Group Counseling

All groups are free and open to undergraduate and graduate students. Most groups meet weekly, usually for a total of 8-10 weeks during each term.

Group Therapy

What is Group Counseling?

Group experiences provide opportunities to:

  • identify with others who share similar concerns
  • increase self-awareness and self-acceptance
  • improve the quality of your life, work, and personal relationships 

How do I sign Up for a Group?

There are two ways to sign up for a group:

  • Stop by the front desk at the Counseling Center (2nd Floor of Ward and West) to schedule an intake appointment and mention the group you are interested in.
  • Call the Counseling Center at 410-704-2512 to schedule an intake appointment and mention the group you are interested in.

If you are new to the Counseling Center or have not received services in the past 6 months. 

If you are new you will need to schedule a general intake appointment before or in conjunction with your group information session appointment.

If the group you interested in is closed (or not meeting).

If you group is closed call 410-704-2512 to have your name added to our contact list and you will be notified of future group opportunities.

Currently Offered Groups

Here is a comprehensive list of all regularly scheduled group counseling programs. For program descriptions, scroll further.

  • Psychotherapy Process Group
  • Be Your Best Self: Skills for Coping, Feeling and Relating
  • Body Image Support Group
  • Generation One: Support Group for First Generation Students
  • Grief and Loss Support
  • I'm a Survivor (for survivors of sexual and relationship violence)
  • In, Out, and In-Between, LGBTQIA Support Group
  • International Students Support Group
  • Man-2-Man: Men of Color Support Group
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Sister-to-Sister: Women of Color Support Group
  • Alcohol and Drug Treatment Group (referral required)

Descriptions of Group Counseling Programs

Psychotherapy Process Group

Four groups will run simultaneously each term.

One of the challenges of adulthood is to develop healthy relationships with others, especially peers. Students meet weekly during the term to support each other in addressing a range of issues facing students and to discover new ways of understanding themselves and relating to others.

Contact: Dan Isenberg, Ph.D. ()

Be Your Best Self: Skills for Coping, Feeling and Relating

This four-session seminar helps students learn valuable self-help skills focused on topics such as:

  • stress
  • mindfulness
  • personal priorities and values
  • interpersonal effectiveness
  • tolerating distress

You do not need to be a client of the Counseling Center to join this group.

Contact: Dan Isenberg, Ph.D. ()

Body Image Support Group

Gain support and learn coping strategies with other students who have body image concerns. Learn about body image influencers, triggers and the relationship between body image and mood with other students who understand what it feels like.

Contact: Jaime Kaplan, Psy.D. ()

Generation One: Support Group for First Generation Students

A support group to connect with people who share similar experiences, share strategies to help deal with difficult situations, and provide encouragement during challenging and rewarding times.

Contact: Bonnie Andrews, MPH ()

Grief and Loss Support

This group is offered for students who are grieving the loss of someone significant in their lives, whether that loss was recent or in the past.

The group meetings provide helpful information and resources as well as a supportive space for students to share their experiences and coping strategies.

Contact: Dan Isenberg, Ph.D. ()

I'm a Survivor

Support Group for Survivors of Sexual and Relationship Violence: A space for survivors of sexual assault or relationship violence experienced in recent months or years to gain support from one another and learn ways to cope with the aftermath.

Group members will not be asked to share the details of their experiences but, rather, will be invited to explore the impact of these traumas on their lives.

Contact: Maria Wydra, Ph.D. ()

In, Out, and In-Between: LGBTQIA Support Group

Whether you are out, questioning, or not even sure, this group is for LGBTQIA students of all backgrounds to confidentially discuss and explore aspects of gender identity and sexual orientation in a safe space.

The group is support-based and is designed to encourage open discussion about:

  • gender
  • sexuality
  • coming out
  • relationships
  • family
  • community
  • other areas of your life that may be difficult to discuss elsewhere

Contact: Dan Isenberg, Ph.D. ()

International Students Support Group

An opportunity to develop connections with other international students and address topics such as adapting to a new educational system, coping with being away from family and friends, and breaking down language and cultural barriers, discrimination and self-doubt.

Contact: Lilian Odera, Ph.D. ()

Man-2-Man: Men of Color Support Group

A confidential space for male-identified students of color to develop a better understanding of themselves and others in the context of gender, race, culture and social pressure. Meetings explore how the experience of masculinity in today’s society shapes how we think, feel and relate to others, as areas of growth, strength and unity are discussed.

Contact:  Dan Isenberg, Ph.D. ()

Mindfulness Meditation

Four session weekly structured group in which students will learn about mindfulness and have opportunities within the group to practice the skills.

This group is an introduction to meditation, including relaxation and visualization practices for reducing stress, improving concentration, and increasing self-acceptance.

You do not need to be a client of the Counseling Center to join this group.

Sister-to-Sister: Women of Color Support Group

This is a support group geared towards women of color.

It is a safe space to develop connections with other women of color through exploration and discussion of topics such as:

  • cultural stress
  • racial/cultural/ethnic identity issues
  • relationships of people of color
  • navigating the academic environment as women of color, among other issues.

Contact: Lilian Odera, Ph.D. ()

Alcohol and Drug Treatment Group

Note: Referral required for this group.

This program is offered to students who, as a result of abuse or dependence, need educational information about chemical dependency and recovery. Students must:

  1. be willing to commit to total abstinence
  2. be willing to seek support to abstain completely
  3. learn about other non-chemical activities that are effective in their recovery

Contact: Emily Sears, M.S ()