Share Your Concerns Safely and Confidently

Check out our Fall 2026 Group therapy options below and call our front desk at 951-827-5531, opt. 2 if you are interested in joining!

Group Introduction

Therapy groups allow students to work with others who share similar concerns. Members talk about what is troubling them and give feedback and support in a safe, supportive environment. Interactions offer group members an opportunity to learn more about the way they interact with others and to try out new ways of relating to one another.

The first session focuses on the establishment of trust, allowing members to get to know each other, learn about the group and its goals. Having each individual make a personal commitment to the group and its goals significantly fosters group trust and cohesion.

Therapy groups usually have up to 8 members and two clinicians. Groups typically start during Week 3 of every quarter and meet weekly for 90 minutes.

What's the Difference Between Processing and Skills Groups?

Counseling and Psychological Services offers both processing groups and skills-based groups.

Skills groups are more structured than processing groups and have more of a workshop format than a talk-therapy format. In skills groups, one or more clinicians provide psychoeducational information and provide opportunities for members to apply the concepts they are learning to their real, everyday lives.

Processing groups are less structured and tend to focus on the interactions of group members to process, relate to, and explore emotional and life experiences.

Pre-Screening

If you currently have a therapist at CAPS, your therapist can directly refer you to a group. If you do not have a therapist with us, you are required to complete a pre-screening session. A pre-screening session is a brief meeting with group leader(s) before group begins. The pre-screening provides information about the group and helps determine if group therapy is the best treatment option or adjunct treatment option. 

Ground Rules

Group sessions are confidential. Group members are asked not to disclose the content of sessions or to reveal the identity of members to others outside of the group.

It is expected that you will attend group every week and arrive on time. If there is an urgent matter that prevents you from attending or you are running late, please notify the CAPS Front Desk via phone call (951-827-5531, option 2) or the group leader(s) via secure message (UCR Student Health portal). If, after a number of sessions, you find that the group is not a good fit for you, please let the group leader(s) know.

Therapy Groups

Group Therapy offerings are based on the needs and interests of students and current groups are listed below. If you are a current CAPS client, please talk with your counselor about being referred to a group. If you are not a client, please schedule a pre-screening appointment by calling or visiting Counseling and Psychological Services at 951-827-5531, option 2.

CAPS Clinical Groups for Fall 2026:

• Anxiety Management Group

  Do you feel like you are constantly worried? Do you feel tense and on-edge? Do you tend to over-think social situations and have difficulties staying in the moment? If so… consider joining the CAPS Anxiety Management Group! During this 6-week group, CAPS therapists will discuss the tools and techniques that will help you lower your anxiety.

  Topics and skills include: Understanding the Anxiety/Avoidance feedback loop, learning to restructure and get distance from anxious/unhelpful thoughts, practicing relaxation techniques to decrease stress, and the benefits of mindfulness. 
  
  This group will meet in person on Tuesdays from 3pm - 4:30pm during Weeks 3-8.

• Creative Horizons Group

  Creative Horizons is an in-person group that offers a safe space to learn hands-on coping skills and authentically express identity, hopes, dreams, experiences, and truth. This is an invitation to enjoy the process. Breathe, observe, and play. There is no right or wrong way to participate. No art skills are required! 

  This group will meet on Thursdays from 1:15pm - 2:45pm during Weeks 3-8.

• Middle Path Group

  Middle Path is an in-person group where we work together to learn skills to better manage daily stressors. We cover ways to better cope and self-regulate when faced with difficult emotions, intense distress, and challenging relationships. As a group we aim to build a space of acceptance and understanding, providing both support and perspective while evolving our approach to life's obstacles.

  This group will meet on Wednesdays from 1:00pm - 2:30pm during Weeks 3-8.

• SOGIE Group

  The Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Group is meant for everyone in the UCR community who is searching, exploring their identity, or would like to obtain a support system while learning about their own identity. We will be sharing stories, learning to love and care for ourselves, and we will be supporting each other along the way. We will work together to understand the distinct ways human identity, attraction, and self-presentation work, meaning that every single person has a SOGIE profile regardless of whether they belong to the LGBTQIA+ community.

  This group will meet on Thursdays from 3:00pm - 4:30pm during Weeks 3-8.

In An Emergency

Find out where to go and who to call for help.