Group Therapy and Support
Different therapy groups are available free of charge to qualifying clients including primary and secondary survivors, see below for current group offerings.
GTEP (EMDR) Primary Survivor Treatment Group
Who: Adults who have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime
When: New groups begin the 1st Wednesday of each month. Groups meet for 2 weeks on Wed, Thurs, and Fri 4 - 5 p.m.
Where: In-person at Dawson Place
Facilitated by a mental health counselor
This 2-week short-term treatment group welcomes adult survivors of sexual assault, regardless of when their assault occurred. Group EMDR (GTEP) therapy can provide some immediate treatment relief from acute symptoms without the pressure to share personal stories within the group. This is designed to be an immediate, short-term intervention for qualifying individuals to move past crisis, or, act as a stop-gap support while people are on the individual counseling waitlist.
GTEP (EMDR) Secondary Survivor Treatment Group
Who: Caregivers and loved ones experiencing emotional distress after disclosure of sexual assault by a loved one
When: New groups begin the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Groups meet for 2 weeks on Wed, Thurs, and Fri 4 - 5 p.m.
Where: In-person at Dawson Place
Facilitated by a mental health counselor
This 2-week short-term treatment group welcomes adults who may be experiencing emotional overwhelm after a disclosure of sexual assault from a loved one. This includes but is not limited to: caregivers and loved ones of those who have experienced sexual assault. Group EMDR (GTEP) therapy can provide some immediate treatment relief from acute symptoms without the pressure to share personal stories within the group. This is designed to be an immediate, short-term intervention for qualifying individuals to move past crisis, or, act as a stop-gap support while people are on the individual counseling waitlist. This group is to help with the emotional overwhelm that can occur with the disclosure of a loved one. For those who are interested in general parenting support after these events can check out our support groups.
Frequently asked questions
The primary group is available to survivors of sexual assault.
The secondary group is available to those who love and support a primary survivor of sexual assault and are experiencing emotional difficulty as a result of the disclosure.
This is a two-week closed group where people commit to the full 6 sessions over two consecutive weeks. Each group lasts one hour.
The very first session is required to ensure your safety during the group and determine appropriate fit. If the first session is missed, you would have to wait until the next group becomes available to try again. In general, when beginning the group, you will want to be able to commit to the full two weeks and be sure it’s the right time for you. Sometimes that means that it may work out better for your schedule to wait for a later group rather than the earliest available- and that’s totally fine, just let us know what you can do, and we’ll get you in when it best matches your schedule.
We understand that these are difficult times for people with a lot of appointments and other things going on, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns about attendance.
If you were a member of a group in good standing, the group may be repeated once if needed with the okay from the clinical lead. Additionally, this is sometimes contingent on whether or not a waitlist for the group is present.
Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to assist with childcare during groups and children cannot be present in the group therapy room.
We hope to have one in the future! Unfortunately, no online option is available at present.
During the first session, we will do regulation and coping exercises. If you are too overwhelmed to self-regulate, this group is likely not the best fit for you and less likely to be helpful. To ensure your safety and get you adequate care, we’d want you to start with the individual counseling instead of group therapy to help build these resources. The counselor will talk to you about this if there is any concern at any time during the group process. You are always welcome to step out of the group at any time if you begin to feel overwhelmed.
No. One of the benefits of this style of therapy is that it allows for direct trauma processing without it having to be verbalized within the group, so your time is maximized for your healing journey and it doesn’t put the spotlight on anyone who may not be ready for it yet.
No. Thanks to grants and donations, therapy group services are free to all participants.
Our brochure has some links listed, but in general, the best source of information is the EMDR International Association homepage (EMDRIA) found at www.emdria.org.
Yes. Peer support groups are available at PICAA as well as individual counseling options. We can also direct you to community resources if you would like.