Group therapy: The room that reflects you back

Unravelling

What makes a therapy group more than just a room full of people? In this episode, group psychotherapist J. Scott Rutan, Ph.D. joins Kurt to explore the transformative power of group therapy. Drawing on Dr. Rutan's decades of experience, he shares how people often reenact personal dynamics in groups, sometimes unconsciously, which gives therapists and peers the opportunity to reflect those patterns back in real-time. Rutan emphasizes that group therapy doesn't just talk about problems—it lives them, revealing defenses that protect against deeper vulnerability.

Dr. Rutan highlights the unique power of group therapy, where multiple members act as mirrors, making interpersonal patterns more visible than in individual therapy. Group dynamics often bring to light behaviors that individuals can describe but not fully demonstrate one-on-one. He and Kurt explore the deep human need for belonging, the therapist’s role as both leader and participant, and why groups so often become the place where the most profound change happens.

Links
Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy by J. Scott Rutan, Walter Stone, & Joseph Shay
This widely adopted text and clinical reference covers the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of setting up therapy groups and making them work.

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