UF’s Counseling & Wellness Center offers a variety of counseling groups that are open to all enrolled students at the University of Florida. Group counseling is as effective or can be more effective than individual counseling in addressing many common concerns undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students experience, including anxiety, depression, isolation, adjustment, grief, coping with stressors, etc. College students are likely to experience a range of interpersonal concerns in their developmental process towards greater independence, intimacy, and personal growth; and counseling groups are a great modality to address these concerns.
Group counseling provides students the opportunity to create a brave space to connect with a group of 4-10 students and 1-2 CWC counselors, typically meeting weekly for 1.5-2 hours. Through participating in group, students can gain insight into their own thoughts and behaviors, be inspired by each other’s growth, and offer/receive feedback and support!
HOW TO JOIN A CWC GROUP?
WAYS TO INITIATE GROUP SERVICES:
Schedule a brief consultation via phone by calling us at 352-392-1575. (M-F, 8AM-5PM)
Please note: The CWC works to serve as many students as possible; however, during high-volume times, we may have a waitlist for services.
Take a Quiz
Finding the right support can make all the difference. Take our brief quiz to discover which groups may align best with your needs and goals! (Please note that the results of this quiz do not guarantee access to group counseling services.)
My Group Quiz
Spring 2025 Schedule
As a student, if there is a counseling group you would want that we are not offering, let us know by completing this form, so we can work on providing you services that meet your needs!
Counseling groups are not drop-in meetings, so students participating in group counseling are expected to attend weekly throughout the semester.
Consistent with the International Accreditation of Counseling Services (IACS) and American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation standards, we provide group counseling services that are responsive to the culturally diverse student population. These standards require that, as counselors, we continue to develop and apply our awareness, knowledge, humility, sensitivity, understanding, and skills to work effectively with diverse groups and communities. Therefore, we offer population-specific groups facilitated by providers “who have the necessary and appropriate background and training, including multicultural competence, to meet the diverse needs of students” (IACS, 2023).
Understanding yourself & Others
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UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF & OTHERS
These groups are about developing emotional awareness and self-understanding, building trust and connections, and enhancing relationships (with friends, family, romantic, professional, etc.) through support and feedback. This is a collaborative space that aims to build community and sense of belonging through processing shared experiences and supporting each other’s progress toward individual goals. The discussion topics are often determined by group members.
Skills & Support
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SKILLS & SUPPORT
These groups are about developing and practicing effective coping skills for specific concerns. Examples of skills you may learn and practice include anxiety management, biofeedback, social skills, practicing self-compassion, journaling. learning distress tolerance and emotional regulation, improving intimate partner communication, and coping with ADHD.
Wellness Support
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WELLNESS SUPPORT
Support groups are about connecting with others who share similar lived experiences and/or identities in an empowering, supportive, and compassionate space. Students can be in community with others similar to them or who have experienced similar concerns (e.g., grief and loss, high sensitivity, intimate partner concerns).
Learning Together: Peer Support
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Learning Together: Peer Support
Students participate in these groups through forms of engagement created within international movements of current or former mental health service users and facilitated by CWC faculty who share this lived experience as peers. The different forms of peer support offered at the CWC—in which participants learn together and from each other—are all intended to be alternatives to conventional counseling. Peers worldwide have discovered that if they can co-create relatively safe spaces to dialogue about whatever they are experiencing while respecting each other’s worldviews and choices, and without being othered or dehumanized, that they often move toward living in more creative, meaningful, engaged, and productive ways.
Alcohol & Other Drugs (AOD)
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ALCOHOL & OTHER DRUGS (AOD)
These groups promote a safe, non-judgmental, and psychoeducational environment where students can discuss their substance use and gain understanding and perspective about their choices. Depending on the group, students may learn ways to practice use reduction or abstinence in a supportive space.