Mental Health
Group Support
About Group Therapy
Group therapy is a powerful way to address a wide array of issues that are a part of a college student’s reality. Through connecting and healing as a group students can:
- Address current concerns impacting their day-to-day lives.
- Connect with similar life experiences and outlooks.
- Learn and try new behaviors.
- Increase self-awareness.
What Group Therapy Looks Like
Most groups are limited to 10-12 people and run from 6-14 weeks. It is important to attend every session of your group and to do any homework between groups. Most groups offer a pre-group meeting with group leaders to assess the fit of the group for a student’s specific needs.
What to Know Before Therapy
It is common to feel anxious when thinking about joining a group. It can feel difficult to share personal thoughts and concerns with others, particularly when you begin as “strangers.” Once the group progresses, you will likely develop trust and feel more comfortable participating in the group. Learning about yourself in group therapy usually has a positive effect on your relationships and can improve your quality of life.
Group Therapy Offerings
Most group therapy groups fill early in the semester and will not accept new members until the next semester. However, some groups remain open. If you are interested in participating in a group or class, please contact the MU Counseling Center (573-882-6601) to schedule a brief screening and learn more about your offerings.
Understanding Self and Others (USO) Group
2-3:30 p.m. | Tuesday
This process-oriented group provides members the opportunity to gain awareness in their relationships with themselves and with others. Members will enjoy a safe place to explore and discuss their thoughts and feelings, while also providing and receiving support and feedback. The conversations and connections created in group will allow students to gain insight into how they can learn to navigate relationships in a healthier manner. Members will also have the opportunity to try out different ways of expressing themselves to others, allowing them to be vulnerable in a trusting environment.
Graduate Student Support Group
1:30-3 p.m. | Wednesday
Dr. Anne Meyer & Dr. Jenny Lybeck-Brown
This is a support group for graduate students with the main goal of building a supportive community while dealing with the unique life stressors associated with this population. Typical topics include creating balance between school, personal, and work demands, finding and maintaining motivation and momentum including dissertation or thesis difficulties, dealing with time management, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, procrastination, or advisor conflict.
People of Color (POC) Support Group
4-5 p.m. | Tuesdsay
Dr. Jason Edwards
This support group serves as a way to openly engage in dialogues around what it means to be a person of color in college. This group serves to empower students and help them recognize that there are other individuals that share similar experiences. POC ultimately serves as an outlet for people of color to come together weekly in order to enhance their success at Mizzou.
International Student Support Group
3-4:30 p.m. | Thursday
Dr. Nathan Booth & Harriet Swanzy-Baffoe
This group is intended to help international students find support and help as they adjust to life and academic work in the U.S. Each week, there will be a new theme for discussion. These themes will be based on various challenges that international students typically tend to encounter, such as getting connected to Mizzou, the impact of mental health on financial and academic concerns, and navigating academic and professional relationships in the U.S.
LGBTQ Support Group
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Tuesday
Dr. Kerri Schafer
This support group is for LGBTQ (and questioning) students to explore, understand, and celebrate their identities. Students do not need to have made any particular “progress” toward coming out and/or transition to be in this group – this is a space to honor everyone’s unique experiences and journeys. Topics discussed will depend on group members’ needs, but may include: identity exploration and self-definition, cultivating identity pride, coming out, social and medical gender transition, dating, family experiences, dysphoria, navigating hetero- and cisnormative spaces, and just enjoying being with other queer people.
Men's Support Group
11 a.m.-Noon | Tuesday
Dr. Nathan Booth
This support group provides a relaxed, supportive environment for men to talk about the challenges that they face and help one another grow. As a college student, you have a lot on your plate, and being a man comes with its own unique experiences and expectations. You may feel pressure to navigate challenges while meeting certain standards of what it means to be a man. If you find yourself feeling stressed, conflicted, doubtful, or uncertain, you are not alone. This group allows men to discuss their concerns (including but not limited to anxiety, mood, academics, career, relationships, or issues related to masculinity), connect over shared experiences, support one another, and identify helpful ways to respond to difficult situations.
Recovering From Grief and Loss Group
4-5 p.m. | Monday
Michael Kaplan, LCSW
Group members often benefit from finding ways to relate to one another, as well as help one another cope. This can happen when clients who are farther along in their grief help others know what to expect. Members often appreciate the opportunity to normalize and express their grief in a supportive setting.
Healing From Family Challenges
3-4 p.m. | Monday
Dr. Adri Molder & Bri King
This group is for students who have experienced significant dysfunction or distress within their family of origin (such as trauma, physical abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect) which has impacted their self-perception, sense of self-worth, and ability to have healthy and rewarding relationships as adults. The group seeks to provide students an opportunity to heal from their early family experiences by use of validation, support, and connection to others. Group members will be provided with psychoeducation regarding the ways in which trauma impacts the body; they will be taught skills such as containment and emotion regulation; and they will be provided with a safe space to process family experiences.
