Group Therapy
Why Group Therapy?
With group therapy, you get the best of both worlds: the ear of a trained therapist, and the expertise and compassion of your peers. Members learn about themselves by understanding one another. This collective learning based on interpersonal exchanges is transformative.
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Group therapy can be skilled-based, psychoeducational, and/or process-oriented. It can provide a welcoming and reflective space to develop new coping skills, a better awareness of thoughts and feelings, and supportive connections with others at Brandeis. Group facilitators offer 15-minute Group Consults so you can ask questions and learn about specific group(s) before deciding to join. In the meantime, here is some general info:
Size
BCC groups tend to have about 4-8 members and 1-2 facilitators. The small size allows for a welcoming, meaningful way for members to get to know each other.
Duration
Groups meet weekly for 45 minutes. The BCC offers shorter-term groups (4-6 weeks) and semester-long groups. Members can continue in group from one semester to the next.
Format
The first group session typically focuses on introductions and group guidelines. Confidentiality is of utmost importance so members feel comfortable to share. Subsequent sessions focus on skill-building and/or discussions of relevant issues and concerns. Some groups have handouts and some may have light homework; others are more open conversations.
Students considering group therapy may have questions and fears about joining a group. A 15-minute Group Consult allows you to meet the group facilitator, learn more about the group, and ask questions before you decide to join.
During the Group Consult, you will hear more about how group could help you. The facilitator may ask about your reasons for joining, and if you’ve been in a therapy group before. If you’re in individual therapy, the facilitator may ask what you are working on and how a group may help.
It is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about the group and discuss any concerns. The facilitator will share group guidelines and possible goals for the sessions.
Attending the Group Consult will help you decide if the group is the best match to meet your needs, and if not, then to help find other types of support.
Learn
- Explore new skills in a confidential space
- Find different ways to cope with stress
- Gain new perspectives on your experiences
- Discover more about yourself
- Practice mindfulness by living more in the moment
Express
- Sharpen your social skills
- Try out sharing with others
- Get feedback from others
- Provide and receive support to/from others
Connect
- Form new relationships
- Discover that you’re not alone
- Develop trust in others (and yourself!)
- Feel more connected at Brandeis
Fall 2026 Groups
BCC Group topics for Fall 2026 are being finalized. See below for list of planned topics; this page will be updated through the summer so check back!
All BCC therapy groups are 45-minutes long and are offered in-person. Groups are open to both undergrads and grad students unless otherwise noted. To register for any group(s), please complete this brief form.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Sarah McCann. To request a program or workshop, please fill out this survey.
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Group Leader: Anna Meilman and Jaspreet Mahal (SAS)
Day and Time: TBD
Expressing ourselves doesn't happen only through words; come get creative and engage a different part of your brain to practice self care and expression through art! This is a collaborative group between BCC and SAS, where Anna Meilman (BCC) & Jaspreet Mahal (SAS) will offer weekly prompts for collage, painting, drawing, and more. All materials are provided. Art therapy is for everyone and no experience or special skills are required, just a desire to enjoy the process. This group is open to all graduate and undergraduate students. For more info, please contact Anna Meilman.
Group/Program Leader: Amy Armstrong
Day and Time: Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
Emotions can be hard to understand and cope with. Whether you struggle to regulate them or to access them, this group will work to help to better work with emotions on a daily basis and in more challenging moments through the use of the DBT Modules of Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance and Interpersonal Effectiveness. For more information, please contact Amy Armstrong.
Group Leader: Julia Horvitz
Day and Time: TBD
This is a support group for both undergraduate and graduate students who have lost a close family member. Discussions focus on exploring grief, learning coping mechanisms, and connecting with others to help navigate how to manage grief; while being expected to proceed in one's academic and social life. For more information, please reach out to Julia Horvitz.
Group Leader: Nancy Kwan
Day and Time: TBD
This 6-week group focuses on understanding social anxiety and how it affects the way we think, feel, and interact with others on campus. You’ll learn what social anxiety is, explore common experiences in a supportive group setting, and develop practical skills to help manage anxiety in social situations. Each week includes handouts and activities to help you build coping strategies, recognize unhelpful thought patterns, and try out a small real-life experiment to build confidence. Students can join after a brief consultation with the group leader. For more information, please contact Nancy Kwan.
Group Leader: Wenhui Yang
Day and Time: TBD
Based on the evidence-based method called Acceptance Commitment Therapy, each session will introduce and create space for practicing skills that can help to reduce the impact that anxiety is having on your performance and life.
Skills covered include: physical symptom management, acceptance, being present, managing anxious thoughts, and value clarification. For more information, please contact Wenhui Yang.
Group Leader: Sarah Reilly
Day and Time: TBD
A confidential affinity space for TGNC* (transgender, nonbinary, agender, genderqueer, intersex, and gender exploring/questioning) folks and their allies to discuss and embrace what it means to hold these identities at Brandeis and in the world. Come be in community and be part of a nonjudgmental space that supports TGNC people's struggles, shares community resources, and nurtures TGNC joy and pride. Interested in joining or have questions? Please contact Sarah Reilly!
Common Misperceptions about Group Therapy
Reprinted with permission from the Virginia Commonwealth University website:
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You decide what, how much and when you share with the group and no one can force you to reveal anything you don’t feel comfortable revealing. Most group members tend to share more about themselves when they feel safe in the group. While we recognize that sharing can sometimes be uncomfortable, we also know that many members report getting more out of group when they decide to share more personal aspects about themselves and their experiences. We encourage you to be aware of your pace for group involvement and to share when you feel comfortable doing so.
Group therapy is often more efficient than individual therapy for two reasons. First, you can benefit from being in the group even during sessions when you say little but listen carefully to others. You will find that you have a lot in common with other groups members and as they work on their concerns you can learn more about yourself. Secondly, group members will often bring up issues that strike a chord with you, but that you might not have been aware of or brought up yourself.
It is very important that group members feel safe. Group leaders are there to help develop a safe environment. Feedback is often difficult to hear. As group members come to trust and accept one another, they generally experience feedback and even confrontation as positive, as if it were coming from their best friend. One of the benefits of group therapy is the opportunity to receive feedback from others in a supportive environment. It is rare to find friends who will gently point out how you might be behaving in ways that hurt yourself or others, but this is precisely what group can offer. This will be done in a respectful, gentle way, so that you can hear it and make use of it.
Research shows that group therapy is as effective as individual therapy in addressing a wide variety of concerns, ranging from mild adjustment issues to chronic mental health concerns. For certain issues, such as relationship or interpersonal concerns, group therapy can be more effective than individual therapy. Group therapy is being recommended to you because your intake counselor believes that it is the best way to address your concerns. We do not put people into group therapy because we don't have space in individual therapy, or because we want to save time. We recommend group when it is the most effective method to help you. Your intake counselor can discuss with you why group is what we recommend for you.
Most people are anxious about being able to talk in group. Almost without exception, within a few sessions people find that they do begin to talk in the group. Group members remember what it is like to be new to the group, so you will most likely get a lot of support for beginning to talk in the group.
Group Leader: Nancy Kwan
Day and Time: TBD
This 6-week group focuses on understanding social anxiety and how it affects the way we think, feel, and interact with others on campus. You’ll learn what social anxiety is, explore common experiences in a supportive group setting, and develop practical skills to help manage anxiety in social situations. Each week includes handouts and activities to help you build coping strategies, recognize unhelpful thought patterns, and try out a small real-life experiment to build confidence. Students can join after a brief consultation with the group leader. For more information, please contact Nancy Kwan.