Counseling Services is introducting two new group counseling sessions for the fall 2012 semester: The Common Ground Group and the Introduction to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Group.
The Common Ground Group is for students to meet and discuss a variety of problems and stressors. Some topics include self-awareness, self-confidence, stress management, mutual respect and communication in relationships. Students will receive mutual support and feedback from other students in a private and confidential setting.
In addition to the Common Ground Group, the Introduction to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Group will teach techniques to cultivate mindfulness in daily activities while reducing stress and improving well-being. Some of the topics of the group will involve what mindfulness is, how to cultivate it in your daily life, and how to reduce stress. The group is the first part of a two-part series and is based on the teachings of guru Jon Kabat-Zin.
Each group will meet once a week for 90 minutes starting in the beginning of October until the end of the semester. Staff counselor, Jason Yoder, MSW, will facilitate the Common Ground Group and staff counselor, Kelli DeIaco, Ph.D., will facilitate the Introduction to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Group.

Counseling Services offers different group sessions each semester based on reported students. Students wishing to join the group counseling sessions must have a “pre-group interview” with the facilitator to allow a connection to develop with the facilitator and to learn what the student wishes to gain from the group sessions. Facilitators also make sure a group counseling session is a good fit for the student. Groups are “open” the first few meetings, meaning that new clients can enter and join the group.
A few weeks into the sessions, the groups will then be “closed,” so the group can form with its set composition of group members. Dr. Kristin Sagun, director of Student Wellness, explained, “Expectations of confidentiality and communication are set from the first group session. Once these have been set, the group will gradually develop a level of cohesion and comfort with one another.” Each group session has a different topic, depending on what the facilitator or students decide, or what themes continue to emerge within the group.
Although individual counseling is more common, Dr. Sagun said, “Group counseling is an excellent mode of counseling that offers experiences and benefits that cannot easily be achieved through individual counseling. For example, sharing your experience with others who may be dealing with similar issues has been shown to be very therapeutic.”  The feedback students receive from their peers is beneficial; different perspectives help students find new ways of interacting with others and coping. Finally, some issues are better conquered within a group counseling session rather than an individual one. Dr. Sagun said, “Students dealing with social anxiety greatly benefit from the experience of interacting within a group format. They experience the here and now of the moment of an actual social interaction.” Individual counseling is beneficial to address certain issues, but some issues students work through more quickly in a group experience.
The Common Ground Group and the Introduction to Mindfulness Group will be two new additions to campus which will benefit students in overall wellness. For more information, contact Counseling Services at 717-361-1405 or visit the Student Wellness Website.