Navigating Emotions
3-4:30 p.m. | Wednesday
Dr. Remya Perinchery & Donna Strickland, LPC
This skills-based group focuses on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. This group will teach students different ways of relating to their emotions and allowing them to use their emotions to follow their values, rather than be at war with them. The group will run for twelve weeks, with two six week “rounds” of the modules. Students can join at any point during the semester and be able to do each module once. There are six modules, so expect to commit to six weeks of being in the group.
Working With the Inner Critic
3:30-5 p.m. | Tuesday
Donna Strickland, LPC & Dr. Nathan Booth
Many students struggle with a harsh internal voice. These harsh internal voices represent one way of relating to the self and to others—through fear, competitiveness, or shame. This closed group will provide a supportive space for learning to relate differently to these critical voices through a compassion-focused orientation. The group will include psychoeducation about how the brain works, training in mindfulness and compassion, and processing of any struggles with a focus on compassion. As Paul Gilbert, who developed compassion-focused therapy puts it, “At the heart of this therapy . . . are ways of building caring connections (in contrast to fearful, self-focused, or competitive connections) with others and with self.”
Therapeutic Role Playing Group
3-4:30 p.m. | Monday
Dr. Chuck Burgess & Madeline Brown, LPC
This group utilizes tabletop role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, to help clients learn therapy skills in a fun, supportive, and safe environment. Clients will be able to identify and work toward specific goals (e.g., navigating social situations, learning communication skills, working collaboratively with others) with the help of a certified therapeutic game master. Time in the group will be split between therapeutic play and discussion of group goals.
Sandtray Group
1-2:30 p.m. | Thursday
Michael Kaplan, LCSW
This sandtray group is an expressive therapy that provides a safe space for clients to process emotions and work toward solutions using a nonverbal medium of communication. Members will arrange miniatures (i.e., figurines and small toys) in sand to represent situations, problems and solutions in their lives. In some sessions, members will work using individual trays; in others, members will work as a group in a larger tray. Although some verbal processing will take place, much of the work is done quietly. The group format allows members to gain support and see problems from new perspectives. The results can be eye-opening!
Skills Classes Offerings
Most group therapy groups fill early in the semester and will not accept new members until the next semester. However, some groups remain open. If you are interested in participating in a group or class, please contact the MU Counseling Center (573-882-6601) to schedule a brief screening and learn more about your offerings.
Anxiety Classes
4-5 p.m. | Monday | Dr. Jason Edwards & Jamie Trenary
4-5 p.m. | Wednesday | Dr. Jessica Santiago
The anxiety class is a 4-week workshop that was designed to help students develop coping skills for anxiety symptoms. Students will increase their knowledge of anxiety, its causes and symptoms and will learn and practice new skills to aid in building self-mastery and confidence. The content from each class builds on the previous week and each class can stand alone. Students may join the class at any time and stay until they complete the four days.
New to Mizzou: Transitioning to Life as a Tiger
3-4:30 p.m. | Thursday | Michael Kaplan, LCSW & Cheryl Jobe, LMSW
Round 1 : Starting Sept. 11
Round 2: Starting Oct. 23
Starting college is often a time of exciting, challenging, and sometimes stressful adjustment for students. New to Mizzou is a six-week class providing psychoeducation, experiential activities, and support as students begin their journey at MU. Class will cover topics related to: Navigating homesickness, getting connected to campus resources, tips for student success (e.g., when to use what resources, use of office hours, how to appropriately communicate with faculty and staff, etc.), coping with stress, mindfulness practices, and engaging/communicating effectively with roommates. Students may join the class at any time and stay until they complete the six topics. The first hour of class will provide psychoeducation on the week’s topic. The last half hour of class will provide space for processing and facilitating connections and support.
Reclaiming Your Roar
3-4:30 p.m. | Thursday | Dr. Devon Isaacs
Reclaiming Your Roar is a six-week class providing psychoeducation, experiential activities, and support for students dealing with depression. Students may join the class at any time and stay until they complete the six topics. The first half of each session will allow members to check in on successes and struggles during the previous week. During this portion, members will give and receive support to one another. The second half of each session will cover topics such as finding motivation, CBT, mindful self-compassion, healthy sleep and nutrition, and building relationships. Most weeks will include experiential activities such as guided meditation and thought records. Members will also be encouraged to share their favorite self-care ideas.
Alleviating Daily Distractions (A.D.D.)
Time and date TBD