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Group Counseling

Fall 2023 Group Schedule

Review the list of our current therapy groups below. Click the tabs to find more information about each therapy group. Please note: groups will be offered in person and virtually, depending on the group.

General Therapy Group Options

A safe space to understand and express emotions, explore better ways of interacting with others, and find increased authenticity in relationships in and out of the therapy room.

Undergraduate/Graduate Student General Therapy Group – Tuesdays

  • 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (contact Dr. CJ Polihronakis, Ph.D. (he/him) at cjpoli@umd.edu)

Undergraduate Student General Therapy Group – Thursdays

  • 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.(contact Dr. Pepper Phillips, Ph.D. (she/her) at pepper@umd.edu)

Graduate Student General Therapy Group – Mondays

  • 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (contact Dr. Erica Merson (she/her) at merson12@umd.edu)

Graduate Student General Therapy Group – Tuesdays

  • 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. (contact Dr. Allison Asarch (she/her) at aasarch@umd.edu)(TBD if in person or virtual format)

Undergraduate Student General Therapy Group – Thursdays

 

Anxiety

This time-limited group is for students who struggle with anxiety and fears that keep them stuck, afraid, or unable to fulfill their social or personal potentials.  Students will learn new skills to overcome their anxiety and build social confidence.

This a six week semi structured group designed to provide a supportive space for students while teaching students skills to manage emotions that “get the best of them,” and whose emotions interfere with their ability to effectively solve problems and to communicate in relationships that are important to them.

Trauma Support

A semistructured supportive and confidential space for women identified survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. Group members will learn about different topics related to their experiences of harm and healing.

International Students

International students are invited to participate in a weekly support group where they can talk with each other about adjusting to the U.S. and the university, making friends, managing academic stress, and taking care of mental health.  This is a great place to practice speaking English with other students who are adjusting to a new culture and talk about your home countries and cultures.

Grief and Loss

This group offers emotional support and information about the process of grief and helps students develop adaptive coping strategies for managing loss.

Body Image

Explores the experiences of women-identified and nonbinary people in their struggles with body image and self-worth and the ways that dieting, obsessing about thinness, binge-eating, over-exercising, and purging may affect their lives.

Graduate Student Support

Members will receive support from the facilitator and each other in getting through the struggles involved in completing their dissertation or thesis.

Diversity Issues

This group is open to undergrad and graduate APIDA diaspora of diverse identities to share their challenges and successes when navigating academic/career concerns, family/cultural value conflicts, relationships, identities, acculturation process, sociopolitical climates and beyond. This group aims to create a safe space for APIDA students to cultivate radical healing, hope, mental wellness and empowerment through storytelling and support.

A support & discussion group that addresses such topics as personal concerns, interpersonal & dating relationships, sexuality, and being a Black woman on a predominantly White campus.

This group aims to assist men- and masculine-identified students better understand themselves and how they interact with people of the same/similar and other genders. Topics of discussion may include - but are in no way limited to - exploration of gender roles and expectations, body image, emotional expression and communication patterns, sex, sexual health, and intimacy, relationships with partners, friends, peers, and family, as well as academic and professional concerns. Group sessions will also consider the intersection of additional sociocultural identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual identity, social class) in relation to the varied experiences of being a masculine- or man-identified person.

This group is open to undergraduate and graduate students of Color who represent the sexual orientation and gender continuum. Members of the group are invited to participate in co-creating a space to discuss identity, coming out, transitioning, relationships, struggles, victories, and more - a space to decompress, share what's on your mind, and find support.

The LGBTQIA+ Support Group provides a co-created space for sexually marginalized (e.g., bisexual, asexual, queer, lesbian, gay, questioning) and gender expansive (e.g., transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, agender, gender non-conforming) undergraduate and graduate students to engage in discussions around their intersecting identities, coming out and/or transitioning experiences, relationships, families, as well as struggles and victories. This group aims to provide a space for LGBTQIA+ students to decompress, share what is happening in their lives, and find support from other Queer individuals.

This group is meant to be a safe space for Latinx students to share their stories, struggles, and successes as they work to accomplish their academic goals at UMD. Students may discuss experiences related to their identity, cultural values, academics/career, family, and relationships, among other topics. Students will learn about themselves, gain support, and work on improving their self-care and life balance.

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