Group Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Groups help you to develop the skills and strategies you need to help you combat your problems. They are educational in style, although members are free to draw on their own experiences and share them if they wish. Counselling groups bring people together to discuss their common problems and gain support from the group. People sometimes have concerns about joining a group or class. However, our experience at Mind shows that people who have attended groups find them very helpful and in particular find that the support and feeling that they are not alone with their problems is beneficial.
Group Feedback:
“When referred I had hoped for 1-1 but was offered a group. I really had to step out of my comfort zone to attend the first meeting but on reflection did not look back. Group work offered me a perspective I hadn’t considered. I would recommend this to anyone.”
“I found this group very helpful and wish I discovered all this information many years ago. I have nothing but positive feedback and encourage you all to continue doing the great work that you do. The group is so well put together that I cannot find any faults in it. I found the group to be a real eye opener and light bulb for me.  I am so glad I did it and it has given me a new way of looking at things. I think everyone should do a group like this as it will definitely change your perspective and outlook. If more people done it, it would be a happier world! I feel everyone should try this course. Initially I was daunted at the thought of doing a group but now I do not regret it. I also learnt a lot from other group members which was helpful. Thank you so much!”.
Benefits of group therapy:

  • Group therapy helps you realise you are not alone
  • Group therapy facilitates giving and receiving support
  • Group therapy helps you to become aware of your own feelings and needs
  • Group therapy helps you relate to others in healthier ways
  • Group therapy allows you to practice relationship skills

Groups are run subject to demand. The length of our groups vary from half day psycho-educational workshops to between 4-10 sessions.
The groups we are currently running are:

This half day workshop introduces you to the basic principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and can help you to begin to overcome depression and/or anxiety. Our experienced Psychotherapists and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners will guide you through many aspects of CBT Skills, including:
• Behaviour Activation: how to build a weekly diary of activities that can help you to move out of your depression.
• Unhelpful Negative Thinking: learn how this affects your feelings and behaviour.
• Stress and Worry: Learn some simple techniques that can help you to begin to challenge your anxiety.
There is no requirement for clients to discuss their own issues within the group, and the group is in a psycho-educational/classroom teaching format.
Workshops are available weekdays: both daytime and evening, and also on Saturdays in the daytime.

This half day workshop will introduce you to our Counselling Service. It will also cover:
• The definition of Counselling
• Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
• How to get the most out of Counselling
• What Counselling can offer?
• What problems are suited to Counselling and what problems are more suited to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy under National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines?
This workshop is run by experienced qualified counsellors, and has been very positively received by clients, as preparing them for Counselling, and addressing any concerns/questions they may have about Counselling itself.
There is no requirement for clients to discuss their own issues within the group, and the group is in a psycho-educational/classroom teaching format.
Daytime and evening workshops are available.

This half day workshop, run by our experienced Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, will introduce you to the NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) Guideline recommended treatment for OCD: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, including Exposure Response Prevention (ERP). It covers:
• Psycho-education about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and its symptoms.
• An introduction to the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, including Exposure Response Prevention (ERP).
• Tools to begin challenging your OCD.
There is no requirement for clients to discuss their own issues within the group, and the group is in a psycho-educational/classroom teaching format.

This half-day workshop, run by an experienced Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, will introduce you to the NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) Guideline recommended treatment for PTSD: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It covers:
• Psycho-education about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the symptoms experienced after trauma.
• Understanding how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is treated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
• Self-help tools to deal with the symptoms of trauma.

This 4-5 week group, run by a qualified Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist or Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, builds on the skills learnt in the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Workshop, and in particular:
Helps you to climb out of depression by putting the principles of Behaviour Activation into action
• Deals with any blocks to motivation that you are experiencing
• Encourages you in a supportive group atmosphere to work towards achieving your goals

This eight week group, run by an experienced Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, covers the full CBT treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, including exposure response prevention (ERP).
During the group, you will be able to:
• Individually assess your own OCD difficulties
• Learn how to challenge your OCD
• Begin to practice ERP (exposure response prevention).
• Build your self-acceptance
Clients who have attended this group previously have found it particularly supportive to understand that they are not alone with their OCD.

The Overcoming Stress and Worry Group is a 5 week group, which gives you the opportunity to learn Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques and skills which can help you to deal more effectively with general stress and worry in your life.
This could be related to work, relationships or any other general sources of stress. The CBT skills learnt in the group will include:
• A range of techniques to help you challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviours
• Practical tips for lifestyle changes, including:
• Sleep issues
• Relaxation
This group is particularly helpful for anyone experiencing an excessive amount of stress or worry, which is affecting their life.

If you lack confidence in your day to day dealings with others, at home or at work, then this group will not only help you to develop that confidence, but will also give you some practical guidance in assertiveness skills.

This group is run by an experienced CBT Psychotherapist or Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner. It is designed for mothers of pre-school children and babies, and will help you to learn how to deal with every day parenting stresses by :
• Increasing enjoyable activities to lead a more balanced lifestyle
• Learning relaxation skills
• Increasing positive thinking and self acceptance
• Overcoming everyday worries
• Coping with your anger and irritability
This Group is currently held at Northend Children’s Centre on Wednesday afternoons (term-time only) – with crèche spaces, subject to availability.

This group is run by counsellors, experienced in working with grief and loss. It provides a safe place for group members to discuss their losses, and to work with their individual stages of grief.
This group currently takes place on a fortnightly basis on Tuesday afternoons.

We often struggle, when experiencing strong emotions, and this can lead to many difficulties including self harm, frustration with others and comfort eating.
If you would like to explore alternative coping strategies to manage your emotions, then this group will help you to learn these skills in a safe and supportive group environment.

‘Mindfulness’ is at the very heart of meditation practice and trains us to focus on the present moment. This allows us to gain insight into mental patterns that sometimes cause negative emotions. We also learn, through experience what it means to spend less time with our thoughts and spend more time in our bodies enjoying life. It can be practiced by people from all walks of life and is becoming more and more popular as a means of psychological treatment. There is now a strong evidence base demonstrating that it can be very beneficial for those experiencing depression and anxiety, as well as many other conditions. The group will take place over eight weekly sessions, each of 2-hours duration and covers the fundamentals of mindfulness meditation, applied theory and practice. Some aspects of CBT will also be used within the course where needed to help group members to deal with unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours, and to work towards self-acceptance..
This group will help you to:
• Improve your focus and concentration levels
• lower bodily stress and increase relaxation
• explore how your mind works
• explore how your mind habitually creates unhealthy thought processes and worry
• help you to prevent the arising of depressive moods before they spiral
• achieve a robust and healthy mind, accepting reality and the world around you
• work towards acceptance of unhealthy emotions
• achieve a deep sense of calm, patience and stillness
• grow and mature as a true human being and explore what it means to be ‘me’
This will be particularly helpful for those people experiencing stress, depression, anxiety, attention problems or any condition involving a fast-thinking anxious mind.