Support Group vs. Group Therapy?

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-03-2005
Support Group vs. Group Therapy?
2
Mon, 02-06-2006 - 3:37pm

Just curious - is there a specific difference between a support group and group therapy? I've called several leads about support groups in my geographic area and on Friday received a call back about an ED therapy group being starting up by a therapist and dietician. It sounds like it could be worth exploring, but I am so nervous. They do an intake appointment where they meet you and you meet them to see if you're a match for one another. Is that normal? I guess I have so many questions - do I really belong in an ED group? What are the benefits of working on issues in a group setting? Is this the right next step? What's the difference between a support group and group therapy? Would they end up having control, like my T with the calories/food contract, over monitoring my progress toward recovery? Sorry - I know - so many questions - just thought it might be nice to hear about experiences from others on this issue. I've only worked with one T, off and on over the course of about 10 years, so letting others into this recovery process makes me nervous and seems scary. Thanks for any thoughts on this.

Sincerely,
Nicole

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 02-07-2006 - 6:51pm

Hi Nicole,

I am not sure that there would be a huge difference between a support group or group therapy. When you say support group I think of OA or EDA meetings in which you share what is going on with you. Some have a focus like a particular topic each week and some are book studies. You are encouraged to work through the 12 steps with a sponsor. Group therapy, in my opinion, is led by a counselor or someone who is trained in that field. Most like there would be more of focused time rather than just sharing arbitrarily. I am in one of those groups right now and really like it. The counselor who leads it has different topics every week and she has overcome an ED herself. She has been helping people with EDs for 15 years I believe. She encourages us to work with a nutritionist and in some cases recommends a food plan (initially) but she never forces us to stick to it.

I personally think if you are in a group that tries to force you to eat a certain amount of calories or certain types of food it is not healthy. My guess is that you will not find such a group and if you did then you can decide if you want to stay or not.

I hope this helps and sorry for the late reply.

Love & hugs, Kristina


“It helps to resign as the controller of your fate. All that energy we expend to keep things running right is not what keeps things running right.” ANNE LAMOTT



The opinions I have expressed here are from my own experience and are not intended as medical advice or to take the place of your own physician's advice.


Love & hugs, Kristina

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-03-2005
Fri, 02-10-2006 - 2:26pm
Hi Kristina. Thanks for your answers and insight into the difference between the two kinds of groups. This group would be led by two people - a therapist and a dietician and sounds like it would be structured to have topics, discussions and educational components. The meeting I had this morning to find out more addressed many of my apprehensions, and although this is an intimidating next step, I think it's one I should take. Thanks again for your feedback.