Our general therapy groups are named Understanding Self and Others primarily because they are designed for students who wish to increase self-understanding, self-esteem, and intimacy in relationships, as well as address their interpersonal style and relationship-building skills. Group members come together with others who are also struggling with something about themselves or life with which they are not happy. The group provides a private, warm and supportive environment in which you can constructively experiment with new ways of relating to others, share personal experiences, express fears and concerns, and get support and feedback. A group orientation is required for group membership and is usually scheduled one-half hour before the start of your first group meeting or other convenient time that fits your schedule. Groups can be joined at any time in the semester.
Graduate students entering these Understanding Self and Others graduate groups will have the opportunity to explore personal issues and dynamics that are affecting their personal life, performance, and well-being while at Purdue. Group members will support each other around graduate school and interpersonal concerns and will explore and process how their interpersonal styles are related to their grad school experiences and life in general. The dynamic interactional patterns that occur within the group will be discussed and processed for the therapeutic benefit of group members. A group orientation for new members is required for group membership.
The Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Skills Group is for students whose coping skills are no longer working, resulting in their having difficulty controlling emotions and experiencing chaotic friendships and relationships. Students will learn a variety of skills to help control where they focus their attention, understand and reduce painful emotions, navigate relationships successfully, and tolerate distress in a skillful way. A group orientation and concurrent individual therapy are required for group membership.
A fast-paced, four-session (50 minutes each) seminar specifically designed to help people who struggle with a variety of depression-related concerns. The goal is to provide education on depression and to teach coping skills for managing symptoms. The four seminars are divided into content that builds upon itself. The sessions will include activities that help students understand the experience of depression, explore how thoughts and behaviors impact depression, and how we can begin to make changes to our thoughts and behaviors in order to better manage depression.
Anxiety Toolbox is a fast-paced three-session seminar specifically designed to help people who struggle with a variety of anxiety-related concerns (e.g., panic attacks, Generalized Anxiety, test anxiety). The goal of this seminar is to provide education on anxiety and to teach coping skills for managing anxiety symptoms. The three seminars are divided into content that builds upon itself. In session one, we take a broad look at 4 symptom clusters of anxiety and introduce a method for slowing down and disentangling the experience of anxiety. In session 2, we focus on increasing insight on the thought patterns that impact anxiety; increasing awareness and understanding are major tools in addressing anxiety. In session 3, we develop alternative responses to anxiety and create a personalized action plan for managing anxiety.
