Process Groups: What’s It All About?

Group Therapy

As a therapist deeply immersed in Irvin Yalom’s Interpersonal Process Groups, I’ve seen firsthand the power of group therapy to foster meaningful change. Unlike structured, skills-based group therapies, process groups operate in the here-and-now, focusing on the relationships, dynamics, and interactions between members as a vehicle for personal growth.

At its core, process is about how we experience each other to grow and change. It’s the nature of our relationships between and among group members that creates the most powerful opportunities for transformation.

What Makes Process Groups Unique?

In individual therapy, we often explore thoughts and emotions internally, but process groups provide something different—a social microcosm where we see how our ways of relating play out in real time. These groups allow us to:

• Gain insight into our interpersonal patterns

• Experience corrective emotional experiences within a safe space

• Develop deeper, more authentic relationships

• Explore our social roles and how they shape us

• Receive honest, constructive feedback from peers

This is not a place for passive learning—it’s experiential. Interpersonal learning is the cardinal mechanism for change in these groups. As members interact, they begin to risk and invest energy in relationships, which is where real growth happens.

As Philip Flores noted in his work on addiction populations, group therapy is uniquely effective because it provides an opportunity for individuals to realise they are not alone in their struggles. Even if someone isn't formally addicted, group therapy still holds immense value—many of our symptoms and struggles are interpersonal in nature and best addressed in an interpersonal setting.

The Social Microcosm: A Reflection of the Real World

Yalom describes process groups as a "social microcosm"—meaning that the way we behave in group tends to mirror how we act in everyday relationships. If we struggle with avoidance, confrontation, trust, or validation-seeking, those same struggles will emerge in the group.

The group becomes a space for real-time feedback and relational exploration. This is key, because often, people are unaware of how their own behaviour contributes to relational difficulties. By experiencing these patterns within the group, members can begin to break out of cycles that have held them back.

At times, this work requires taking risks—sharing openly, addressing conflicts, or tolerating discomfort. But with risk comes transformation, and these groups provide the safety needed for that kind of personal evolution.

Why Does This Matter?

Psychological struggles—whether anxiety, depression, trauma, or addiction—are deeply intertwined with relational experiences. Often, the pain we carry originates in relationships, and so it makes sense that healing should also occur within relationships.

Process groups provide fertile ground for growth, allowing members to experience themselves in new ways while receiving meaningful, honest, and sometimes challenging feedback. This is how deep change happens—not just by talking about patterns, but by living them out and shifting them in real time.

Who Can Benefit?

Process groups are valuable for anyone who wants to:

✔️ Improve relationships and social confidence

✔️ Understand their relational patterns

✔️ Work through interpersonal struggles in a safe setting

✔️ Explore deeper emotional experiences with others

✔️ Find support from a community that fosters growth

As June Lake beautifully put it, process groups provide opportunities to push past fears, understand relational patterns, and create more fulfilling connections. People may need to express roles in power and explore the ways those roles play out in relationships.

Different Types of Groups: Going Deeper

Not all groups are the same. Some stay at the surface level, while others go deeper into the self and relationships with others.

• Education Groups – A data download, where information is provided but personal processing is minimal.

• Discussion Groups – Conversations about a topic, often without personal exploration.

• Counselling Groups – Focused on skills-building and practice, often structured.

• Therapy Groups – More individualised work within the group setting.

• Process Groups – The deepest level, exploring self, relationships, and the here-and-now dynamics between members.

While all have value, process groups offer something unique—the opportunity to experience yourself in relation to others in a real and impactful way.

Final Thoughts

If you're looking for a therapy experience that moves beyond symptom reduction and into the realm of deep, meaningful change, an Interpersonal Process Group might be what you need. This is a space where therapy is not just about talking, but about experiencing—feeling, reacting, and learning in real time.

For those who are ready to take that step, the journey can be life-changing.