Your First Anxiety and Depression Support Group

What to Expect in Your First Anxiety Depression Support Group at The Center for Growth / Therapy in Philadelphia / Ocean City:

In the beginning of the Anxiety and Depression group session, the therapist begins by discussing the “Highs and Lows” of the week, followed by a light-hearted question, usually relating to a metaphor (for example, “If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be and why?). This is the time where we introduce new members as we move along in the circle, with each member discussing the positive and negative events that happened throughout the week, usually relating to how anxiety and depression symptoms are managed, interfere with a task or event that takes place, or how you are able overcome an obstacle.

After the opening discussion, when there are new members to the group, the confidentiality policy is discussed. Confidentiality is a concern, especially when opening yourself up in a new environment with people you don’t know. We take this very seriously, and have a group discussion about what the members have all agreed to, how to handle certain scenarios (such as if you run into a group member outside of group), and the policies that the facilitators have implemented. Before moving forward, we then ask new group members if they accept the agreements, and what changes they would like to add or take away to help them feel safe and comfortable sharing information.

The next part of the Anxiety and Depression support group is first opening up the floor to the members to see if anyone would like to address an event that has occurred, a symptom they have been struggling with, or to seek advice on a specific issue, such as anxiety and depression in the workplace, open discussions on medication management, relationship concerns, or any other topics that are plaguing individuals. Some sessions are utilized with a traditional support group design of group discussion and feedback.

Group topics often reflect what current group members are struggling with, for example trouble asserting boundaries with others, communicating effectively, using negative self-talk, and so the therapists will create psycho-educational activities to help the group work collectively on learning and demonstrating skills on how to overcome these issues. A benefit to having these interventions are the group unity and support, and the ability to work as a team to help build one another up in order to become the best (and healthiest) versions of themselves. Once the activity is completed, there is time to reflect on what aspects were easy, what parts were challenging, and to identify anything they may have learned about themselves.

At the end of the support group session, the therapists will use the same circle format to have each member report on what they will take away from this session. This could be in the form of what they have learned, what they will utilize outside of therapy, what they heard from someone that resonated with them, or any other thoughts they have uncovered while in the session. After this activity the therapists may give a task or activity to have the other anxiety and depression support group members practice throughout the week, or to help prepare the group members for the next session by asking them to think about any questions or concerns they may have regarding the next topic of discussion.

Anxiety and Depression support groups can be very rewarding and a great way to work towards self-care, no matter what point you are in on your journey towards treatment. Please call The Center for Growth for more information on our Anxiety and Depression group, as well as the other groups that we have to offer. We also offer free sessions so that you can come see for yourself!

You can self schedule an in-person or virtual therapy session at the Center for Growth by calling (215) 922- LOVE (5683) x 100.

Our Guarantee: If after your first session you are not sold that you are working with the right therapist, do not hesitate to call our intake line at 215 922 5683 x 100 or Alex at (267) 324-9564 and ask to be rescheduled with another therapist. The choice of how you want to proceed is yours. Our only goal is to support you in becoming the best you possible.

For your convenience, we have brick and mortar offices and work with clients virtually in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Physical Therapy Office Locations:

Ocean City Therapy Office 360 West Ave, Floor 1, Ocean City, NJ 08226
Mechanicsville Therapy Office 9044 Mann Drive, Mechanicsville Virginia, 23116
Society Hill Therapy Office 233 S. 6th Street, C-33, Philadelphia PA 19106
Art Museum / Fairmount Therapy Office 2401 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 1a2, Philadelphia PA 19130
Providence Therapy Office 173 Waterman St. Providence, RI 02906
Fayetteville Therapy Office 101 Devant Street #606, Fayetteville GA 30214
Santa Fe Therapy Office, 2204 B Brothers Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Telemedicine Therapy Locations: We have therapists who are licensed to work in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia and Pennsylvania

Therapy Services Offered in Fayetteville, Ocean City, Mechanicsville, Philadelphia, Providence, Santa Fe:

Individual Counseling and therapy
Couples Counseling and marriage counseling
Teen Therapy and Adolescent Therapy and tweens and child counseling
Family Therapy and multi-generational counseling
Art Therapy and Counseling no art skills needed
ADHD Therapy and ADD, Dyslexia, Autism, Tourettes counseling
Anxiety, Panic, OCD Therapy and worry and fear support
Breaking the cycle of Codependency and being your own person
Overcoming Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain .
Depression Therapy and sadness, gloom, and upset support
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) Therapy is a particular style of therapy designed for people with problems affecting their nervous system, how the brain and body send and receive signals.
Grief Therapy and loss, End of A Relationship, rejections, pregnancy and loss and therapy
Mindfulness Based Therapy and spirituality based therapy
Narcissistic Abuse Recovery child of, parent of, spouse of, sibling of a narcissist.
Sex Therapy and sexual function & dysfunction, sex addiction, sexual orientation and gender identity support
Shame and Blame
Trauma Therapy both emotional and sexual abuse, complex trauma, PTSD counseling
Divorce support
Affairs, Infidelity, Unfaithful, Cheating counseling
Parenting therapy
Personality disorder treatments Narcissist, Borderline, Histrionic
Anger Management Therapy
Setting Boundaries and identifying ones own Core Beliefs
Just name some of the Mental Health issues that we work with. Our goal is to help you Change and Achieve Your Dreams

Your First Anxiety and Depression Support Group

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