For students that go through tough times and need someone totalk to, the SMU Counseling and Testing Center is offering grouptherapy sessions at no charge.

Group therapy normalizes what an individual is going through.The students share their experiences with each other. They see thatthere are others going through the same thing. In the groups, themembers can help each other deal with their problems, Dr. CatheySoutter, the coordinator of Psychological Services, said.

Of the six counseling groups offered at the health center, onlytwo are currently meeting: the Relationship Therapy Group and theStress, Anxiety, and Depression Group. They meet once a week in thehealth center.

Dr. Derrick Blanton, a clinical psychologist who runs theRelationship Therapy Group, hopes that the sessions help studentschange and help them get deeper, more meaningful relationships.

“I hope their relationships become easier. I hope theylearn and gain insight into themselves and how they operate inrelationships so that they can eventually promote change withinthemselves,” Blanton said.

Blanton also runs the Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Group forstudents having trouble with feelings of frustration, anger,irritability, sadness, stress, fear or anxiety. It begins meetinglater this month.

Several groups are not running because of lack of demand bystudents.

“We are always trying to look for people for thosespecific issues to do a group, but we just haven’t had enoughpeople to get one going right now,” Dr. Courtney Aberlesaid.

The Bereavement Therapy Group discusses bereavement, grief andloss issues. Soutter hopes that a group will be started, butsometimes they don’t, as in this case.

The Eating Concerns Group is for students with patterns ofeating disorders who want to change their behavior. This group isrun by Dr. Karen Settle, the director of Counseling andTesting.

The Rape Survivor’s Group, headed by Soutter, is for womenwho have been raped or sexually assaulted.

They address issues such as blame, guilt, anger, datingrelationships, self-esteem and self-destructive behaviors.

Dr. Soutter also runs the Survivors of Physical, Psychologicalor Sexual Abuse Group.

This group is for both men and women that may have been abusedas children.

Its goal is to help reduce isolation and guilt and addressissues such as blame, guilt, anger, family relationships andself-esteem.

Dr. Aberle said the group has done really well in the past, butthis year it didn’t meet.

“I would like to see the sexual abuse or sexual assaultsurvivors groups meet again because that, in particular, issomething where people often feel that they are to blame, that theyare the only ones who this happened to and it can be so helpful tohave a group of others around them that had similar experiences andwho can really be a strong support network,” Aberle said.

Whenever students express a need for the groups, meetings may bestarted up again.

“I will start any group therapy on any topic that anybodywants if there’s a need or if there’s a desire.We’ll always accommodate if there’s an interest forgroups elsewhere. There’s not a topic I won’tcover,” Blanton said.

To join a therapy group you have to go through an individualintake session with a therapist to determine if you would beappropriate for a group or not.

“I don’t think we choose who can join the groups, wereally choose who doesn’t join the group,” Blantonsaid.

Somebody with more severe problems or in need of moreindividualized attention would be referred elsewhere.

Individual counseling sessions are limited to 12 per academicyear for each student.

There is no limit for group counseling. Counseling services areoffered at no charge for students.

Blanton said that some students may be concerned aboutconfidentiality.

The Counseling and Testing Center adheres to the standards ofthe American Psychological Association, according to their Web siteat www.smu.edu/healthcenter.

Information will not be disclosed except when required bylaw.