Group Therapy
We provide more than 20 different psychotherapy groups that allow you to receive between one to two hours of therapy each week over the course of each semester. Full-time, day-time students (enrolled for 9 or more semester hours) are eligible to join a group, and there are no session limits for group therapy.
To Join a Group
If you would like to join a group and you have not attended a session at CAPS in the last 6 months, please click here to fill out our intake paperwork. Then call 801-422-3035 and request either a QuickCare appointment or to meet with our case manager.
If you would like to join a group and you have attended a session at CAPS in the last 6 months, please contact your therapist by phone (801-422-3035) or email to request to be placed in a group.
Groups Available
A variety of group therapy experiences are offered at CAPS, and have been shown (in research from our own center) to be just as effective as individual therapy (see here). These groups can be either structured or unstructured and offer the student opportunities to learn from their peers and group leaders. Our groups are described in detail below:
General Therapy
General therapy groups are intended to provide therapeutic experiences for people with diverse needs. The group format provides an atmosphere where individuals can practice interpersonal skills and gives them a chance to challenge and/or validate internal assumptions.
Compassion Focused Therapy
Compassion Focused Therapy groups use a model of therapy designed to help with a broad range of difficulties, including depression, anxiety, difficulties with self-worth, and perfectionism. This group is a combination of structured teaching, experiential exercises (practicing things in session together), and discussing your experiences as a group. CAPS has been recognized as a national training center for this type of therapy.
Anxiety
Anxiety groups are designed to cover each of the major evidence-based treatments for anxiety, including relaxation techniques, exposure therapy, cognitive interventions, and acceptance-commitment approaches. Groups are a combination of teaching, in-session practice, and discussing your experiences with anxiety together as a group.
Meditation
This group utilizes meditation and mindfulness practices to help students struggling with various emotional difficulties. Students learn various meditation practices and are encouraged to try them in session and at home. Members are encouraged to share their experiences with other members of the group.
Reconciling Faith and Sexuality
This psychotherapy group is designed to provide a space for students who identify as LGBTQ+ or who experience same-sex attraction to openly discuss their sexuality and how it intersects with their faith. We strongly value agency and an individual’s right to self-determination. We also recognize the complexities that arise in trying to reconcile these two important aspects of identity. In group, we encourage students to thoughtfully explore their identities, help support one another in their individual journeys, and work toward psychological health.
Body Image and Eating Concerns
This is a semi-structured group that focuses on body image and eating concerns. The group is intended as an adjunct to individual therapy or as support for individuals who have worked through issues with a therapist and would like to maintain their treatment gains. The format includes a psycho-educational component that focuses on topics such as healthy eating, perfectionism/achievement pressure, social and cultural influences, stress management, relationships, and identity. The group also has a component where participants can process feelings, impressions, and experiences.
Sexual Concerns
Individuals who are struggling with sexual behavioral excess are encouraged to join this 12-week group. The didactic format of the group places it halfway between a university classroom and a regular therapy group. We utilize some religious principles coupled with empirical psychological interventions coupled with eastern philosophy. This group aims to help participants bring their behavior into harmony with their values. This group meets once a week and begins shortly after the beginning of each semester.
*Please note that the Sexual Concerns group is available in two settings: a mixed gender group and a women’s only group.
Sexual Concerns – Partners
Individuals who are troubled by the excessive sexual behavior of a romantic or life partner are encouraged to join this 12-week group. The content of this group is similar to that of the regular Sexual Concerns group (a focus on mindfulness and value-based living), but it provides a space for partners to receive support and empathy from other partners in their position. Participants learn how to cope with their feelings of betrayal, rejection, sadness, and frustration about their partners’ behaviors, how to set effective boundaries, and how to build a relationship consistent with their values. This group meets once a week and begins shortly after the beginning of each semester.
ERP (Exposure/Response Prevention) for OCD
This group is specifically for students who have been diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. A major goal of the group is to teach students to “be their own therapists” in understanding the principles and application of exposure therapy for the treatment of OCD. There is a didactic component to the group, including self-help reading, psychoeducation about exposure and response prevention, and construction of anxiety hierarchies. There is also a process component to this group, allowing students to discuss their experiences as they participate in imaginal and live exposures.
D&D General Therapy
D&D General therapy groups are intended to provide therapeutic experiences for people with diverse needs by incorporating roleplay games into the therapy experience. The group format provides an atmosphere where individuals can practice interpersonal skills and gives them a chance to challenge and/or validate internal assumptions.