Group Counselling
Sometimes group counselling is the best way to address certain personal issues rather than through individual appointments. At the Centre for Student Development and Counselling, we offer a number of group programs on topics ranging from managing stress and anxiety to enhancing personal relationships.
All groups are free, led by trained counsellors, and last for one to two hours. Groups take place in a confidential environment on campus, or are offered through virtual appointments.
To sign up for any of these groups, or to get information about which group might be a good fit, please book an intake appointment by calling or emailing the CSDC front desk. 416-979-5195 csdc@torontomu.ca
Fall 2024 Groups
Shyness Clinic
Mondays 10:00 - 12:00
This group will help you manage chronic worry and anxiety through Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness techniques. We will explore topics such as coping with uncertainty, problem-solving, and disengaging from catastrophic thinking.
Let’s Talk About Us
Tuesdays 3:00 - 4:30
Six week hybrid (Zoom & In-person) group for Black-identified students at TMU. This group will be a soft space that will be centered around exploring and affirming the complexity, humanity & vast richness of Black student life & emotional well-being. Students can expect to feel a sense of connection to themselves, their peers, and the communities that mean something to them. Students can also expect to explore practical ways of integrating a variety of emotional well-being strategies & rituals into their daily lives. We will also emphasize space for lighthearted joy and playfulness. This group will be facilitated by Black staff from the Center for Student Development and Counselling (CSDC) and Health Promotion Programs. Registration is required so we ask that interested students please fill out (google form) this form (external link) . If you have any questions, please email eden.abraham@torontomu.ca
Winter 2025 Groups
Family Relationships
A group for students who want to better understand and learn to navigate tricky family dynamics. Join us to identify relationship patterns, explore your values, and work towards establishing healthy boundaries within your family.
Facing Loss
Everyone experiences loss in their own way, but nobody needs to carry the grief on their own. In a supportive atmosphere, group member will share their loss as well as ideas and materials they have found helpful.
Taming your Critic
Wednesdays 2:00 - 4:00
This group will help you to reduce self-criticism, increase trust in yourself, and to see yourself through more compassionate eyes. This is an Emotion-Focused Therapy-based group for students that have a strong inner-critic.
More to Life
Mondays 2:00 - 4:00
Have you ever asked yourself, is this it? Completing a degree, building a career and settling down with a family are all great goals to pursue but is that all there is to living a fulfilling life? In More to Life, we’ll search for an answer to this question and explore some of the key ingredients of a meaningful life including belonging, purpose, transcendence and storytelling.
Self-Compassion Group
Tuesdays 2:30 - 4:00
This skills-based group is most suitable for students who struggle with low self-esteem, negative self-talk, and/or perfectionism. This group will teach practices that evoke self-compassion, enabling participants to respond to difficult moments with more kindness and understanding. Group activities include mindfulness meditation, group discussion, experiential exercises, and various home practices.
2SLGBTQIA+ Community Group
An affinity group that provides a safer space for students identifying under the 2SLGBTQ+ umbrella to find support and build community. The group will discuss experiences related to gender and sexual identity, the student experience at TMU, family relationships, and more.
Stepping Into Healing
Please join us for an 8-week group for survivors of adult sexual violence (16+) and/or intimate partner abuse. Be part of a community where people who have experienced violence and abuse come together to support one another. Come learn about the impacts of trauma, coping strategies, boundaries and more! This psychoeducational support group will include discussions and experiential exercises.
My Body My Weigh
If you are struggling with your eating or body image this group is a place to come for support. Based on mutual support and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).
Untangled
Decode your emotional experience and learn how to cope with distress. Feeling overwhelmed? Do you experience strong emotions and find it difficult to cope? This 6-week virtual counselling group will help you better understand your feelings, learn healthier ways to deal with crisis, and teach you practical coping strategies to manage your emotions.
Culture Clash
A group focused on discussing the experience of living with multiple cultural, ethnic, racial, and religious identities. Topics discussed will include mental health stigma in immigrant communities, racism, xenophobia, and managing family expectations.
"Group counselling is not as good as individual counselling."
In fact, addressing your concerns in a group counselling format can often help in ways that individual counselling cannot. For example, it provides an opportunity to receive support and to learn skills and coping strategies from a number of people who share many of your challenges and concerns. It is also an opportunity to practice new skills and to get immediate feedback from both the facilitator and other participants. As well, because groups meet on a weekly basis they can offer more continuity than individual counselling. If the recommendation of group counselling is made to you, it is based on the belief that it is an effective way of helping you.
