Having community is a protective and healing factor for all types of people, but can be particularly powerful in minority groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community. Group therapy is one space that can foster a sense of queer community by creating an environment where individuals can share experiences, receive support, and form connections based on a shared lived experience.
Core Benefits of LGBTQIA+ Group Therapy
There are so many benefits to group therapy including shared community/building friendships, having a space to laugh and cry, meeting new people, and just getting out of the house. But for LGBTQIA+ group therapy in particular there are a few core benefits including reduced isolation, identity exploration, communication skills, coping mechanisms, and resilience building, all things which thrive in a group setting and are harder to recreate in individual therapy.
Reduced Isolation
A common experience for individuals in minority groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community is a feeling of isolation. When surrounded by messages and media that give limited representation to different groups, it often makes us feel like we are alone in our experiences. Even if there is no outright homophobia or transphobia, there can still be a feeling of not quite fitting in in mainstream society. With an LGBTQIA+ group, we are able to join with others with shared experiences. We are able to relate to others and hear varying perspectives. It helps individuals to feel less lonely and gives all of the benefits of being a part of a community and something bigger than oneself.
Identity Exploration
When participating in an LGBTQIA+ group, you are also able to have a safe space to explore your identity further and learn about different aspects of identity including gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation with the support of others who understand on a personal level. In exploring these areas within an LGBTQIA+ group setting, there is acceptance, understanding and fluidity to change and try things out to see what feels right for you in any given situation or time in life. Like within individual therapy, having a space to explore without judgement allows individuals to build a strong sense of self and self-confidence.
Communication Skills
A benefit of any group therapy setting is developing healthy communication skills. With the help of group expectations and group norms, you are able to learn how to be an active listener to others and also how to share about yourself with other members of the group.
One thing that will undoubtedly happen within a group setting is that conflict will arise. Having a group therapy setting allows for opportunities to navigate and resolve conflict in an effective and healthy manner. Group members are able to take the communication and conflict resolution skills with them outside of the group setting. These interpersonal skills are critical life tools that translate to all domains of life.
Coping Mechanisms
Identifying within the LGBTQIA+ community often comes with hardships and stressors including dealing with discrimination and stigma, microaggressions, social isolation and rejection, and impacts on physical and mental health. These are not easy things to face alone. LGBTQIA+ group therapy not only provides emotional support within these areas, but also a space to learn and practice coping skills for managing stressors that arise. Group members are able to learn from each other what is helpful for them, and provide suggestions to others who are undergoing hardships.
Resilience Building
Resilience is the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties. The aforementioned benefits lead to an overall building of resilience. Through having support within a community, feeling less isolated, building communication skills, and improving coping skills, you are ultimately building a resilience to navigate life in an effective way. With these skills you are able to feel competent in difficult scenarios and you have the support and coping skills needed to take care of yourself in stressful times.
Specific Challenges Addressed in LGBTQIA+ Group Therapy
The LGBTQIA+ community faces a unique set of challenges including societal pressures, identity exploration, and a lack of understanding from others that can impact mental well-being. The power of the LGBTQIA+ group setting is that it allows for a safe space to be able to process, receive support, and learn how to address these specific mental health challenges.
Societal Pressures
While the stories and experiences of queer people are becoming more normalized, we still live in a predominantly heteronormative society. This means the books, tv shows, movies, news articles, etc. tend to be focused mainly on experiences of straight characters and individuals. There are inadvertent and direct messages that being straight and cisgender are what is expected. There are pressures to be girly or manly. There are pressures to have a boyfriend or girlfriend and have a traditional family. All of this places pressure on individuals who don’t see themselves within those storylines. There is a feeling of not fitting and ultimately stress related to “what does it mean that I don’t fit?”
LGBTQIA+ group therapy allows a space that does not have a predefined “right” or “wrong” way. It allows a space to talk about those societal pressures and mental health issues and offer support where stress occurs, as well as offering other options that society doesn’t highlight.
Identity Exploration
With better understanding and feeling supported with societal pressures, individuals then have a sense of safety to explore their identity in a deeper way. Society pressures us to put a label on ourselves in order for others to understand us. Labels are helpful as a starting point, but ultimately the power of LGBTQIA+ group therapy and our own self-exploration is that we get to define what is unique specifically to us, not just as it relates to gender identity and sexual orientation, but also all aspects of what make us unique.
