There is no single path to lasting recovery. At Right Step Texas, clients participate in a wide variety of substance abuse programs, each of which can support the healing process. One practical approach is group therapy, a collaborative space where people learn together, practice new skills, and receive support. Learn why group therapy can be so helpful, what to expect, and how it integrates with our other services to support long-term recovery in our Texas rehab centers.
Why group therapy?
We find group therapy offers our clients a number of valuable benefits during addiction recovery.
Helps clients feel less alone
During addiction and early recovery, many people feel isolated. Even with caring family and friends, it can seem like no one truly understands the experience of cravings, triggers, or shame. In group therapy, you are not alone. You meet regularly with other group members who are also working to change their lives, which reduces isolation and offers immediate peer support.
In a group setting, stigma is replaced with understanding, and judgment gives way to empathy. Group cohesion grows as people show up consistently and share openly. This supportive environment helps clients feel seen and heard, which can make it easier to engage in treatment and maintain motivation between sessions.
Improves communication skills
Early recovery often brings changes in how people communicate. Without substances, conversations can feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Group therapy offers a safe place to practice communication skills, such as active listening, assertiveness, and setting boundaries. By taking turns, reflecting, and offering feedback, clients build social skills that strengthen relationships outside of treatment.
Group discussions also support self-awareness. When you hear how your words land with other group members, you can adjust and learn in real time. Over weeks of group sessions, clients develop strategies to clarify their needs, manage conflict in healthy ways, and express gratitude or repair after difficult moments. Practicing skills in a structured group format often makes it easier to use them at home, at work, and in the community.
Shows the entire recovery process in real life
Learning about recovery is helpful, but seeing it unfold in real time can be transformative. In therapy groups at The Right Step, participants are at different stages of change. Some may be in early withdrawal management, some are building new routines after a relapse, and others are celebrating months of sobriety. Hearing what helped other group members navigate real challenges, such as refusing a drink at a social event or coping with grief without using, makes recovery feel possible.
The group process allows clients to observe how people respond to setbacks, celebrate progress, and rebuild trust. Witnessing resilience in other members is a powerful antidote to despair. The group leader creates a reliable structure and process that helps foster psychological safety so clients can engage more deeply.
Lets them share and learn from others
Group counseling is a structured space for honest self-disclosure. Sharing your story and listening to other group members creates connection and perspective. You may learn coping strategies that worked for someone else, like using relaxation techniques before a stressful meeting, keeping a craving diary, or calling a sponsor when urges spike.
Peer support in group psychotherapy is different from general support groups. While both provide community support, therapy groups are facilitated by trained mental health professionals who guide the therapeutic process, introduce evidence-based skills, and help members turn insight into action. In a supportive group led by a clinician, people can explore patterns, get feedback, and set incremental goals in line with their treatment plan.
Supplementing group counseling at The Right Step
Group therapy is a cornerstone of comprehensive treatment plans, but it is most effective when combined with other modalities. At The Right Step, addiction treatment plans are individualized, and group therapy is commonly integrated with individual therapy and family therapy. To see how these services fit together, explore our overview of addiction therapy programs and learn about our commitment to evidence-based addiction treatment.
Evidence-based benefits of group psychotherapy
Group psychotherapy has decades of research support for treating substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), group treatment can improve engagement, reduce substance use, and build recovery skills when delivered by qualified clinicians as part of a comprehensive plan.
Specific benefits include:
- Coping skills: Members learn and practice coping strategies for cravings, difficult emotions, and high-risk situations, such as urge surfing, grounding, or problem solving.
- Self-understanding and self-awareness: Feedback from other members helps uncover blind spots, such as minimizing, catastrophizing, or people-pleasing, which are then addressed in the therapeutic process.
- Stress management: Clients build routines around sleep, movement, and relaxation techniques that support brain recovery and mood stability.
- Healthy relationships: By learning communication skills, participants improve interpersonal relationships with family, friends, and coworkers.
- Community support: Group cohesion and peer accountability help clients stay connected and follow through on goals between sessions.
Group psychotherapy can also address co-occurring mental health conditions that commonly occur alongside substance use, such as anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and depressive symptoms. Some groups may focus on specific topics, like grief or navigating a medical illness or chronic pain without relying on substances. Others may be designed for particular group populations, such as young adults or people returning to work.
Types of therapy groups you may encounter
The Right Step develops therapy groups based on client needs, clinical best practices, and licensed staff training. While availability changes over time, many programs use a mix of the following formats:
- Psychoeducational groups: These focus on understanding substance use disorders, the brain and addiction, the stages of change, and relapse prevention plans.
- Skills training groups: Often based on cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy, these groups teach practical skills like emotion regulation, distress tolerance, cognitive restructuring, and values-based action.
- Process groups: Facilitated by a group therapist, these sessions explore patterns in relationships and emotions as they arise in the room, allowing members to practice new behaviors and receive feedback.
- Relapse prevention groups: Members identify triggers, warning signs, and high-risk situations, then develop strategies to respond differently.
- Specialty therapy groups: Some programs include groups that focus on trauma stabilization, mindfulness practice, body image concerns, or rebuilding routines.
Group CBT, skills groups, and other therapy groups are led by a trained therapist who ensures safety and guides the process. The group focuses on achievable goals, such as reducing avoidance, increasing coping, and strengthening a support network.
Mental health and group therapy in substance use treatment
Some groups may serve clients managing specific co-occurring mental health conditions, including:
- Anxiety disorders
- Post traumatic stress disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Borderline personality disorder
- Eating disorders
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Clinicians consider your history, goals, and readiness for change when recommending a group. For example, someone early in stabilization might begin with psychoeducation and coping skills. A person further along might join a process group to deepen self-awareness and practice relational skills. Your personal therapist will help determine which group therapy options best support your treatment plan.
