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Barbara Valencia/Contributing Writer
Lisa Lewis Arango said that group therapy is a way to treat addictions, eating disorders and chronic mental illness. Group counseling sessions by Counseling & Psychological Services are held every day.
The sessions offer help to improve relationships, to gain support from others and to learn about different perceptions.
They are held in Student Health Services room 270 at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus and in the Wolfe University Center room 320 at the Biscayne Bay Campus.
Arango, director for counseling psychology master’s program, said the purpose of group therapy is to provide a place where individuals dealing with similar issues come together to relieve from symptoms of mental illness or psychological issues. This includes trauma, grief and loss.
There are 13 groups offered to students across both campuses, according to Priya Kirpalani, group therapy coordinator– each with a variety of group counseling options like anxiety, lesbian, gay, transgender and queer and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Kirpalani said the groups are co-led by two clinicians, one of which is a licensed psychologist or therapist who is in the room at all times. They are also led with the help of trainees or psychologists in training.
She said only registered FIU students have access to these services. Clinicians and students collaboratively choose which group best suits the students’ needs. This allows them to feel comfortable in the therapy setting.
The group therapy program offers a confidentiality policy which guarantees full disclosure and confidentiality of participants.
However, Kirpalani said change depends on the presenting problem, goals and motivation of the individual.
“Group therapy is also used to provide psychoeducation for problems such as relationships, parenting and social skills,” said Arango.
Arango also said that one of the major factors of a group is the concept of universality where individuals realize that they are not alone in their problems.
“This in and of itself is very helpful, and along with the information and support participants receives [from] group therapy, helps bring a sense of relief from suffering and symptom management,” she said.
One in five American adults have serious functional impairment due to a mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Suicide was the second highest cause of death among young adults between the ages of 15 and 34.
“Anything from anxiety, depression, social anxiety, relationship problems, self-esteem difficulties and so on, provides a nice wide range of difficulties that can be addressed in a group setting,” Kirpalani said.
This can often allow for better results, said Kirpalani. The same problems can be shared among the groups and when addressed, can bring awareness and knowledge of how to deal with certain issues in the future.
Kristi Phoenix said she supports group therapy, but believes that if students are not placed among people who are going through the same situations, they can be misled and confused about their own issues.
“When people who have issues that are related are treated together, they can better identify and share their problems with the group,” said Phoenix, a junior social work major.
Phoenix said that once the ice is broken and students are comfortable with each other, they are better able to be honest not only to themselves, but also to the group.
“They will feel more secure in themselves and feel like they are not alone,” said Phoenix.
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