Group Counseling:  Spring 2013

Cook Counseling Center offers a wide variety of free group counseling for Virginia Tech students. The number of participants per group is often limited. Therapy groups are often viewed as equally or more helpful than individual counseling because of its interactive and community emphasis. Interested students are encouraged to contact the Cook Counseling Center and sign-up as soon as possible. For more information, call 540-231-6557.

Early Life Trauma

Members: Women only, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Fridays, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Location: East Eggleston, room 107

 This group offers multiple perspectives, support, encouragement and feedback for victims of early life trauma, from similarly afflicted individuals in a safe and confidential environment. These interpersonal interactions can provide group members with an opportunity to open up about the challenges they face

Understanding Self and Others: Undergraduate Group #1

 Members: Any undergraduate student

Time: Thursdays, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Location: McComas Group Room, room 258

 This group is for undergraduate students who are interested in developing and practicing their social skills, becoming more comfortable in social situations, learning how to be emotionally present with others, getting support from students who are struggling with similar problems and learning more about themselves.

Understanding Self and Others: Undergraduate Group #2

Members: Any undergraduate student

Time: Thursdays, 10:15 a.m. – 11:45pm

Location: McComas Group Room, room 258

This group is for undergraduate students who wish to increase self-understanding, self-esteem and intimacy in relationships, as well as address their interpersonal style and relationship-building skills. It provides an opportunity to receive support and feedback from other students in a safe environment while developing your ability to understand and express yourself.

Understanding Self and Others: Undergraduate Group #3

Members: Any undergraduate student

Time: Mondays, 1:15 p.m. – 2:30pm

Location: McComas Group Room, room 258

Understanding Self and Others: Graduate Group #1

Members: Any graduate student

Time: Fridays, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Location: East Eggleston Group Room, room 109

The group provides a supportive environment and sounding board for graduate students to discuss issues related to their advisor, lab mates, etc. Feedback is provided to help individuals determine their path in difficult relationships as well as to understand themselves more.

Understanding Self and Others: Graduate Group #2

Members: Any graduate student

Time: Wednesdays, 3:25 – 4:30 p.m.

Location: McComas Group Room, room 258

Understanding Self and Others: Graduate Group #3

Members: Any graduate student

Time: Wednesdays, 1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Location: McComas Group Room, room 258

This group for graduate students is aimed at self-understanding and exploring and receiving feedback on interpersonal behaviors. Issues specific to graduate student life will be discussed.

Substance Abuse Group

 Members: Any student, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Thursdays, 1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Location: East Eggleston Group Room, room 109

 This group is open to all students who have concerns about their substance use behaviors. Clients are encouraged to set personal goals for their use based on the stages of change model.

Living Emotionally Health Group

 Members: Any student, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Mondays, 10:30 – 11:45 a.m.

Location: McComas Group Room, room 258

This group focuses on building skills based on the principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. The group is suitable for students who are struggling with tolerating distress and regulating their emotions. Participating in this group will help students who have a tendency to feel overwhelmed learn to cultivate self-awareness, manage their emotions more effectively, and become more skillful interpersonally. For the fall semester, we focus on the Mindfulness and Distress Tolerance skills. For the spring semester, we will briefly review Mindfulness and then focus on the Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness skills.

Depression/Anxiety Groups

Members: Any student, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Wednesdays 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Location:McComas Health Conference Room 217

Time: Tuesdays 9:30 – 10:30 a.m..
Location: McComas Group Room 258

This group is a time-limited, psychoeducational group (4 to 5 meetings total) where members will be able to gain a better understanding of how depression and anxiety symptoms affect a person’s day-to-day/psychosocial functioning. Members will learn more about how thoughts, feelings and behaviors intertwine and create, maintain and augment symptoms of depression/anxiety. Learning to monitor these symptoms, as well as basic coping techniques will be introduced. While this is a psycho-educational group, members will be encouraged to participate by asking questions, providing feedback, occasionally discussing topics as a group and, should people desire to do so, sharing some of their experiences.

Healthy Bodies

 Members: Any student, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Tuesdays, 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Location: McComas Group Room 258

This group is for people who are actively dealing with an eating disorder. Participants will learn to live each day with intention, without being a hostage to thoughts and feelings about bodies and eating. Participants will explore ways to reduce distress and improve the ability to cope with the present while getting support and feedback about these issues from group members.

Healthy Paths

 Members: Any student, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Contact Cook Counseling

Location: Contact Cook Counseling

Healthy Paths is not a group counseling group. Healthy Paths is an interdisciplinary treatment team composed of a physician, nurse, nutritionist, exercise physiologist and psychologist. We think of ourselves as a resource for clients who are interested in learning about healthy eating behaviors and working to overcome any unhealthy eating behaviors.

Mindfulness Mediation Group

Members: Any student, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Tuesdays, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Location: McComas Group Room 258

This group teaches students how to manage stress, improve relationships and communication skills, develop more compassion toward self and others, improve academic, athletic and artistic performance and to learn more about themselves while feeling more present in their lives.

7C Group

 Members: Any student, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Fridays, 3:30 – 4:50 p.m.

Location: East Eggleston Group Room, room 109

This is a group that targets students who have experienced severe mental illness and/or hospitalization. It is open to those who are interested in receiving support, feedback and increasing their understanding of how their mental illness affects their lives and their relationships with others.

Grief Group

 Members: All students, undergraduate and graduate

Time: Tuesdays, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: McComas Health Conference Room 217

 This group will provide participants a safe and supportive environment to express their feelings of grief and mourning.  Participants will need to meet with group facilitator to ensure their appropriateness for the group.  It is important that participants understand the purpose and focus of the group in order to support a positive group experience for all members

International Women’s Group

 Members: International female students

Time: Tuesdays, Noon

Location: Cranwell International Center

This group is for women only and discusses women’s issues. The group provides a comfortable place for women to discuss and share their experiences of living in another country. Participants are welcome to bring their children and visitors.