Group Therapy Activities

Mental health group therapy activities for adults are a powerful intervention for several mental health conditions. While most people think of individual therapy first when they consider treatment, group therapy for adults has several advantages.

Key takeaways

• Group therapy offers unique benefits, including peer support, universality, education, and affordability, that complement individual therapy.
• The most effective mental health group therapy activities for adults are tailored to the group's goals, stage of development, and clinical population.
• CBT exercises, communication activities, grounding techniques, and condition-specific interventions can help build coping skills and encourage meaningful participation. Download my free CBT resources.
• Successful groups require thoughtful facilitation, clear boundaries, active participation, and effective management of group dynamics. Therapists can manage the dynamics and documentation of group therapy activities through an all-in-one EHR.

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Benefits of group therapy

• Universality: One of the main strengths of group therapy is how it instills universality, the feeling that you are not alone in dealing with your problems. This is a powerful aspect of group work because coping with challenges can make us feel like we have been left isolated on an island. Universality provides clients with a feeling of hope and connection.
• Support: Similarly, group therapy offers peer support that cannot be matched by individual therapy. Even groups that are more psycho-educational provide support from other members. The importance of support can’t be underestimated. It can make the difference between success and failure.
• Education: Another important aspect of group therapy is how much you learn. It may be obvious that you will gain education from a focused group, but you will also learn a lot from process groups. For example, other group members will present ideas for coping measures that you can adopt in your own life. You can also learn from group leaders or other members who role-model how they handle similar problems.
• Cost: Group psychotherapy tends to be significantly cheaper than individual psychotherapy. For some people, it may be the only type of treatment they can afford.
• Increased access: More people than ever are seeking mental health treatment. As a result, therapists often have wait lists for individual therapy. Group therapy is a way to treat more people at one time, alleviating the backlog of clients and ensuring more people can obtain help.

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Mental health group therapy activities for adults

There are hundreds of mental health group therapy activities for adults. But not all of them are appropriate for every condition and setting. Therapists must choose activities that will maximize the benefits for their client population and be relevant for the environment.

For example, you aren’t going to do an icebreaker for a group that has been together for 10 weeks, and you aren’t going to perform a triggering trauma role-play in an acute inpatient hospital where the participants may not be psychiatrically stable.

Below are some mental health group therapy activities for adults to consider based upon the condition and situation.

Icebreaker group therapy activities

These icebreaker mental health group therapy activities for adults are beneficial activities to get to know other group members and build rapport and trust:

• Fun Facts is a popular icebreaker. Clients fill out a slip with a fun fact about themselves, and everyone puts them into a hat. The slips are drawn one at a time, and the group members must determine who wrote each slip.
• In People Search, the therapist gives the group a list of traits, talents, and experiences. Each member receives the list and is given a certain amount of time to find someone in the group who is a match. When the match is found, that person will then sign off for that item. The first person to have their list completely signed wins. This can serve as both an icebreaker and a way to get to know group members.
• Nothing builds trust more than being vulnerable with others. In a Trust Listening Circle, each group member tells a personal story while the rest of the group practices non-judgmental active listening. This ensures every person feels validated and heard.

CBT-related group therapy exercises

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most studied type of therapy intervention. Part of its popularity is due to the ease in adapting its concepts to different forms of treatment, including group therapy. Here are two CBT activities that can be used for most types of groups.

• In Thought Replacement, a group member writes down a stressful situation they experienced and what they thought about it. They pass around the piece of paper, and each group member mentions an alternative way to think of the situation. The group then discusses which types of thinking seem most adaptive. This demonstrates how our cognitions lead to feelings, and how balanced thinking usually results in the most positive outcomes.
• Behavioral Activation Brainstorming addresses the behavioral aspect of CBT, which states that our behavior directly contributes to our psychological state. One group participant is asked to present their weekly schedule of activities. The rest of the group comments on how that schedule contributes to or detracts from the person’s well-being. The group then brainstorms activities that enhance feelings of pleasure and mastery, and how the person could add them to their schedule, thereby increasing positive emotions.

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Mental health group therapy activities for adults based on specific goals

Anger management

One of the common mental health group activities for adults dealing with anger is called Triggers. In this activity, you have the group identify and discuss common triggers for their anger. Group members and leaders can then suggest different coping strategies they could use to stay calm when triggered. A variation of this group is also effective for substance abuse.

Substance use recovery

Strength-spotting cards: Strength Spotting Cards are a group activity where members look for and note the strong coping skills or good traits they see in each other, helping to build trust, and help people notice their own personal growth. This activity can strengthen the entire group bond.

Trauma

By creating a trauma timeline, people provide insight into how trauma has shaped their lives. Group members map out significant events in their lives, including traumatic and non-traumatic experiences. The group discussion focuses on how participants have coped with trauma and the strength and resilience they have developed through adversity.

Grief and loss

Creating an artistic tribute to a loved one allows an individual to transform feelings of grief into something tangible and creative. Using the Memorial Art activity, group members are asked to draw or paint something meaningful that reminds them of the person they lost. Once completed, they are asked to share their art with the group and process the accompanying feelings.

