We are excited to offer a wide range of services to meet students’ needs. Students interested in participating in a workshop are invited to visit Engage to register. Please call 573-882-6601 for more information on classes and groups.

About Group Therapy

Group therapy is the best treatment to address many emotional and relationship issues college students face. Group therapy provides you with the opportunity to address your current concerns, to connect with others experiencing similar issues, to learn and try new behaviors, and to increase your self-awareness. We offer a wide array of groups to address the needs of our students. Group is often the best treatment choice for addressing anxiety, depression, and relationship patterns.

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.

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.

Spring 2023 Groups and Classes

Please note, most 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.

People of Color (POC) Support Group: This support group serves as a way to openly engage in dialogues around what it means to be a person of color on this campus. This group serves to empower students and help them recognize that there are other individuals that share similar experiences. The POC group 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: This group is intended to help international students find support as they adjust to life and academic work in the United States. 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: This support group is for LGBTQ (and questioning) students to explore, understand and celebrate their identities. 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: This 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.

Interpersonal Process Groups: These are process oriented groups helping members with interpersonal skills, increased expression of emotion, understanding social dynamics, and gaining a greater awareness of one’s self. Members will have a safe place to explore feelings and thoughts, give and receive support and feedback, and practice healthier ways of relating to themselves and others.

Social Confidence Group: The social confidence group is designed to help students re-frame unhelpful thoughts and build new patterns of behavior which will allow them to more readily navigate social and professional relationships. The group discusses how social anxiety symptoms are developed and maintained, and how they can be addressed, as well putting those techniques into practice through guided role-play activities with co-facilitators and other group members.

Graduate/Nontraditional Student Support Group: This is a support group for graduate and non-traditional 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.

Relational Support Group: This support group is for clients who have concerns with family, social and romantic relationships. This group can help students work through difficulties they have faced within these relationships as well as build strengths and skills to interact more effectively with others.

Healing From Family Challenges: This group is for students who 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. 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.

Recovering from Grief and Loss Group: This group will explore the reactions and feelings associated with grief and loss. We will explore the factors that benefit and hinder grief recovery. Students will have the opportunity to participate in exercises and discussions that are designed to assist them in overcoming their losses. Students will have a safe and supportive environment to talk about grief and interact with others who can understand and relate to their experience.

Navigating Emotions: This is a skills-based group that 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.

Working with the Inner Critic: 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 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.

Anxiety Class: The anxiety class is a 4-week classroom-like course 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.

Alleviating Daily Distractions (A.D.D.) Class: The A.D.D. class is a 4-week classroom-like course designed to help students develop coping skills for difficulties in attention, concentration, time management, organization and improving their overall diligence. Students will increase their knowledge of attention, concentration, how they can adjust their implicit organization skills, and effectively use adaptive/technological resources to help them reach their full academic potential.

Reclaiming Your Roar Class: Reclaiming Your Roar is a six-week depression class providing psychoeducation, experiential activities and support. The first half of each session will allow members to check in on successes and struggles during the previous week. The second half of each session will cover topics such as finding motivation, CBT, mindful self-compassion, healthy sleep and nutrition, and building relationships.

Workshops

Take charge of your own well-being. Sign up for free workshops with Student Health & Well-Being. Topics include skills for managing anxiety, depression and stress; learning to sleep well, mindful living and how to have a great relationship with your body. Register for these free workshops and other Student Health & Well-Being events in Engage.

Skills Class

Skills classes are focused on developing a particular skill or learning to manage a specific challenge. Our classes range from one to four weeks. Topics that may be addressed in skills classes include managing symptoms of anxiety, self-compassion, quieting your inner critic, self-care, or managing stress. Classes are offered to students when learning specific skills is likely to significantly improve their well-being and day to day functioning. Classes are scheduled throughout the semester.