"I have so much trouble talking to people; I'll never be comfortable in a group."
Lots of people are anxious about being able to communicate in group. However, in most cases, with support and encouragement, people become more comfortable and open within a few sessions. It is also important to remember that group offers an opportunity to begin taking some risks in a safe and non-judgmental environment.
"I will be forced to tell my deepest thoughts, feelings, and secrets to the group."
You control what, how much, and when you share with the group. Most people find that when they feel safe enough to disclose what is troubling them, a group can be very helpful and affirming. You can also be helped by listening to others and thinking about how what they are saying might apply to you.
"What I share won't be kept confidential."
Confidentiality is always a condition of group membership and is discussed openly in the first session. In every group, members and facilitators actively develop guidelines around privacy and confidentiality.
"Group counselling will take longer than individual because I will have to share the time with others."
Actually, group counselling is often more efficient than individual. Plus, you can benefit from the group even during sessions when you say little but listen carefully to others. You will probably find that you have much in common with other group members, and as they work on a concern, you can learn more about yourself. For these reasons, the group process can often accelerate individual change.
"I’m afraid that I’ll be negatively judged by other group members."
It is very important that group members feel safe and counsellors are there to help develop and ensure a supportive environment. One of the benefits of group counselling is the opportunity to receive feedback from others. It is rare to find friends who will gently point out how you might be behaving in ways that hurt yourself or others, but this is precisely what group can offer. This will be done in a respectful way, so that you can hear the feedback and make use of it.
(This text was adapted from that developed by Jack Corazzini, Virginia Commonwealth University)
All groups require that you first book an appointment with a counsellor in our Centre in order to discuss your goals and determine whether what is being offered will be compatible with your needs.
Book an appointment with us to find out more about group counselling.
Untangle
Fridays 10:30 - 12:00
Decode your emotional experience and learn how to cope with distress. Feeling overwhelmed? Do you experience strong emotions and find it difficult to cope? This 6-week virtual counselling group will help you better understand your feelings, learn healthier ways to deal with crisis, and teach you practical coping strategies to manage your emotions.
Shyness Clinic
Wednesdays 10:30 - 12:00
Do you find it hard to meet new people? Do you sometimes "shy" away from social situations and classroom presentations? This group is a small, confidential group for students who experience social anxiety and shyness.
Managing Anxiety and Depression
Thursdays 2:00 – 4:00
In this group, students will learn about depression, anxiety and how to manage symptoms. We will learn to identify thoughts and feelings, identify and manage triggers, recognize and change unhelpful thinking patterns, and build effective coping skills like mindfulness and self-compassion.
My Body My Way
Thursdays
If you are struggling with your eating or body image this group is a place to come for support. Based on mutual support and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).
More to Life
Mondays 2:00 - 4:00
Have you ever asked yourself, is this it? Completing a degree, building a career and settling down with a family are all great goals to pursue but is that all there is to living a fulfilling life? In More to Life, we’ll search for an answer to this question and explore some of the key ingredients of a meaningful life including belonging, purpose, transcendence and storytelling.
Taming your Critic
Wednesday 2:30 - 4:30
This group will help you to reduce self-criticism, increase trust in yourself, and to see yourself through more compassionate eyes.
Facing Loss
Everyone experiences loss in their own way, but nobody needs to carry the grief on their own. In a supportive atmosphere, group member will share their loss as well as ideas and materials they have found helpful.
Managing Anxiety and Depression
Thursdays 2:00 - 4:00
In this group, students will learn about depression, anxiety and how to manage symptoms. We will learn to identify thoughts and feelings, identify and manage triggers, recognize and change unhelpful thinking patterns, and build effective coping skills like mindfulness and self-compassion.
More to Life
Have you ever asked yourself, is this it? Completing a degree, building a career and settling down with a family are all great goals to pursue but is that all there is to living a fulfilling life? In More to Life, we’ll search for an answer to this question and explore some of the key ingredients of a meaningful life including belonging, purpose, transcendence and storytelling.
Shyness Clinic
Do you find it hard to meet new people? Do you sometimes "shy" away from social situations and classroom presentations? This group is a small, confidential group for students who experience social anxiety and shyness.