Group therapy vs individual therapy is an important consideration when deciding to seek support from a clinical psychologist. When we think of therapy, most people immediately picture one-to-one sessions with a psychologist. However, group therapy is an increasingly popular treatment for mental health concerns.
Both modes have significant advantages, as well as possible drawbacks. However, in my experience, I have also found that it’s often less about either-or and more about what’s most appropriate for where you are in your mental health.
As such, when weighing up group therapy vs individual therapy, it’s important to consider both your presenting concern and other practical factors like affordability, location and scheduling.
What is Individual Therapy?
Individual therapy involves one-to-one sessions with a psychologist. Sessions, usually just under an hour long, are dedicated to your specific concerns and experiences. This form of psychotherapy is usually focused on “talk therapy”: your therapist guides you through a conversation about whatever challenges or milestones you’re experiencing and helps you to reflect and develop skills that can disrupt negative thinking patterns or behaviours.
The therapeutic relationship itself is often central to the work we do together in sessions. The time I spend in the therapy room is a balance between steering and supporting clients, as appropriate, as they try to overcome challenges to lead an authentic and healthy life.
My approach to therapy is also intersectional and decolonial. We explore not just your individual traits and circumstances but how family, communities and other systems have influenced you. This is important so that you can more easily integrate the work we do in therapy with situations as they arise in your life beyond the room.
Individual therapy can be skills-focused or more exploratory. Often, we set goals for different periods of therapy and use a combination of these approaches, as is most appropriate, to achieve the stated goal. This can help clients build more meaning, growth and overall wellbeing into their lives.
What to expect in group therapy
Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which two to fifteen participants meet face-to-face under the guidance of one or two mental health professionals. It is helpful both as a standalone and as a supplement to individual therapy.
There are different kinds of groups, sometimes tailored to a particular age segment or focused on a certain treatment. For example, my psychology practice in South Africa provides two kinds of group therapy:
- Psychotherapy group: This is most similar to individual “talk therapy”. A psychotherapy group is relational and process-oriented; participants in the group work through interpersonal patterns as they emerge in the room.
- DBT skills group: These groups are structured psychoeducational sessions. While group discussion is a component, these sessions prioritise teaching practical tools to improve mental health: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Understandably, some people find the prospect of joining a group intimidating as they’re nervous about sharing their emotions with strangers. This is understandable and group therapy does involve a sense of vulnerability. However, you can learn to manage that sense of vulnerability and will also have the guidance of the mental health professional facilitating the group to help you.
Once you’re able to overcome initial nerves, many participants find that sharing their experiences reduces stigma and their sense of isolation.
The Benefits of Group Therapy
While individual therapy provides you with a space to reflect on your interactions with others, group therapy allows you to practise your interpersonal skills in a “live” social environment. This provides valuable experiences for you to reflect on (either by yourself or in individual therapy). It also means that the psychologist facilitating the group can see first-hand how you relate to others and provide helpful feedback to you.
Another advantage of group therapy in South Africa is the sense of validation and solidarity. By meeting other people with similar challenges, you might feel less lonely in your personal development journey. As social creatures in a community-oriented society, the group setting is a natural environment in which to grow.
Because of this social dynamic, group therapy sessions provide a valuable opportunity to learn coping mechanisms from other people who have similar difficulties. The facilitating mental health professional will also provide helpful strategies.
Of course, affordability is an important consideration when comparing group therapy vs individual therapy. Groups are more cost-effective as you are sharing the fees with the other participants. The reduced cost does not mean you are getting poorer-quality treatment; research indicates that groups can be just as effective as individual therapy.
The Benefits of Individual Therapy in Cape Town or Online
Naturally, individual therapy offers unparalleled privacy and attention. If there’s something you’re grappling with that feels too raw or too private, then it’s ideal for individual therapy. This is often the case with clients who have recently experienced a traumatic event or those who are trying to accept emerging sexualities, for example. While groups can certainly help us through these life events, it often feels easier to start working through them with just one trusted person.
The therapeutic relationship between client and psychologist also deepens in individual therapy. This can be a powerful mechanism for healing and growth. For example, some clients particularly value the stability aspect as something they have not previously experienced in other relationships.
For others, the therapy relationship can offer a safe space in which to experiment with new ways of being that they are not ready to express with others. As they grow in confidence with aspects of their identity expressed to the therapist, it becomes easier to do so with others in their lives.
Furthermore, individual therapy sessions are tailored – in pace and content – to your particular needs. This is especially valuable for clients processing trauma or who are newly diagnosed with neurodiverse conditions like autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Who tends to benefit most from each format?
