Support groups offer many benefits to young people struggling with depression, low self-esteem, behavioural problems, and eating disorders. These benefits can improve not only your teen’s quality of life but can help to balance the equilibrium of your whole household. When a teen struggles with peer pressure issues, finding a peer group in the proper setting to process their emotions can help improve the way they communicate in their world. Finding the right support from a group therapy program can be a transformative experience for your teen. Venture Academy can provide your teen an environment that is conducive to real and lasting change.
What Are the Features of a Support Group?
Support groups offer the benefit of bridging the gap between personal therapy and the real-world application of learned behaviours. They are a necessary part of a rounded therapeutic program and help teens to process complex ideas in a safe and supportive environment that offers redirection kindly. While there are many different types of groups and variable facilitators who may run a group session in different ways, the true value of a support group exists in this opportunity to pass on learned behaviours.
Benefits of a Support Group
Many support groups are effective because members come from similar experiences. In teen groups, their age binds them together into a unit. This helps teens connect to peers who understand what they are experiencing and model behaviours that may or may not work well. Support groups offer many different types of benefits.
Some of these benefits may include the following:
- Gaining the tools to communicate openly about feelings
- Acquisition of new coping skills
- Shared resources among members of the group
- Increased motivation to stick with treatment
- Reduction of isolation or loneliness
- Practical feedback in a space to practice new skills
- Lowered levels of depression and anxiety
- A sense of empowerment
- Honest expression in a judgment-free space
Moving toward a common purpose with peers offers a chance for teens to feel success and control in their lives. These aspects of a group therapy program make it a stabilising addition to recovery efforts.
What Activities Does A Support Group Offer?
Group therapy activities offer the opportunity for a teen to engage with other group members for specific purposes and goals. Some icebreaker activity goals can be as simple as learning the names of others in the group. Group storytelling can help facilitate learning about behaviours that did not work for other group members. By sharing, members can also share how they are working to change.
A few examples of group therapy activities that some facilitators incorporate into their support groups include:
- Icebreakers for members to get to know each other
- Games like two truths and a lie
- Mindfulness activities
- Physical exercises like group recreation or yoga
- Imparting wisdom through personal storytelling of peers
- Noticing and celebrating triumphs and strengths
- Providing proper models of coping skills
Group therapy activities can help lead teens to lasting change through positive models of behaviour. Venture Academy offers support group activities that will guide your teen to a better understanding of self.
Explore More About a Support Group at Venture Academy
If your teen is struggling with trauma, addiction, or behavioural issues, the right support group may be just what they need to get back on track. Venture Academy’s group therapy program can help your teen to interact with others who may be able to impart great insights into how to make the best changes for their success. Group therapy activities can help bolster their self-esteem and give them new tools for understanding their world.
Give us a call at 866.762.2211 to find your teen the treatment they desperately need. Venture Academy’s 30-day assessment and intervention program and behaviour treatment can offer your teen the community they need to grow. If you are still feeling unsure, consider taking our interactive child behaviour test. It only takes about five minutes of your time to keep your child from becoming another teen alcohol statistic.
