Members listen to each other and openly express thoughts and feelings about their concerns. Interactions among members gives each an opportunity to increase understanding, to discover that others share their feelings, and to try out new ideas and behaviors in a supportive environment. Through interaction with others, members can develop awareness of the effects their behavior has on others. The group provides a safe and supportive environment in which to give and receive honest feedback from one another. A group values and nurtures the kind of honesty that can be rare elsewhere.
Members also draw on each other's experiences and successes.
One member can have insight and success in an area in which another has difficulty, and vice versa. Each can provide assistance to the other. Groups may focus on the interactions between members rather than an external problem, thus creating a microcosm for developing interpersonal insight and communication skills. If the group is focused on a shared issue such as grief, talk about your own experience and feelings. If the group is open to any issue or concern, talk about what brought you to the counseling center in the first place.