Group Counselling vs Individual Counselling Sessions

Every individual is different and so is the mindset of every individual. We all have a very different thinking process and how we take in and process every piece of information. There would be no world without a difference in opinions, points of view, and the way people handle situations. That is what makes human beings so unique; we all are the same yet different in a unique way, just like our personality is.

People with an introvert, extrovert, and ambivert nature handle people and situations very differently personality-wise, and similarly, for some people, group counselling works, and for some people individual counselling sessions work. The bottom line is it all comes down to the person’s willingness and personality apart from some benefits associated with both group counselling and individual counselling.

Group Counselling vs Individual Counselling Sessions

Taking advice from our seniors/family/friends/colleagues is different than when it comes to taking advice from our peers and also when it comes to opening up about certain issues with our peers. This plays a critical role in the success of group counselling among people. Some people tend to open up easily when they are among a certain set of people who have experienced similar kinds of things as it brings a sense of belongingness and solidarity to them. Group counselling is about making people familiar with other kinds of people that are similar to themselves (in terms of experience) while being lead by licensed therapists.
Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on and when in group counselling, you can find one. As you get more familiar with group counselling, sharing, giving advice, and taking feedback become easier. It is always easier to open up and share your thoughts and beliefs among people who are likely to understand it as they have gone through similar or the exact same kind of things. Social awkwardness which some people can develop when going through stress, trauma, or experiencing grief, goes away when you share your thoughts and feelings in group counselling. It is a comfortable way of moving forward.

The therapist plays an important role in monitoring and leading the group in group counselling. As pointed out earlier, when you have a similar set of people in a room going through similar kind of troubles/problems/issues in life then it is easier for a therapist to convey similar words to all participants and adopting/modifying strategies as per the need of the group and an individual.

As all individuals are different, some individuals may find it easier to open up in a group of people and some may find it easier to open up to one person in an individual counselling session.

Individual counselling sessions can be face-to-face or they can also be offered online, from licensed professionals at ReGain. During individual sessions therapists are able to provide more personalised feedback, advice, and suggestions to the person seeking counselling and the sessions are more private as compared to group counselling. However, if you feel that you are still unsure about seeking individual counselling, group counselling is a great place to start. Read this article from ReGain to learn more about the benefits of group counselling.

If we take group counselling vs individual counselling head to head then generally group counselling is commercially more affordable but when it comes to the attention span of a therapists on an individual undergoing counselling, it is more in the case of individual counselling sessions.

At the end of the day, an individual has to decide on the basis of what is being experienced and the personality trait to choose the type of counselling to move forward with.

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