New starting date for group counseling

Group counseling meetings will start as of March. “Trauma and relationships” is the theme for the newly formed group, which will meet weekly . From now until the end of February you can sign up by sending an email to plovdivtherapy@gmail.com. After submitting your request, you will receive an invitation to a one-on-one live meeting. During the meeting, you will learn about the rules of group counseling and you will fill out some questionnaires. Thus the preliminary preparation will be complete and you can look forward to the first group meeting!

Group counseling is a popular format in counseling psychology and psychotherapy in which participants create a safe environment for sharing feedback. The communication exchange is focused on the here-and-now. It is guided by the principles of mutual respect, acceptance and support. Participants are equally entitled to engage other group members in personal issues, but are not required to actively participate in every single meeting.

Group counseling is suitable for anyone who has difficulty communicating with others, whether in an intimate, social or work context. During its formation, the group is open to all adults, regardless of their previous experience in counseling and/or psychotherapy. After the first three meetings, the group is closed and no new participants are allowed to join.

The purpose of the upcoming group is to explore how past trauma affects our ability to connect and build intimate relationships in the present. Unprocessed trauma makes it difficult to fully communicate in the present, but we are often unaware of the principles by which this mechanism works. If you have experience in counseling and psychotherapy, participating in a group gives you the opportunity to purposefully practice communication skills and overcome barriers to connection. If you have no previous experience, the group is a catalyst for self-reflection and the feedback you will receive from the participants will show you your “blind spots”.

The meetings are exclusively face-to-face. They run every Wednesday from 18:00 to 19:20 without a break. Group counseling is a commitment, because your absence or tardiness directly affects the other participants. The minimal number of members is six. The end of the meetings is open, i.e. the group decides when to terminate the process. Meetings are usually between 15 and 20. It is recommended that participants avoid contact with each other outside of group sessions. If such contact occurs, it is advisable that it is addressed in the following group session. The price per participant varies between BGN 20 and 30 per session, depending on the number of attendees. All group members also have the option to join a closed Facebook group to share resources related to the counseling process.

Each theoretical modality has a corresponding adaptation for a group format. “Trauma and Relationships” is based on Schema Therapy, where participants will have the opportunity to identify their maladaptive schemas and determine how those schemas drive certain dysfunctional behaviors.