Individual and group therapy, do you know the difference? An Evaluation Paper
-Introduction: It is essential for every individual to get a proper and detailed treatment or therapy from an experienced doctor or therapist. In this world, there is inhabited a population of people with illnesses of all kinds. It could be an illness of the cognitive department of the brain, or it could have to deal with a person’s body part which is not functioning properly
-Main Body:
- Group discussions tend to reduce the feelings of loneliness and anxiety by a group of people sharing their problems and finding the right treatment
- During an individual therapy, all the attention is focused on the individual who leads to patient comfortable sharing his issues and problems with a therapist.
- Spence (1991) stated that there is a very small difference between a group and individual session’s effect on the individual.
- Both the therapies proved to reduce anxiety, pain endurance, and mental health and proved to enhance the effects of the medication on the patients
- It was seen that the slow effects offered by individual therapies had the same beneficial results as being initially offered by group treatments
\-Conclusion:
- It is reflected on the personality, mood and personal limits of a person to choose and engage whether in a group therapy or individual therapy. Both therapies require different levels of endurance and patience, and both show their results in their own time.
Individual and group therapy, do you know the difference? An Evaluation Paper
It is essential for every individual to get a proper and detailed treatment or therapy from an experienced doctor or therapist. In this world, there is inhabited a population of people with illnesses of all kinds. It could be an illness of the cognitive department of the brain, or it could have to deal with a person’s body part which is not functioning properly. The therapy that is conducted by the therapist will be an individual therapy session or a group session. It raises the question of whether the treatments being done in a group are more beneficial or individually conducted ones.
During a group therapy, patients engage in conversation with a group of people being treated together to enhance the effects of treatment. The patients in the group therapy share the same type of illness and contribute together to engage in useful treatment of the patients. As a group, they listen to the problems of one another and get hope and basic treatment by sharing beneficial time by engaging in giving benefits to one another. As a member of a group therapy session, there are certain rules to be followed and the member starts to learn ways of how to cope with whatever problem the member is going through. Group therapies are a road to a person learning ways of handling relationships and learning how to tackle problems if being occurred in important relationships such as family members and immediate friends. Through group treatment, a considerable number of clients can be helped and treated at the same time. Group discussions tend to reduce the feelings of loneliness and anxiety by a group of people sharing their problems and finding the right treatment. (Basavanthappa, 2007)
During an individual therapy, all the attention is focused on the individual who leads to patient comfortable sharing his issues and problems with a therapist. The patient does not have to worry about sharing personal issues with strangers like in a group therapy as the patient might be shy and would not want to voice out his problems in front of a lot of people (Basavanthappa, 2007). As ample amount of time is being invested on a single patient alone, the plans of the present and future treatment can be easily and comfortably discussed without having to hurry up.
There are variations in the statements given by renowned therapists about individual and group therapy sessions. Spence (1991) stated that there is a very small difference between a group and individual session’s effects on the individual. Analysis shows that an individual treatment is more reliable than a group therapy as it proved to improve an individual’s ability to understand and cope better with him and the situations being tackled by him. Patients were taking group therapy sessions reported to have suffered minimal pain against taking individual therapy sessions. (Gabbard, 2009, p. 676)
Although there is a much heated debate between what therapies whether individual or group is proving to show the most beneficial and positive effects on the patients. It is discussed by Stokes after comparing 113 patients that both therapies show and a great improvement on the patient. Both the therapies proved to reduce anxiety, pain endurance, and mental health and proved to enhance the effects of the medication on the patients. (Gabbard, 2009, p. 676)
Initially, the patients being treated by group therapy sessions showed greater improvements than patients taking individual therapy sessions but it was noted that group therapies covered a minimum duration of the treatment’s effects on the patient. It is true that patients treated individually had to wait patiently for the treatment to take over its toll. However, it was seen that the slow effects offered by the individual therapies had the same beneficial results as being initially offered by group treatments. With individual therapies, there is a minimum chance of relapse. (Gabbard, 2009, p. 676)
As we have discussed the difference between group therapy and individual therapy, it is easily understandable that both therapies have their benefits and advantages along with having a few disadvantages as well. It is reflected on the personality, mood and personal limits of a person to choose and engage whether in a group therapy or individual therapy. Both therapies require different levels of endurance and patience, and both show their results in their own time.
References
Basavanthappa, B. (2007). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Publishers.
Gabbard, G. (2009). Textbook of Psychotherapeutic Treatments. Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.