Comparing group therapy vs individual therapy, we can see that both modes have their advantages and disadvantages.
In short, group therapy tends to suit:
- People whose difficulties show up clearest in relationships with others
- People wanting to work on vulnerability, assertiveness, boundaries, emotional expression, and interpersonal patterns (family, work, social settings)
- Those managing anxiety, depression or interpersonal difficulties who are in a position of enough emotional stability to engage with others
- People who want structured skill-building activities
- Those for whom cost is a consideration
- People already in individual therapy, wanting to supplement it — in some cases, the best results come from combining individual and group treatment
In short, individual therapy tends to suit:
- Anyone at the beginning of their therapeutic journey, who might be processing something very raw or sensitive for the first time
- Presentations involving trauma, abuse, or highly sensitive personal material that requires a private, highly confidential and contained space
- Clients with complex needs who require consistent one-to-one focus and a flexibility of pace that’s tailored to their specific needs
- Those who want to deeply explore and come to terms with the deeper origins of their emotions, thoughts and behavioural patterns
- Neurodivergent clients (including ADHD and autism) who may need a more individually tailored approach before or instead of a group setting
Many clients feel more comfortable starting with one-to-one sessions. Once they’ve developed enough self-awareness and interpersonal skills to work comfortably in a group, they might progress to group therapy. And as their needs shift over time, they might experiment with moving between the different modes of therapy or even combining them.
However, it is possible to join a group without having individual therapy. In such cases, it will depend on the existing dynamic of the group you are joining. In some instances, it can be uncomfortable, and even clinically inappropriate, for someone to be the only person in the room who hasn’t done individual work.
But if a group is particularly for people with little experience of one-to-one sessions, then everyone in the group will learn together and feel more comfortable doing so.
Being flexible in the types of therapy you do has an advantage. By balancing group therapy and individual therapy, you can obtain personalised treatment and enhance interpersonal skills. This approach also allows you to manage your financial resources and ensure you do not go stretches of time without treatment when you might be in a vulnerable position.
It’s so important to note that it isn’t always about group therapy vs individual therapy. It’s possible to try both at different stages and, as with our DBT skills group, you can also do group and individual therapy simultaneously.
Group therapy vs individual therapy in South Africa: Limitations to consider
While group therapy offers exciting possibilities for improving mental health, you should be aware of possible drawbacks. Although participants agree to maintain confidentiality, the setting is inherently less private than individual therapy.
Additionally, consider that the pace of the sessions is determined by the group. It may move to subjects you are not ready to discuss or skip along others that matter more to you than to other participants. As such, it may not be appropriate for an immediate crisis.
The group dynamic may feel uncomfortable when you first join. However, learning to navigate that discomfort is part of the therapeutic process. People with social anxiety, especially, can benefit from this.
For those who struggle with particular kinds of anxiety, programmes like our DBT skills group are a good way to test the waters of group therapy. Such groups allow you to experience a group dynamic but, since they focus on teaching practical strategies, they do not require the same degree of vulnerability as a therapeutic group. You also have the option of processing your group experience in individual sessions simultaneously.
Individual therapy also has its drawbacks. One-to-one sessions are inherently more expensive than group therapy. Even if you have medical aid cover, your scheme will only fund a limited number of sessions and only for particular conditions. You may need to use day-to-day savings or pay cash to ensure you receive adequate treatment.
The other thing that sometimes happens with one-to-one sessions is that relational patterns can take time to emerge. What clients describe to their therapist in the room does not always fully capture how they actually function in relationships. In such cases, this natural bias can be gently challenged but it does take time and trust to do so.
Group therapy vs individual therapy: choosing what’s best for you
To start your decision-making process, you might consider what feels most important to you right now. We all go through different phases in our mental health that might require different responses. Remember that you can always switch between formats later and, in some cases (as with our DBT skills group), you can do both individual and group therapy simultaneously.
If you find yourself overwhelmed by the considerations of group vs individual therapy, consider booking a one-to-one session to identify your core challenges and get professional advice on which format is best suited to your treatment. Many groups require such a consultation first with the facilitating mental health professional in order to make sure that the group is a good fit for you.
As with many things, the hardest part is the first step. Whether you start with group therapy or individual therapy, what matters most is that you’ve made the courageous decision to seek support. This is the first move towards managing your emotions, thoughts and behaviours so that they can support, not hinder, you as you build a life that feels authentic, healthy and meaningful.
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