For 15 years, I’ve lead therapy groups in my office. Week after week, in various groups members gathered in circles and shared their heartbreaks, views on life, breakthroughs, irritations, frustrations, and victories. They discovered new, more real ways of being, new meaning in life, fell in love with each other (or in hate with each other) and experienced so many feelings in-between.

Over time, the intimate relationships that they formed in group therapy have been an integral part of their transformation and healing. After sessions, they often exited the office, laughing and chatting as they made their way to the canteen. It’s always a good sign when group members leave the group with more energy than they brought to the session.

From a personal point of view, running groups have always been a great source of joy for me. As challenging it can sometimes be, not many things made me feel better that seeing clients making a head way in a group, finding and allowing themselves to express their true selves, seeing them exploring new meaning in their lives. I always felt privileged to be the instigator of these changes.

The pandemic changed all that.

Online Therapy Groups? Can it really work?

I have always been rather old-fashioned, and seen online sessions as a last resort. 

When the quarantine hit, I prepared to shut down my group therapy practice. After all, how could I allow 7 people in my office to sit in a circle and breathe all over each other? I thought my group practice was done, over and out.

I have started, however, and not without hesitations, seeing my individual clients over the internet. It worked well. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked well. Some still expressed preference for face to face contact, but others, surprisingly, found online contact very helpful. And not only for practical reasons.

A New Online Community

One day, I accidentally overheard a conversation between two clinicians about the new way of doing group therapy; online. I begun to ponder on whether, despite my skepticism, I could return to my group therapy practice. So, now I gathered my group candidates’ email addresses and sent them initial emails, scheduled my first groups on Zoom. From the beginning, I felt trepidatious.

Will this work?

Will people feel safe?

Won’t this be a lousy substitute for sessions in the flesh?

Most people, and not only those who need group therapy, are starved for interpersonal contact at the moment. They crave the love, support and understanding that weekly therapy group typically provide. Due to the quarantine, we can’t meet in person, but I do believe now that online group sessions can be a damn good substitute. 

3 Significant Benefits of Online Groups

Here are the top three benefits to online therapy groups:

1. Members can participate in group sessions from different locations.

Often members have to miss a session because of a schedule conflict, illness, childcare, etc. In the past, they would have to miss the session or even drop out of group. Now they call in from home, the office, or other locations.

2. Members who are sick or quarantined can continue to attend group sessions.

Clients can attend the sessions even if they are being is symptomatic, or are in quarantine. They might need psychological support in this difficult time. In accordance with current guidelines, they would never be allowed to continue their groups face to face.

3. Members in crisis can continue to attend group sessions.

Currently, I have several group members who are facing crises, such as caring for a sick parent or child. They are unable to travel. Yet they can still get the weekly support and encouragement from their group. In the past, those members would have had to suspend sessions or leave their group temporarily. Now there’s no reason for such interruptions.

• Groups allow people to express themselves in front of others without feeling judged
• Groups allow participants to develop skills of altruism and compassion
• Groups help in the sharing of knowledge
• They encourage people to develop an understanding, through observation of how adverse past experience may have impacted on their function
• Groups may enhance social interactions
• Patients can model healthy behaviours and healthy attachments
• Participants may be encouraged to own their feelings, learn from each other and develop better understanding of how they interact