What to expect in group sessions
While each program is unique, most therapy groups involve:
- Ground rules: The group leader reviews confidentiality limits, attendance expectations, and group norms, such as one person speaking at a time and using respectful language.
- Check-ins and goals: Members briefly share current status and set a small goal for the day.
- Skills or discussion: The group consists of skill teaching with practice or a facilitated discussion about a theme, such as managing anxiety, cravings, or repairing trust.
- Feedback and reflection: Other group members share what they heard, offer validation, or ask clarifying questions.
- Wrap-up and plans: Clients identify one action step and a plan to receive support between sessions.
Groups vary in size, typically ranging from 6 to 12 people, and meet multiple times per week in higher levels of care. The group format can include role plays, written exercises, guided mindfulness, and homework to support practicing skills in daily life. Clients are encouraged to bring real situations from home or work and to ask for feedback from the group.
The group leader and the therapeutic alliance
Group therapy works best when members feel safe with the facilitator and with one another. The therapeutic alliance, the collaborative relationship between the client and the clinician, is a strong predictor of outcomes. In a group, there are multiple alliances to consider, including the alliance between members and the group as a whole.
- Group leader: A licensed clinician or supervised trainee, trained in group psychotherapy and substance use treatment, ensures structure, models boundaries, and facilitates feedback. Many programs align with standards from the American Group Psychotherapy Association.
- Group therapist skills: Facilitators track the group process, help group members navigate conflict, and maintain a safe environment for learning. They guide group discussions toward goals, balance airtime, and protect confidentiality.
- Therapeutic alliance in groups: Trust builds as members show up, follow group norms, and practice skills. Over time, group cohesion increases, making it easier to take risks and try new behaviors.
In-person and online group therapy
Many people attend in-person groups, which provide face-to-face connection and fewer digital distractions. Virtual groups can also be effective, especially for people who live far from care or need flexible scheduling. Availability of virtual groups changes over time and by program. The Right Step admissions team can explain current options and technology requirements for our virtual group therapy in Texas.
Integrating group therapy with individual psychotherapy
Group treatment is most effective when it is part of a coordinated plan that includes individual psychotherapy. Many clients meet weekly with an individual therapist to process personal history, trauma, or specific goals that are not appropriate to explore fully in a group. Your clinician will help determine how group and individual therapy complement each other. Here are some examples:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: In individual sessions, you might identify thinking traps and practice cognitive restructuring. In group, you can test new behaviors or get feedback on homework, which reinforces learning.
- Dialectical behavior therapy: DBT skills like distress tolerance and emotion regulation are learned in a structured way. Practicing skills with other members in a supportive group helps the skills stick when stress rises.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy: Values clarification and committed action benefit from peer accountability. Group members can help you refine values-based goals and celebrate progress.
- Stress management and relaxation techniques: Mindfulness, paced breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation are easier to maintain when the group checks in on practice.
- Community resources: The group can share community support ideas, such as 12-step meetings, alternatives to 12-step support, recovery-friendly activities, and other local community resources.
A well-rounded treatment plan often includes both settings so that insights from one context can be applied in the other. Your team will review progress regularly and adjust the plan as needs change.
Safety, confidentiality, and boundaries
Group therapy is confidential within legal and ethical limits. Facilitators review confidentiality, mandated reporting, and privacy expectations in the first session and as needed. Members agree to keep others’ stories private, avoid sharing identifying details outside the room, and refrain from socializing in ways that could undermine safety.
Additional guidelines often include:
- Respecting time limits and attendance commitments
- Avoiding substances before sessions
- Using nonjudgmental language and I-statements
- Not giving prescriptive advice, instead sharing personal experience
- Asking consent before offering feedback
These boundaries help maintain a safe environment and support consistent progress.
Preparing for your first group at The Right Step
If you are joining a group at The Right Step, here are simple ways to get ready:
- Clarify your goals with your individual therapist, so the group focuses on what matters to you.
- Plan logistics, such as transportation and childcare, so you can arrive on time.
- Bring a notebook or device to capture coping strategies and action steps.
- Be open to asking for what you need, and tell the group leader if something is not working.
It is normal to feel nervous at first. Most people find that nervousness decreases after a few meetings.
How many groups should I attend each week?
The number of weekly group therapy sessions varies by level of care and clinical recommendation. In more intensive programming, clients may attend multiple group sessions per day. In less intensive settings, one to three groups per week may be appropriate. Your treatment team will tailor frequency to your needs, progress, and schedule. If attending additional support groups in the community is helpful, your counselor can suggest options.
Professional standards and training for group clinicians
Therapy groups should be facilitated by licensed or supervised clinicians with training in group psychotherapy. Standards from organizations such as the American Group Psychotherapy Association highlight best practices in ethics, diversity, and facilitator competence.
Prospective group leaders learn to:
- Manage the group process and maintain group cohesion
- Establish and uphold clear group norms
- Navigate conflict and repair ruptures in the therapeutic alliance
- Adapt interventions for different mental health conditions and cultural contexts
- Evaluate progress and adjust the treatment plan as needed
If you have questions about your facilitator’s training or the group format, ask. Informed clients tend to engage more fully.
Get started with group counseling in Texas
If you are looking for group therapy in Texas, The Right Step offers therapy led by trained clinicians as part of comprehensive care for substance use disorders. To learn more about current group therapy options, admissions, or how group integrates with individual therapy, contact our team. Together, we can build a plan that fits your needs and supports long-term recovery.