Groups and Workshops

Designed for students who want the opportunity to increase their knowledge and learn coping skills.

There is an agenda for each session and members are encouraged to practice the skills learned between sessions. The facilitator shares information with the group members, while members speak about their own experiences related to the topic and practice new skills during the session. While the focus is on skill-building, group members may benefit from connecting with others struggling with similar issues. These groups are time-limited and relatively short-term.  

Designed for students who would like to give to and receive support from others.

They focus on creating and maintaining a safe and supportive space for members to connect with others who share common experiences, identities, and concerns. Students work to express their own challenges, feelings, ideas, and reactions as freely and honestly as possible, as well as give and receive feedback and support. 

Support groups may have set weekly topics in which group facilitators provide information and create space for dialogue. They can also be unstructured and organic in nature, with members deciding what to share and focus on. These groups usually run for a full semester and some offer the option to continue for as long as it would be beneficial.

Designed for students who want to understand and change how they relate to others so they can experience deeper connections. People typically have a pattern of relating to others in their everyday lives and that pattern will play out in group interactions. For example, if someone is shy and tends to hold back with others, they will likely feel shy and want to hold back in group.

Unlike skills or support groups, process groups focus on what you are experiencing in the group as you interact with other members. The learning and growth come from becoming more aware of your own thoughts, feelings, assumptions, reactions, and behaviors as they occur while interacting with other group members. Additionally, growth comes from giving and receiving interpersonal feedback about how you experience other group members and how they experience you. As a result, you learn about your personality and your impact on other people and can actively practice changing behaviors that may interfere with healthy relationships.

At UCS, process groups are unstructured and organic in nature, with members deciding what to share and focus on. The facilitators guide the discussion towards here-and-now experiences and make observations about interactions to facilitate connection. These groups usually run for a full semester and some offer the option to continue for as long as it would be beneficial.

It can be a relief to hear others discuss what they're going through, and realize you're not alone and that other people “get it.” A sense of relief also comes from being heard and accepted by others.

Group members will start out as strangers, but in a short amount of time, you'll most likely view them as a valuable and trusted source of support at CSUN. 

Regularly talking and listening to others also helps you think about yourself and put your own problems in perspective. In the group environment, others serve as mirrors that reflect aspects of yourself that you can recognize and explicitly choose if you want to modify or change. You can benefit from the group even during sessions when you say little but listen carefully to others.

People have different personalities, backgrounds, and experiences, and they look at situations in different ways. By participating in a UCS group, you will see how other people tackle problems and make positive changes and thus discover a whole range of strategies for facing your own concerns.

Hearing how other members successfully overcame their challenges can be empowering and motivating. Group provides a space to learn from others, promotes social skills, and engage with other CSUN students.

Helping other members of the group, providing a safe space for people to share, and supporting others brings a sense of purpose and meaning. It feels good to know that what you say, what you bring to the group, your support, your advice, and your attention, matters and helps others.

It is very important that you are able to be here every week. Understand that your presence in the group is essential for you, for other members who depend on you for support and feedback, and for the cohesiveness of the group as a whole. To the extent possible, if you must miss a meeting, inform the group the previous week. If you must cancel due to illness or an emergency, please call UCS before the session begins. The group will begin and end on time.

Being as genuine as you can be will allow others to get to know you and support the real you. Start from where you are, not how you think others want you to be. This might mean asking questions, expressing emotions, or sharing your stories. This will allow others to get to know you and support you more directly.

Think about what you would like to work on in group and work actively towards that goal. Slow down, check in with yourself and see if you are working on your goal. If you aren’t, consider asking the group for help.

Boundaries are so important. Respect your needs and don’t press yourself to reveal more than you are comfortable revealing. When you are ready, gently challenge yourself to take more risks with self-disclosure so that your other needs are met as well.

Some group members will always be ready to disclose their thoughts and feelings; others need more time to gain feelings of trust and security. By respecting your needs, you are learning self-acceptance. If you are having a difficult time with how to discuss your problems with the group, then ask the group to help you.

Many people struggle with whether or not it is OK to use group time. They worry that their concerns are not important enough or they believe that others need the time more than they do. No one’s struggle is more or less important than anyone else’s struggle. Group will be most helpful to you if you can find a way to talk about yourself.

Notice if you are holding back from doing this and talk about your fears of sharing in the group.

Learning to express thoughts and feelings, without censorship, enables exploration and resolution of interpersonal conflicts. Try and take the risk to let yourself be emotionally available to and vulnerable with others.

If you are wondering about or confused about something that has just been said or has just occurred in the group, then seek clarification from group members or group facilitators. It is likely others may have the same questions that you have.

Respect the space for other members by paying attention when other people are sharing. Everyone is still included even if they are not directly involved in a discussion. Your attention matters and you may gain something from listening to the experience of others.

Each group member’s perspective is valid and adds to our enriched understanding of relationships. Everyone in the group has the right to speak and to be heard. Disagreement must be expressed respectfully. It is certainly appropriate to express anger, but it must be expressed in a way that does not threaten or intimidate others.

It can take a number of sessions before members of a group begin to have sufficient trust and security to be open and honest, to disclose their concerns and feelings. Thus, we encourage you to make a commitment to attend at least three sessions. If you are not getting what you want out of the group, then talk about that with the group members and/or the group facilitator.