Evidence-based treatment that helps you identify and change the thought patterns driving addiction and mental health challenges. Used by every therapist at Valley Spring across all program levels.
Group Therapy is a foundational therapeutic modality where individuals work through recovery challenges together in a facilitated group setting. Led by trained clinicians, group sessions provide a safe space for sharing experiences, receiving peer feedback, practicing social skills, and building a recovery community. Research consistently shows that group therapy is as effective as individual therapy for many conditions, with the added benefits of peer support and social learning.
At Valley Spring Recovery Center, Group Therapy is central to our treatment programming across all levels of care. Our groups are carefully curated to maintain an optimal 8:1 client-to-staff ratio, ensuring personalized attention within the group setting. From process groups to psychoeducational workshops, from skills training to peer support sessions, our group programming addresses every dimension of recovery. Our clinicians, led by Henry Iwuala and Dr. Michael Olla, facilitate groups that balance structure with authentic connection.
GT is especially effective for people with co-occurring disorders -- those struggling with both substance use and mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. By addressing the thinking patterns that fuel both conditions, GT creates lasting change from the inside out.
Group Therapy sessions follow structured formats designed to maximize therapeutic benefit. Process groups allow members to share experiences and receive feedback in a supportive environment. Psychoeducational groups teach specific topics like relapse prevention, coping skills, or understanding triggers. Skills training groups practice techniques from GT, DBT, and other modalities in a collaborative setting. Each session includes check-ins, focused activity, and reflection to ensure every participant engages meaningfully.
The first phase of GT focuses on awareness. Your therapist helps you recognize the automatic thoughts, cognitive distortions, and core beliefs that drive unhealthy behaviors. These might include catastrophizing ("everything is ruined"), all-or-nothing thinking ("if I slip once, I've failed"), or overgeneralization. At Valley Spring, this foundation is introduced in Week 1 of our Mental Health Program curriculum through dedicated GT Introduction sessions.
Once you can identify distorted thinking, you learn to challenge it. Your therapist guides you through techniques like cognitive restructuring, thought records, and Socratic questioning to test whether your thoughts are based in reality or fueled by emotion and habit. By Week 3 of treatment, our curriculum progresses to Cognitive Flexibility -- helping you challenge distortions, examine core beliefs, and build more balanced perspectives that support recovery.
The final phase translates insight into action. You practice new behavioral strategies -- such as grounding techniques, behavioral activation, exposure exercises, and relapse prevention planning -- that replace old patterns with constructive responses. These skills become tools you carry beyond treatment, helping you navigate triggers, cravings, and stressors in everyday life with confidence and clarity.
At Valley Spring Recovery Center, Group Therapy is a valued component of our comprehensive treatment approach. Our clinical team integrates GT techniques into individualized treatment plans across all program levels, ensuring every client receives the benefits of this approach.
This means whether you are in Partial Care, Intensive Outpatient, Virtual IOP, or our Outpatient Program, you will receive GT-informed treatment from day one. Our dually-licensed clinicians combine GT with complementary modalities like DBT, motivational interviewing, and trauma-focused approaches to create a treatment experience tailored to your unique needs.
Under the clinical leadership of Henry Iwuala, Clinical Director, and Dr. Michael Olla, Medical Director, our team ensures that GT is delivered with both clinical rigor and genuine compassion -- creating a safe space for the difficult work of changing deeply held thought patterns.
Group Therapy has strong clinical evidence for treating a wide range of substance use and mental health disorders.
Generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and panic disorder
Major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder
Post-traumatic stress from trauma, abuse, or critical incidents
Alcohol, opioid, cocaine, and polysubstance addictions
Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions
Mood stabilization and managing manic-depressive episodes
Attention-deficit patterns, impulsivity, and focus challenges
Emotional regulation and interpersonal relationship patterns
Disordered eating patterns and body image distortions
Simultaneous substance use and mental health conditions
GT is not limited to a single program -- it is a core therapy modality integrated into every stage of care at Valley Spring.
Intensive daily GT sessions address acute thought distortions. Structured curriculum introduces GT fundamentals, thought records, and cognitive awareness during the most critical stabilization phase.
GT deepens with cognitive flexibility work -- challenging distortions, examining core beliefs, and building restructuring skills. Group GT sessions reinforce individual progress with peer support.
GT continues via telehealth with real-world application. Clients practice GT techniques in their daily environment while maintaining therapeutic support and accountability.
GT skills become lifelong tools. Alumni access ongoing CBT-informed groups and check-ins that reinforce healthy thinking patterns and prevent relapse long after primary treatment ends.
Decades of clinical research consistently demonstrate GT as one of the most effective therapeutic approaches for addiction and mental health treatment.
At Valley Spring, our commitment to evidence-based care means we do not simply offer GT as an add-on -- we build treatment plans around it. Our CARF accreditation reflects our adherence to the highest standards of clinical practice, and our therapists receive ongoing training to stay current with the latest GT research and techniques. This dedication to clinical excellence is what makes GT at Valley Spring not just a therapy session, but a transformative experience.
Speak with our admissions team to learn how GT can be part of your personalized recovery plan.
Whether it is your first session or your fiftieth, here is what GT looks like at Valley Spring Recovery Center.
Your first GT session is designed to feel safe, structured, and collaborative. You will not be asked to dive into deep emotional territory right away. Instead, your therapist will:
Most clients describe their first session as "surprisingly comfortable." Our therapists are skilled at building rapport quickly and creating a judgment-free space for honest conversation.
As treatment progresses, GT sessions become more focused and skills-oriented. You will move from awareness into active change:
In group GT sessions, you will also benefit from hearing how peers apply these techniques -- often gaining insights that deepen your own understanding and accelerate progress.
Our admissions team is available to answer your questions and help you get started with treatment.