As some of you may know already, I enjoy going to two support groups here in Toledo, Ohio. These support groups are called Schizophrenia Anonymous (SA) and Bipolar/Depression Alliance. I really do enjoy these groups because they really help me a lot in understanding my Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorders. What some of you may not know about me is that before I found these two support groups, I was attending therapy groups. I did not receive the kind of help in these therapy groups as I have found in the support groups that I currently attend. You may be wondering what the difference is between a support group and a therapy group. After all, aren't both groups aimed at helping people? In this blog, I shall talk about the similarities between support groups and therapy groups, but then I shall give reasons why I believe support groups are much more beneficial than therapy groups. I fully admit that this blog will definitely opinion-bases and thus what I talk about will be based on my own subjective opinion. I realize that some people would find more help from a therapy group rather than a support group. I will respect those people's feelings and opinions on the matter. However, this blog will not be written for those people. I am all for people doing whatever they want that will beneficial for their own mental well-being, as long as it is ethical and legal. Anyways, for those of you who are not familiar with what support groups and therapy groups, I will now explain them.
Therapy Groups:
According to The National Library of Medicine,
"Group therapy is the treatment of multiple patients at once by one or more healthcare professionals. This approach can be used to treat a variety of conditions, including, but not limited to, trauma, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This activity describes the principles of group therapy and enhances the knowledge and tools of interprofessional team members in facilitating effective group sessions"
In a nutshell, therapy groups are areas where individual patients, or clients, are taught and led from a licensed psychotherapists. These psychotherapists tend to have a lot of book knowledge concerning different mental health disorders, and may even specialize in certain individual disorders. As a result, these individual therapists are capable of teaching their patients how they are able to cope with their mental health symptoms. You may be wondering just how successful are therapy groups, right? Well, According to the American Psychological Association (APA),
"But group therapy is as effective as individual therapy for a wide range of symptoms and conditions, and it is more efficient, allowing a single therapist to reach many people at once. In many cases, groups can be even more effective than individual therapy, thanks to the stigma reduction and solidarity that people experience in the presence of their peers"
Pros For Therapy Groups:
- One can obtain knowledge for their own mental health disorder from a professional
- One can be surrounded by "like-minded" individuals
- One can learn therapeutic skills to learn how to manage their symptoms
If you think that support groups aren't any different from therapy groups, you would be mistaken. According to the Mayo Clinic,
"Support groups bring together people who are going through or have gone through similar experiences. For example, a support group may connect people with cancer, heart disease or diabetes. Or it may bring together those with alcohol, drug or tobacco addiction. Support groups also can be for people dealing with grief, or for caregivers of people with cancer or dementia. Support groups may even be specific to a person's age, sex or beliefs"
Basically, support groups are groups are for people who are struggling with similar difficulties. For example, in my SA group, we all have struggles with Schizophrenia, and thus we have a proper understanding of what each person is going through. While mental disorders affect each person differently, it is very comforting to see other people dealing with the same struggles as other people in the group. Support groups are even run by group leaders who struggle with the same addictions, mental disorders, and/or anything else.
You may be wondering just how successful support groups are, right? Well, according to Google AI Overview (you determine for yourself as to whether this is a credible source),
"Support groups are highly effective at reducing isolation, boosting emotional resilience, and improving coping strategies, though their clinical impact varies depending on the specific condition. Research shows they often match individual or group therapy in lowering stigma and providing a strong sense of community, while functioning best as a complement to—rather than a replacement for—professional medical or mental health"
Pros For Support Groups:
- One can be surrounded with likeminded people who are experiencing similar struggles
- The group leader is someone dealing with the same struggle, so they can understand what the person attending the group is currently experiencing
- One can be given the proper coping skills that will truly work because the group leader will know what works as someone who deals with same struggle.
Now, you may be wondering why I personally prefer to attend a support group over a therapy group. Well, there are actually quite a few reasons why I have found more help from the support groups that I attend. I will list them below, but keep in mind this will not be an exhaustive list. There are actually many reasons, but for the sake of this blog, I will keep it short.
Focus On Everyone:
What I mean by this is because I have noticed in so-called "therapy groups" the focus tends to be on person every week. I know this is not the intent on the therapists part. The therapist may have every intention on helping each person in the group, but usually what ends up happening is that one person will talk about something that happened to them earlier in the week. As a result, the whole group session turns into a session about that person alone. In a support group, everyone has equal time to talk about their struggles throughout the week and no one person can monopolize on the time. Everyone in the support group has a common understanding of one another and therefore, the focus can be on everyone else equally.
Leader Is More Than A Professional
I have noticed that support group leaders tend to have actual life experience with certain disorders as opposed to therapists who merely have book knowledge. I have written elsewhere of how life experience is superior to mere book knowledge, so I won't rehash my reasoning for that in this blog. Instead, I will share the link to that blog here: Lived Experience V.S. Book Knowledge. I am not saying that a mental health professional cannot offer any help whatsoever. Mental health professionals can help to a certain extent, but an actual peer supporter, who deals with similar issues, can be of much more help and support.
Therapy Groups Tend To Be Pagan
I have noticed that secular therapy groups tend to teach their clients antibiblical pagan concepts. For example, the practice of so-called "Mindfulness" is a pagan exercise that is heavily pushed by many mental health professionals. The word of God does not teach meditation via the process of "emptying one's mind". Instead, we are called to fill our minds up with His word, literally the exact opposite of what the world teaches us. I know there are support groups that secularized by paganism too, but I have found out about Christian supports groups that exist, such as Grief Share and others too. I have yet to find therapy groups led by Christian therapists, but even if there are some, I wouldn't trust that those therapists would actually promote Christianity or merely psychologized "Christianity".
I sincerely hope that this blog helps you better understand the difference between therapy groups and support groups. Whichever group you choose to attend, I hope the group proves to be a real blessing in your life. Please feel free to post your personal experiences you have had with these two groups in the comment section below. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the CCMH Ministry Website
