My therapist brought up group therapy last session and I'm honestly torn about it. I've been doing one on one for depression but she thinks hearing from others might speed up my progress. The idea of sharing personal stuff with strangers makes me uncomfortable though. For those who've tried it, how does group therapy actually help compared to individual? Does listening to other people's problems really make a difference or is it just cheaper? Need some real experiences before I commit to this.

I get the hesitation — I felt the same before my first group session for anxiety. It’s weird at first, but listening to others’ struggles actually helped me feel less alone and even gave me ideas for handling my own stuff. One guy shared a coping trick for panic attacks that I never would’ve thought of on my own. It’s not just cheaper; the shared perspective can be surprisingly powerful. This article breaks down the benefits really clearly: how group therapy helps . After a couple sessions, I actually looked forward to hearing the stories.