Group Counseling

Find connection and vitality through relationships

Remove the hindrances to connection. Allow others to truly see you and know you. This is what we long for.

The Importance of Group Counseling

If individual counseling is the bedrock of sex and porn treatment, group counseling is the lifeblood. Fully involving yourself in a group can bring about much-needed vitality and inspiration for your recovery journey. Though it’s important to be clear that group counseling is not mandatory. But in many cases it is needed. Attendance and involvement is completely up to you and your goals.

Sexual Addiction as Intimacy Disorder

Intimacy comes from the Latin word “intimus” which means “inmost, innermost, or deepest.” Men afflicted by sex and porn addiction may not know how to identify the depth of what they’re feeling nor how to share it in order to connect with someone else. This struggling to connect with others—including God—is expounded by therapist Dr. Eddie Capparucci in his book Why Men Struggle to Love. So how does group counseling help? 

What Can Group Counseling Offer Me?

  • Self-esteem

  • Confidence

  • Insight

  • Perspective

  • Brotherhood

  • Validation

  • Relationships

  • Accountability

  • Knowledge

  • Skills

Group counseling offers a space for clients to practice intimacy. They can deepen their relational selves and up their emotional IQ. It’s a space to develop important skills that may have not been modeled in their families of origin like empathy or vulnerability. But learning intimacy is just the tip of the iceberg. For example, Patrick Carnes established that group counseling can help clients fully engage in therapy, make up for developmental deficits, better deal with anxiety and grief, change deeply rooted beliefs, and gain insight and understanding as they collaborate with others. (FtS) Additionally, addiction specialist and therapist Dr. Tian Dayton writes this about group work,

The psychological and emotional numbness and the emotional constriction that result from trauma slowly dissolve as group members share and witness each other’s stories, and take in support from each other. Dissociated memory can surface and be reintegrated. The power of identification with each other’s stories literally pulls forgotten or repressed material from the unconscious into the conscious.

The Practicals

Groups are a fixed price of $200 a month. In-person groups meet downtown Coeur d’Alene at 1424 E Sherman Ave. Online groups meet via Zoom. All group sessions are 90 minutes and meet weekly for the scheduled duration. Additionally, potential group members are screened to make sure they are a good fit, and all members must commit to the confidentiality of the group.

Threshold Counseling groups have different content. One group goes through Patrick Carnes’ Facing the Shadow while others explore topics such as healthy sexuality, mature masculinity, and spirituality, and may use portions of books like Unwanted, Worthy of Her Trust, and No More Mr. Nice Guy to facilitate discussion. Ask me about current groups and availability if you’re interested.

A Brief Note on 12 Step Groups

If you can, join one. Get involved. Find a sponsor and work the steps. The 12 Steps can be a life-changing addition for long-term recovery. Ask me about 12 Steps groups meeting in your area.

Brotherhood

Deep male friendships can feel like an oxymoron. That’s incredibly unfortunate because men are highly relational and need strong connections, though we’ve been trained to think otherwise. Call (208) 758-7414 to inquire further.