Therapists who want to run a group but haven't: what stops you?
I'm a counseling grad student (seeing clients) and I've been thinking about group therapy lately, specifically the gap between groups therapists would like to run and groups that actually exist.
I designed a skills-based art therapy group for a class project my first semester, and the process made me realize how many practical barriers there are to getting a group off the ground even when you have a solid idea. Finding enough members, having a space, working around scheduling, getting the word out.
It also made me wonder... how many therapists have group ideas sitting in their head that they have never actually started? Not because the idea is bad, but because the logistics or demand is missing.
Or if you want to refer a client to a group you think they would benefit from and it doesn't exist.
Curious to hear from folks who have thought about running a group and haven't yet, or who tried and it fell through.
What kind of group did you want to run? What stopped you? If there is one group topic or format you wish existed in your area, what would it be?
Just trying to understand the landscape better. Thank you!!
FOLLOW UP EDIT: If you could waive the stigma problem and the recruitment problem, what group would you run? Is there a topic, format, or population you have thought about but never pursued because you were not sure enough people would actually show up?
Alternatively, have you seen clients express interest in a type of group that does not exist in your area?