Group Therapy in Los Angeles: The Practice Room for Real Connection

Most of the pain people bring to therapy is relational.

Not always obviously. Sometimes it looks like anxiety, overthinking, perfectionism, shame, or a constant sense of being on guard. But underneath, there is often a familiar ache: I do not feel met. I do not feel known. I do not know how to be close without losing myself.

Group therapy is designed for this.

Because group is not just talking about relationship. It is relationship, happening in real time.

Why groups matter

We learn a great deal about ourselves, others, relationships, and our place in the world from groups. Our first encounter with a group is our family, and that learning continues throughout our lives in school, work, friendships, and community.

Society is shaped by groups, within which we experience varying degrees of inclusion and exclusion. Groups make evident our similarities, our differences, and the influence of power dynamics. Our lives are filled with group-related experiences, both beneficial and harmful.

We develop ways of thinking, feeling, and relating through these experiences.

Group therapy uses this everyday reality as the practice room for more honest connection.

What happens in a therapy group

Participating in any group tends to invoke our past experiences of groups and relationships. It can lead us back to ingrained, often unhelpful ways of relating to ourselves and others.

This is not a problem. This is the point.

A well-facilitated psychotherapy group can spur real growth and change. It can decrease isolation, yes, but more importantly, it offers a chance to replace old habits with new, more fulfilling relational experiences.

Here, we slow down. We notice the felt sense of what is happening inside. We experiment with different ways of being in relationship, safely and at your pace.

In my groups, the commitment is about showing up with honesty and curiosity, listening for what is said and what is felt. My hope is that you will discover more authentic contact with yourself and others here.

Group therapy is not a performance

Group therapy can seem daunting for many people. You may worry about how others will view you, or whether you will know what to say. You may carry memories of painful group experiences from the past.

If that is you, I want to name something clearly.

We privilege quality of contact over quantity.

This is not a place where you have to be impressive, articulate, or constantly “on.” You do not need to share everything. You set your own pace, and we keep attuning to what feels workable.

At the same time, it is true that the benefits you gain from group are often proportional to your involvement. The more you share what is real for you, the more the group can meet you there.

That sharing does not have to be dramatic. Often it starts like this:

• “I want to speak, and I feel tight in my chest.”

• “I am noticing I am comparing myself.”

• “I feel on the outside right now.”

• “I feel drawn to you, and it scares me.”

  
  

Simple and specific is best.

Why group therapy helps people change

Group therapy is rooted in the idea that many personal struggles can be observed and understood within relationship, not only within oneself.

From childhood, we learn strategies for bonding, meeting needs, solving problems, and protecting ourselves. Some of those strategies helped you survive. Some may now be costing you closeness.

You might find yourself dissatisfied in significant relationships, seeking meaningful connection, or struggling with self-acceptance despite your best efforts.

The primary goals of group therapy are to support improved ways of relating to yourself and others, and to foster authenticity within you and your relationships.

When old patterns show up here, that is not failure. It is our working material.

The core goals of the group

In my groups, we return again and again to three guiding intentions:

1. Share what is emotionally significant.Each member shares the meaningful story of their lives, past and present, with attention to what feels true now. You choose the depth and timing.

   
   

2. Put experience into words.Each member attempts to name thoughts and feelings about themselves and others, including me. When possible, we also include what the body is saying, tightening, breath, warmth, numbness.

   
   

3. Get curious about patterns and what is emerging.We explore how and why these feelings and thoughts arise, and we stay just as curious about what is different now, what is trying to change, what is becoming possible.

   
   

What you can practice in group

Group therapy can be viewed as a living laboratory where you can safely experiment with new ways of relating, meeting your needs, and supporting others. It is also practice in expressing feelings and thoughts verbally, which is a vital life skill.

A few specific practices we return to:

Notice your reactions. Pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, bodily responses, fantasies, and impulses in the room. Notice judgment, protectiveness, discomfort, attraction, irritation, longing. Nothing is wrong to notice.

Notice your relationship to speaking.Sometimes the moment before sharing is the richest data. What happens inside you as you consider speaking or staying quiet? If you are unsure, say that out loud. Uncertainty is welcome.

Share with “I” language.If possible, try to speak your reactions as your experience: “I notice…”, “I feel…”, “I imagine…”, “I want…”. This keeps contact clean and workable.

My role as group therapist

A group therapist’s job is to foster a safe environment where members can freely express thoughts and feelings. That happens through clear agreements, consistent boundaries, and attention to anything that threatens the group’s safety.

Because of the therapist’s position, I often evoke thoughts and feelings about power and authority. Those reactions are not distractions, they are meaningful. You are invited to tell me how you experience me in real time. That is useful data for our work.

My stance is warm, collaborative, and direct. I privilege authenticity over performance, and I protect the group’s safety so you can take meaningful risks.

If you are curious

If something in you is tired of doing this alone, group therapy may be worth exploring.

Not as a replacement for individual therapy, but as a different kind of healing. The kind that happens when you are seen, impacted, challenged, and supported by real people, in real time.

If you want to learn more about joining a group, reach out for a consultation and we will see if it feels like a fit.

My Monday evening group has a waitlist. I am currently meeting with prospective members for a Wednesday evening group.