Deciding to enter into individual psychotherapy can
be a difficult, albeit brave, decision. However, deciding to join a psychotherapy group can often be an even bigger challenge! Particularly if social anxiety is the presenting problem, it is quite common for people to feel shy and nervous when entering group psychotherapy. The most common concern in deciding to join a psychotherapy group is the fear that the other group members may be more judgmental and less understanding than what is assumed in the client-therapist dyad. More often than not, however, after engaging in the group therapy process, most individuals come to learn that others struggling with similar issues are not quite as judgmental and critical as once feared, often themselves being far too preoccupied with their own anxieties to judge and criticize fellow group members.

While individual psychotherapy can be tremendously useful in exploring and understanding one's emotions, cognitions, family dynamics, and interpersonal patterns, group therapy can offer a slightly different, more experiential perspective on one's relational dynamics and ways of being with others. For most individuals living with social anxiety, group therapy can be extremely useful in helping to normalize one's thoughts, feelings and behaviors with one's peers, as well as provide a safe place to practice certain social and relational skills. Furthermore, the psychotherapy group is a good place to ask one's peers questions that may feel too embarrassing to ask outside of the therapy room, as well as to practice certain social behaviors that may be too awkward and/or anxiety-provoking to try out "in the real world". 

If you or someone you know is interested in joining a psychotherapy group for adolescents and young adults struggling with social anxiety, please contact me at 310.804.6339, or at [email protected].

It is certainly not surprising that one's perception of psychotherapy is, at least in part, a product of one's culture and environment. In fact, certain cultures  are quite distrustful of talk therapy. For instance, the more collectivist cultures, who tend to have a larger emphasis on family interconnectedness, might view open disclosure of one's problems as self-centered, inconsiderate, and even a betrayal of the family unit. 

Other cultures, on the other hand, are much more open to talking about their problems with others, particularly with a professional. Farber, Berano, and Capobianco (2004) suggest that Western cultures tend to hold positive views of self-disclosure due, in part, to the influence of the Catholic Church, "which not only stresses the importance of confessing one's sins but also requires it for absolution". (p.340).

Furthermore, some cultures, like this CNN article suggests, may view psychotherapy as a necessary aspect of self-care. In fact, according to this article, some folks may even feel that those individuals who have not been in therapy are at a disadvantage. 

While psychotherapy may not be the right choice for everyone, I tend to agree with Modesto Alonso, an Argentinian psychologist sited in this article, that therapy can be a way "not only to cure emotional and psychological illnesses, but also...to develop oneself as a person, with a greater quality of life".