Conscious Dating Group | Winter 2020

• you're dating
• you feel overwhelmed with dating
• you've given up dating
• you are dating but thing don't seem to work out

The Quick and Dirty Particulars:

January 16, 23, 30

February 6, 13, 20

7 - 9 pm, $500

Flexible outline: week1: get to know the group, set intentions, launching point week2: 'Air Support" (some people call this 'online dating') week3: 'Ground Support" (meeting people in real life) week4: boundaries, consent and red flags week5: physical intimacy, how do decided about 'first's' week6: tie up strings, give one another feedback, goodbyes. I am asking all participants to apply for the group. This way we can best assure those who join us are fully committed and ready to grow. ** this probably goes without saying, but no dating members from the group during the 6-week session. Please email me for the application form: Info (at) keeleyrankin.com

Have you never been a part of a group?

SOME ADVANTAGES

• Group therapy assures individuals that they are not alone and that other individuals share similar struggles. The famous psychiatrist Dr. Irvin David Yalom, one of the acknowledged gurus of group therapy, terms this the principle of universality.
• Group therapy offers the opportunity to both receive support from others and to give support to others. Receiving support from others is part of the bonding or therapeutic alliance that occurs in groups, whereas offering support to others allows for growth and learning.
• The therapeutic alliance that occurs in groups is broader then the alliance that occurs in individual therapy. This allows for the incorporation of many different points of view.
• Group therapy helps individuals develop communication skills and socialization skills. This allows people to learn how to express their issues and accept feedback from others in a safe container.
• Group therapy allows individuals to develop self-awareness by listening to others with similar issues.
• Sharing one’s experiences with others with similar problems is often itself therapeutic.
• Group therapy provides a broad safety net for individuals who may otherwise be hesitant to discuss their feelings, perceived weaknesses, etc.
• Individuals in group therapy can model the successful behaviors of other individuals who have gone through similar experiences.
• Group therapy is typically less expensive than individual therapy.

DISADVANTAGES

Several disadvantages to group therapy are:

• The client is not the focus of attention. In many groups, the old adage “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” seems to apply. Thus, the level of intervention is not as focused and intense for any single person as individual therapy.
• The level of confidentiality in groups is far less secure than it is an individual therapy. Although group members are asked to hold the information and events that occur in the group as confidential, the potential for a breach of confidentiality is far greater in group therapy.
• The notion of social loafing is a problem with all group efforts. Some individuals in groups do not actually make changes but simply ride on the success of others. Groups may allow unmotivated individuals to hide their issues and avoid accountability.
• Although the therapeutic alliance is broader, it is not as focused and strong in group therapy as it is in individual therapy.
• Groups typically meet at specific times. There is less opportunity to fit the therapy into the one’s personal schedule.
• Group therapy may be inappropriate for certain types of individuals, such as individuals who are extremely antisocial, extremely shy, impulsive, passive-aggressive, psychotic, etc.