Mental Well-being
With the societal pressures and the stressors that coincide with being within the LGBTQIA+ community comes a large impact on mental well-being, especially as compared to hetersexual and cisgender individuals. Common mental health issues include anxiety, depression, gender dysphoria, substance abuse, thoughts of suicide, and other mental health conditions. This is another area that LGBTQIA+ group therapy addresses and provides support for by providing a space to share and process these concerns, and also learn how to cope and manage stressors. Group therapy also acts as a preventative factor in that, if you have a safe and healthy community that you are connected with, this helps to decrease negative impacts on mental health.
The Role of the Therapist in Facilitating Community Healing
Groups of varying types have different leadership structures. For LGBTQIA+ group therapy such as the Teen LGBTQIA+ Support Group here at Sentier, it is led by a therapist. The therapist has the job of creating the environment for the group in order to facilitate all of the benefits that have already been discussed. The things that help to create this safe and inclusive environment include guiding discussions, encouraging self-discovery, ensuring a non-judgmental environment, and displaying and teaching cultural competence.
Guiding Discussions
My role as the facilitator of the Teen LGBTQIA+ Support Group is to pose questions and topics that are important to the wellbeing of the members of the group. This may look like a structured discussion where I pose a question or prompt that the group members answer and respond to; or it can look like taking opportunities as topics come up organically to dive into further. For example, if a group member is checking in with the group and shares that they have a family member that made a homophobic statement, the therapist can use that opportunity to ask, “has anyone else experienced this? What did you do? How did you get through that hard experience?” This allows important and helpful conversations to happen within the group therapy sessions that help to build safety, community, and mutual understanding.
Promoting Self-Discovery
Another role of the therapist is to encourage self-discovery. The therapist can do this in how they respond to group members’ statements. For example, when there is a moment of self-discovery and expression, making a statement that is encouraging and positive. It may also look like setting an example by appropriately sharing their own experiences of self-discovery. Lastly, it might look like education related to topics related to self-discovery including gender and sexual orientation. Overall, the therapist is allowing space for more representation of all types of people and allowing the group members to explore what fits best for them.
Non-Judgmental Environment
The therapist is also responsible for directing the flow of the conversation to ensure that it remains respectful, supportive, and non-judgmental. This looks like setting an example that is non-judgmental, as well as, redirecting group members when unhelpful or judgmental statements are made. As has been stated earlier, it is important that the LGBTQIA+ group remains a safe environment for self-exploration and expression and gender diversity. Therefore, when things are said that are judgmental or disrespectful, the therapist sets an example for how to respond to these types of statements in a respectful and helpful manner, and assists group members in maintaining a non-judgmental community environment.
Cultural Competence
In order to do the above tasks effectively, a therapist leading a LGBTQIA+ therapy group needs to be culturally competent. That means that the leader is LGBTQIA+ affirming and is well versed in the issues that the LGBTQIA+ community faces. Oftentimes these therapists have specialized training in working with groups and with the LGBTQIA+ community to ensure that they are providing the best quality of care.
Longterm Benefits
In reflecting on my experience leading the Teen LGBTQIA+ Support Group at Sentier, I am able to see the long-term
benefits and impacts that it has on its participants. When a support group is set up in a healthy and supportive way, I can see its success by members continuing to participate. A common thing that is shared when a new group is started after a break is, “I’m so excited to be back here,” “I missed you all,” and “I really needed this.” These statements exemplify the importance of community within the LGBTQIA+ community and how simply spending time, sharing space, and hearing each other’s stories can be an experience of healing. As time passes, it leads to a better understanding of self and of others and helps to build self-esteem and compassion towards others.
Blog written by Sentier therapist, Abby Voigt, MSW, LICSW.
Sources
Fish, J. N., Moody, R. L., Grossman, A. H., & Russell, S. T. (2019). LGBTQ youth-serving community-based organizations: Who participates and what difference does it make? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(12), 2418–2431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01129-5
The Trevor Project. (2024). 2024 US National Survey on Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People. The Trevor Project. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2024/.
