We are adding group therapy to our list of offerings and we thought it would be helpful to briefly describe the benefits of this therapy. As stated in our intake forms, we "believe you are made to deeply relate...this is the source of your greatest joy, but also of your deepest pain . . . Interpersonal relationships are the area in which the results of the fall of humankind are most prevalent, and in which the need for redemptive change is most obvious." Although one's ability to relate well is often significantly helped through individual therapy, group counseling offers members a chance to be involved in a redemptive community where relational struggles can be addressed in the moment. New relational skills can be learned and one can be strengthened to risk for the sake of others in the group. These new skills are then taken into relationships outside the group, which often results in transformation of the group member's relationships.

Perhaps the greatest benefit to group counseling is the sense of universality it provides. I recall one of the men's groups I co-lead in the past. The men in this group came to counseling for widely varying issues. Some struggled with pornography, others with being passive in relationships. There were men with same-sex attraction issues and others who were angry and aggressive in the way they related. Men who joined the group often wondered what they could possibly get from a group with men whose issues seemed to be nothing like their own. What they all found out is that underneath the surface we are far more alike than different, and that it was their difficulty in relationships that spawned the issues that brought them to counseling, the issues that were hurting their lives. Being in a group that provided the safety necessary to explore their issues provided a sense that they were not alone and that there were others on the same journey. As they learned to relate well within the group it provided hope that they could relate well to others too.

There are different types of therapy groups. Some are organized around a single issue, while other groups are "general issues" groups. In some groups there is teaching on specific topics, while the teaching in other groups occurs beneath the surface. Whatever the group, though, it is always primarily about the relationships within the group-member to member, member to leader, member and leader to God-and it is in those relationships where change occurs. If you're interested in group counseling at CBC just call 214.585-4859. We'll be happy to discuss them with you.

If you're interested in group counseling at CBC just call 214.585-4859 or email us at info@cbcmckinney.com. We'll be happy to discuss them with you.