I'm writing a story about a character with social anxiety. I have never been diagnosed, but can certainly relate to a lot of what's posted. I'm 38, single, not yet had a long term relationship. :cry
I have thought about group therapy, but haven't gone. Has anyone else? What techniques do they use to help people overcome? My goal is to have my character make progress overcoming his in a group setting (there could be some funny moments here too!), so would appreciate any experiences anyone has had or heard of and would feel comfortable sharing.
I'm in group psychotherapy. I don't know if that's anything like what you want to know about - perhaps you're thinking more about CBT and stuff. Also, UK therapy might be different than American - we kind of laugh at the stereotype of "touchy-feely" American therapy. There's no group hugs or anything like that.
In mine, there's a rule about no outside contact. You shouldn't ever meet someone from the group outside the group, and if you have a substantial conversation outside the group you must mention it to the group next time. I don't know how other types of therapy use group dynamics, but psychotherapy deals with transference a lot: you'll behave towards certain members of the group as you would towards people in your life, and that is used to work through your problems. You can practice how to deal with that person in your real life, by dealing with the similar person in the group.
What else? Um... every time someone comes or leaves, the whole dynamic changes, and it can take a month or more to get back to a good routine. You have to stay for at least 6 months, but you're expected to be in the group for maybe 3 years or more. You choose to leave when you feel you don't need the group any more, and you must give notification at least a month before you leave, so the group has time to get used to the idea.
What else? Um... every time someone comes or leaves, the whole dynamic changes, and it can take a month or more to get back to a good routine. You have to stay for at least 6 months, but you're expected to be in the group for maybe 3 years or more.
Yeah, CBT is about fixing the direct problems. Psychotherapy is deep.
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