Understanding Psychotherapy - an Introduction

Group Leader:      
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• Have you ever felt that you are stuck in a rut?
  
  
• Have you ever felt you are on a merry-go-round - "here we go again" - déjà vu - "I keep getting into this kind of situation"?
  
  
• Have you ever been in a situation where you feel someone is pushing you into doing something and you don't know how to get out of it?
  
  
• Have you ever wished you could be more assertive without being aggressive?
  
  
• Do you sometimes feel that even though your mother/father has been dead for years, you are still very much under their thumb?
  
  
• Have you ever wondered what your dreams mean?
  
  
• Are you unable to handle goodbyes or feel uncomfortable and awkward at the prospect?
  
  

In the UK, before I retired, I ran my own psychotherapy practice. However, this U3A group is not a psychotherapy group. What I am offering is an insight into the theoretical world of psychotherapy and into how it is practised.

Once the group meetings have begun, the group becomes closed - i.e it is not then open to new members joining. There are two reasons for this: 1) each presentation builds on the material covered in previous meetings and, 2) the group develops progressively over the weeks and the introduction of new members interrupts this process and changes the dynamics of the group. In ordinary English - new members affect the ability of the group to gell.

Since I believe that understanding is more effectively achieved by doing than by being lectured to, my presentations include some experiential exercises and as much discussion around the topics as group members want - and very lively and stimulating the discussions have been!   My aim is that, after 8 to 10 meetings, group members should have a fair understanding of how psychotherapy works and probably some insights into their own processes too.

In the first U3A group which I facilitated, when we came the end of the material I had prepared, the group members decided that they wished to continue meeting and that it should continue to be a closed group. So, in that group (in which I am no longer the Group Leader), it is no longer I who decides the content and what we do, but the group as a whole. Also, the group members decided that they did not want it to continue to be a U3A group because it is now just a small private group without a programme.

There was sufficient demand for me to run a second U3A group on a different day. This too came to a close after I had presented all my material and, in this case, we did not continue to meet.

If there is sufficient demand, I will set up a third group. In the meantime, if you may be interested in joining a third group, please let me know and I will add you to the list.

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