Group Counseling
Group counseling is an excellent option for a variety of concerns that many college students encounter such as stress, anxiety, adjustment, relationship, expressing feelings, decision-making, coping skills, or identity.
Groups Offered Spring 2023
This group is intended to help students increase understanding and knowledge about anxiety. It also aims to equip students with some skills to recognize and manage anxiety-triggering situations effectively.
Three-week commitment
Wednesday from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. PST
Location: Zoom
Series 1: Feb. 1, Feb. 8, & Feb. 15 (via Zoom)
Must register by 01/31 to attend this series
Series 2: Feb. 22, March 8, & March 22 (via Zoom) – Every other week
Must register by 02/22 to attend this series
Series 3: March 29, April 5, & April 12 (via Zoom)
Must register by 03/28 to attend this series
Series 4: April 14, April 26, & May 3 (via Zoom)
Must register by 04/18 to attend this series
To register, call the CTC office at 208-885-6716 or email ctc@uidaho.edu.
This group will focus on recognizing and understanding the impact traumatic experiences have on our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Students will understand the connections between their trauma experiences and their responses. The purpose of the trauma-informed group is to offer psychoeducation and skills to assist students in better understanding and coping with their experiences. The end goal is to provide knowledge and tools that could help students create a healthier and more adaptive connection with their present-day experiences related to past trauma.
Five-week commitment
Tuesdays, 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. PST; In-person
Group dates: March 21, March 28, April 4, April 11, & April 18
Location: Mary E. Forney Hall #308
To register, call the CTC at 208-885-6716 to schedule a 30-minute pre-group consultation with Yaneli Ornelas, M.A. and Lahde Forbes, LMSW
The Shame and Resilience group draws from empirically based strategies to help clients recognize shame as a universal experience and embrace authentic living as a foundation for shame resilience. This group program is a psychoeducational therapy group based upon the work of Brené Brown. Topics include defining shame and resilience, recognizing and understanding shame, practicing empathy, exploring triggers and vulnerabilities, practicing awareness, reaching out and connecting with others, authenticity and shame resilience.
Eight-week commitment
Wednesdays, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. PST; In-person
Group dates: March 8, March 22, April 4, April 11, April 18, April 25 and May 2
Location: Mary E. Forney Hall #308
To register, call the CTC at 208-885-6716 to schedule a 30-minute pre-group consultation with Allison Mushlitz, Psy.D.
Move, Breathe, and Create with us to learn new ways to manage stress! Expressive Arts Therapy tools allow us to express what is difficult to express in words, process feelings, assist with regulating emotions and discover new tools for managing stress. Through drawing, journaling, music, mindfulness, and movement participants will have an opportunity to gain social support, build stress management tools and gain an increased understanding of how we, as humans, respond to stress. All tools shared in each session are easy to use and accessible to anyone. No artistic skill or experience with expressive arts necessary.
Four-week commitment
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. PST, Thursdays; In-person
Group dates: March 2, March 9, March 23 and March 30
Location: Mary E. Forney Hall, Rm. #306
This group is for students from any background who would benefit from working through religious, spiritual, and/or existential questions. The group is considered a ‘general process group’, meaning that it is relatively open-ended, unstructured, and focused on thoughts and feelings in the ‘here-and-now.’ This group is ideal for students who are looking for an open, relatively neutral, and confidential space to explore beliefs and values around spirituality and faith, process related inner conflict and challenges in relationships, and practice sharing difficult emotions and experiences. In doing so we hope to support students in their healing from spiritual trauma, improving relational skills, increasing comfort with sharing vulnerability, and building greater self-understanding. The group is open to anyone who has questions regarding faith, beliefs, spiritual values, or their religious community, regardless of where they fall on the faith continuum.
(agnostic/atheist/theist, Muslim/Buddhist/Jewish/Hindu/Pagan/Christian/Animist, etc.)
10-week commitment
Mondays, 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. PST; In-person
Group dates: Feb. 27, March 06, March 13, March 20, March 27, April 3, April 10, April 17, April 24, & May 1
Location: Mary E. Forney Hall, Rm. #306
To register, call the CTC at 208-885-6716 to schedule a 30-minute pre-group consultation with Laena Huffaker, Ph.D. or Doctoral Intern, Anthony Rose.
Upcoming Group & Workshop Sessions
Questions?
Email: ctc@uidaho.edu
Call: 208-885-6716
Considering Group?
All UI group counseling sessions are free and confidential and serve as a great place to:
- Experience a community of social and emotional support
- Explore your identity
- Hear different perspectives and ideas
- Learn coping skills
- Gain insight
- Feel a sense of belonging
- And much more!
If you are interested in attending group, check out our upcoming sessions calendar to explore current group offerings.
What is unique about Group Counseling?
Group offers a safe, confidential space for students to help each other get support, validation, normalization, diverse perspectives and adaptive skills to navigate challenging situations. Oftentimes, students feel empowered to make changes in their own lives after listening to other members in the group because they learn that they are not alone in their struggles.
Research has also shown that Group Counseling is as effective as individual counseling and, when appropriate, could be used in conjunction with individual counseling.
What do students have to say about Group Counseling?
According to group satisfaction surveys, UI students who participated in group counseling at CTC indicated that:
- 100% were pleased with their decision to join group
- 96% would recommend group counseling to a friend
UI students also provided feedback on their group experience as part of these surveys, saying they enjoyed:
- “[Hearing] others’ perspectives and knowing that they struggle like I do; [learning] that I am not alone”
- “[Getting] feedback from other people. That had a huge impact on me.”
- “[Learning] how to help my interpersonal relationships and social patterns.”
- “[Gaining an] understanding my inner self.”
- “[Having] more diversity of thoughts and perspectives”