Group Listings

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.

Our BIPOC USO group is intentionally designed to serve as a space for Black, Indigenous, and students who identify as people of color (i.e. Latinx or Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc.) wishing to increase self-understanding, self-esteem, intimacy in relationships, as well as addressing their interpersonal style and relationship-building skills in a BIPOC only space. The group is a mix of both undergraduate and graduate students. The group will strive to provide a secure and supportive environment in which you can constructively experiment with new ways of relating to others, share personal experiences, express fears and concerns, and receive guidance and feedback. Additionally, the group can serve as a safe space to seek or discuss specific resources oriented to the needs or concerns of a BIPOC community.

The International Student Understanding Self and Others (USO) Group is a confidential and supportive space for international students who wish to improve their concept of themselves and others. Students can expect to process personal experiences, difficult emotions, interpersonal struggles, and self-esteem. Students will receive guidance, feedback, and skill building from CAPS co-leaders, as well as the opportunity to learn from their peers. Numerous topics may be discussed, including but not limited to: cultural concerns, educational systems, friendships/romantic relationships with others from different cultures, communication, coping with being away from home, loneliness, stress, language barriers, future career concerns, current political climate and its impact on international students, etc.

A support group for womxn of color who would benefit from discussing issues related to race- and gender-based oppression and who are open to discussing these issues in a varied cultural space. Womxn (a term used to be inclusive of transgender women, non-binary folks, as well as cisgender women) of color, specifically, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latinx/Hispanic, Native/Indigenous (non-White), struggling with adjustment to college pressures, students who experience racial abuse or discrimination. Clients who identify as international students but do not identify as a person of color may not benefit from this group.

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.