Training in Working with Groups - 5 Reasons Why its a Good Idea

Group therapy offers something uniquely powerful: healing through connection. While individual therapy provides focused, one-to-one support, group work brings people together to share and learn from each others' experiences.

Whether you're new to the idea of working with groups or looking to deepen your professional skills, understanding what group work encompasses can open the door to transformational growth - both for your clients and yourself.

Bev Gibbons, Group work trainer

Bev Gibbons - the trainer on the Working with Groups course - captures the heart of this work beautifully:

"I love working with groups because I learn about myself every time and that gives me stretch and personal growth; there's always the edge and challenge of the emergent process, and most of all it's great fun and brings moments of wonderful intimacy."

While training to be a therapist can take quite a period of time, I've noticed that the majority of training available leans towards being a one to one therapist, with training in group work added on as a module or a few days out of the whole. And yet, group therapy and group facilitation require a distinct set of skills beyond one to one work.

A complex environment

As group facilitators we aren't only holding space for multiple individuals at any given time but also for the relational dynamics that emerge. It can be complex but the complexity is what makes working with groups so energetic and transformative. Training in facilitation will evolve your capacity to work with multiple interpersonal relationships, parallel processes, and projection in a safe setting so that you can hone your skills in holding the group and the individuals within it.

A dynamic environment

Groupwork can be a space of discovery - and a real stretch - for you as a facilitator. As Bev puts it, “there’s always the edge and challenge of the emergent process.” Unlike individual sessions, groups don’t follow a script. Things unfold in the moment. Training gives you the tools to stay grounded and confident in your own skills when things get unpredictable. You learn to trust the process and work with whatever shows up.

Real life reflection

Therapy groups act as a microcosm of the real world and relationships. Members bring their life patterns - attachment styles, defences, and needs - into the group often unconsciously. Training helps you learn how to spot these patterns and work with them skillfully.

As Bev says:

“These principles invite us as group leaders to account for all that adults bring with them into learning spaces. All groups are learning spaces.”

Understanding how people show up in groups—and how their past group experiences shape them—can deepen your therapeutic insight.

Strengthening existing skills

The skills involved in groupwork are highly transferable and can be applied across a range of settings - including therapeutic groups. Bev first got into groupwork through her role as a community worker:

“I got into working with groups in 1990 when I became a youth worker for North Yorkshire County Council. I went on to become a detached youth worker, working on the streets with young people, and ended up as a trainer of other detached youth workers.”

If you already have experience working with groups, training can help you build on those foundations and learn how to adapt your skills to a therapeutic context.

Being creative in working with groups

While groupwork certainly has its serious side, it also makes space for play, laughter, connection, and spontaneity. Facilitating a group can open up moments of real human contact, shared insight, and sometimes profound intimacy. Training can help you recognise and harness the creative energy that naturally arises in groups.

Next steps

So you are ready to explore group facilitation training, where do you start? Look for courses that offer experiential learning—where you can be part of a group, not just learn about them. Reflect on your own experiences in groups and be curious about what you bring into group spaces. Groups might just become the most alive and fulfilling part of your work.

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Certificate in Working with Groups with Bev Gibbons is an online course over 3 weekends - one per month starting September 2025.