to push people into exposure, but to create a space where relational patterns can be explored with enough structure, steadiness, and support for something different to become possible.
When group may not be the right starting point
Group therapy tends to work best when there is some basic stability and a capacity to be present with others, even if that feels difficult.
For some people, individual therapy is the better place to begin. Group can always be something to return to later.
If you are unsure, that is something we can think about together in the consultation.
If you are considering group therapy
If you are considering group psychotherapy, you can read more about fees and session arrangements here: Fees & practicalities ›
If you would like to explore whether this way of working may be a good fit, you are very welcome to get in touch or book a free 20-minute consultation: Contact ›
If difficulties in trust, belonging, openness, or relational patterns are part of what brings you here, you are very welcome to book a free 20-minute consultation.
We can talk about what feels most difficult and whether this seems like a good fit.
There is no pressure to continue.