Groups offer the support and ideas of peers who are working with similar issues. Members often feel less alone and more accepted and supported in their own work toward growth and change. Members have the chance to learn more about their own interpersonal styles and how they impact others. The opportunity to help and support others often enhances self-esteem. A group experience can be personally empowering in ways that are less possible in individual counseling.
Confidentiality is critical to the success of a group.
The group facilitator will discuss confidentiality individually with each prospective member and secure a strong commitment to maintain confidentiality prior to allowing the person to join the group. This means that group members are asked to promise that they will not reveal the identities of members or anything which other members share in sessions to anyone outside the group. The group members have the final responsibility to be sure that confidentiality is preserved. It has been our experience that group members take this responsibility very seriously and respect the rights of other members to confidentiality and privacy. On a small campus like Luther, there is always the possibility that someone you know from another part of your life here will be in the same group.