When seeking treatment for your anxiety, should you go it alone or team up with others?
Here, at the Center for Psychological & Behavioral Science in Palm Beach County Florida, we offer multiple roads to recovery. Although most of our clients participate in individual outpatient therapy with specialists trained in anxiety and OCD treatment, group therapy can also be highly effective, especially when it incorporates evidence-based techniques like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). ERP helps individuals gradually (and systematically) confront feared situations that evoke anxiety. By repeatedly facing these fears without compulsions or avoidance behaviors, you can “rewire your brain” and supercharge your recovery. Exposure and ritual prevention is a powerful technique, and when implemented properly, it can be even more effective than taking medication for your OCD or anxiety.
When considering both individual therapy and group therapy for anxiety/OCD, what are the pros and cons of each?
Individual Therapy Pros
- Individual therapy utilizes an individualized treatment plan that is specifically tailored to your needs. All exposures are custom designed around your specific obsessions and compulsions.
- Individual therapy gives you more “face time” with your therapist. Because you are working one-on-one with your therapist, you have your therapist’s undivided attention.
- Individual therapy allows for more privacy. If you experience symptoms that are taboo or difficult to talk about in front of others, individual therapy allows you to address these concerns in a more private setting.
- The pace of individual therapy can be scaled to meet your individual needs. If you need more time to process a particular exposure, your therapist can accommodate that. If you have the need for more frequent sessions, that can also be arranged.
- If your OCD or anxiety could benefit from exposures performed outside of traditional office settings (e.g., at home, at the the mall, at a restaurant, in a car), individual therapy can flexibly accommodate this.
- Individual therapy is designed around your schedule. Appointments are available at times that are convenient for you.
Individual Therapy Cons
- Because you are working directly with your therapist, individual therapy can be more expensive than group therapy.
- While the privacy afforded by individual therapy is a benefit, individual therapy can also reinforce feelings of isolation (relative to group therapy). Working alongside others with similar challenges in a group therapy-based ERP program can feel like a team effort and be incredibly validating.
- You miss out on opportunities for vicarious learning through other peoples’ experience.
Group Therapy Pros
- Group therapy is more cost-effective than individual therapy. You are typically paying less money for longer group-based exposure sessions.
- Seeing others face similar challenges can reduce feelings of shame and isolation. It also provides a sense of community and shared understanding.
- Group members can offer support, encouragement, and motivation to one another. This can be particularly helpful during challenging exposures.
- If you feel anxious about the idea of working in a group setting, this is completely normal. However, it’s important to know that social anxiety exposures are an important component of recovery from social anxiety. Although group-based exposures may seem scary at first, with practice, they can can be highly effective for reducing these social anxiety fears.
- Exposure can feel easier in a group setting, because everyone present is embracing an opportunity to do something difficult for themselves.
- Evidence-based group therapy programs are often highly structured, because they are designed to be accessible for people at different stages of recovery. Programs like ours provide foundational psychoeducation, in addition to providing opportunities for exposure.
Group Therapy Cons
- Because your therapist’s attention is divided among multiple group members, you may get less personalized feedback and support relative to an individual therapy session. Although this is often offset by longer group sessions, it is the nature of group-based treatment modalities.
- While confidentiality is emphasized, group therapy is less private than individual therapy and does involve sharing personal experiences with other group members.
- If you are struggling with severe symptoms of depression or suicidality, group treatment is likely not appropriate for your situation.
Which Approach is Right for You?
The best approach depends on your individual needs and preferences and is based on a thoughtful consideration of the pros/cons list above. If you’re unsure about whether to pursue group therapy-based ERP or individual therapy-based ERP, talk more with your provider to get guidance. Don’t forget: an approach that combines individual therapy with group therapy sessions (such as our “Anxiety Boot Camp“) is also an option and can be a incredible asset in your recovery journey.
Regardless of whether you choose individual or group therapy, it’s crucial to ensure that your therapist is an anxiety specialist who is trained and experienced in evidence-based treatments, including ERP. Although alternative approaches exist (including group therapy-based I-CBT for OCD or SPACE Treatment for Parents of Anxious Children), ERP is still considered to be the gold standard for treating OCD and other forms of severe anxiety.
We hope to see you at one of our South Florida anxiety treatment groups!