Communication and relationships

In the Back-To-Back drawing activity, the group splits into pairs, and one person describes a geometric object while the other attempts to draw it. This teaches the importance of precise communication and active listening.

Stress management and relaxation

In the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise, therapists lead the group in identifying five things they can see, four objects they can feel, three things they can hear, two things they can smell, and one they can taste. This causes the person to shift from their anxious thinking and anchors it in the present. Grounding techniques can be used in most any type of group.

Virtual group therapy activities

While online mental health group therapy activities for adults may seem challenging, the virtual setting can actually enhance certain types of activities.

• In Mind Mapping, group members can map out their thoughts and feelings on a virtual whiteboard to gain insight into how these are connected. For example, the therapist puts an emotion or thought in the middle of the whiteboard and then group members place virtual sticky notes on the board that they associate with the original word. It can be used to foster connection within the group and explore specific group topics.
• With an Emotions Wheel, the therapist can spin a virtual wheel that lands on a specific feeling. The group then discusses their personal experiences with that emotion and processes how to cope with it.

Note: Several video conferencing platforms, such as TheraPlatform, have built-in whiteboards for easy access. These virtual tools are easily accessed and don’t require anyone to buy any materials or make a mess.

Tips for leading effective mental health group therapy activities for adults

Here are suggestions to facilitate successful group therapy.

Choose appropriate group members

Effective groups are like any other relationship. People need to have something in common, but you want them to add something new and interesting. A good rule to follow is the homogeneity/heterogeneity rule.

This states that people should have a similar purpose for being in the group, but that they must be varied enough to offer diverse views. For example, a substance abuse group must have members who had challenges with substance use, but you don’t want them to all have had the same experience.

Create and implement group rules

Every group needs rules. Rules bring feelings of order, stability, and safety. All groups must have guidelines pertaining to confidentiality and exhibiting respect to other group members.

However, it is best to have the group members collaborate to create their own rules. This makes them feel more invested and they are more likely to comply.

Build rapport

Just like individual therapy, rapport is an important ingredient for an effective group. But group members must also have chemistry with each other, not just the therapist. It is a good idea to spend part of the first few sessions working on establishing a group rapport. Icebreakers and other activities that help group members get to know each other will facilitate creating positive group dynamics.

Set strong boundaries

Sticking to the rules, along with emphasizing inclusivity and respect, is paramount to group success. If expectations are clear from the beginning, you will have fewer problems later.

Facilitate participation

The power of the group is in its members. This means that their suggestions and experiences should be the focal point. Therapists must make an effort to facilitate participation from all members and include everyone’s point of view. A check-in with each member at the beginning of the group will set a tone that includes everyone.

Managing challenging group dynamics

Managing group conflict is the least fun part of a therapist’s job. But when conflict arises, the group leader must intervene before it becomes a bigger distraction. A good idea is to involve the group in settling disputes. This promotes their problem-solving abilities and provides them with the efficacy to deal with difficult interpersonal interactions.

Conclusion

Mental health group therapy activities for adults are a powerful mental health intervention that is the treatment of choice for several disorders. It offers a level of support and connection that individual therapy can’t match, all at a lower cost.

Therapists have the choice of utilizing several group activities depending on the client population and setting. By setting strong rules and boundaries, as well as managing group dynamics, therapists can build a valuable group treatment experience.

How EHRs can help with documentation

Modern EHR/practice management platforms (such as TheraPlatform) assist greatly with documentation by providing HIPAA‑compliant, integrated systems for note entry, storage, scheduling, and billing.

They allow therapists to:

• Use and customize templates (e.g., SOAP, DAP, and others) or build their own to streamline note writing and ensure consistency.
• Link notes to treatment plans, goals, and session history so client progress is easily tracked over time.
• Utilize e-fax and secure document sharing via client portal to safely exchange information with clients or other providers while maintaining confidentiality.
• Leverage dictation and telehealth transcription, which can automatically convert sessions into therapy or assessment notes, saving time and reducing manual entry.
• Take advantage of AI features that streamline documentation by automatically populating intake form data into assessment templates and generating complete therapy and assessment notes from the information you provide, all with a single click.

Meanwhile, AI‑assisted note tools are emerging which can further help clinicians by:

• Automatically transcribing session audio (if permitted) and highlighting key moments (e.g. emotional shifts, major themes).
• Suggesting draft notes or filling in objective or assessment sections based on observed data, freeing up clinicians’ time.
• Supporting consistency and reducing missing components in notes, which helps from both clinical, legal, and insurance perspectives.

Together, structured SOAP‑type notes, good EHR platforms, and smart AI tools support better therapeutic outcomes, more efficient workflows, and stronger accountability.

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Resources for mental health therapists

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References

David, D., Cristea, I., & Hofmann, S. G. (2018). Why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is the Current Gold Standard of Psychotherapy. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00004

Paturel, A. (2012, November 1). Power in numbers. Monitor on Psychology, 43(10). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/11/power

Theraplatform. Running a successful group therapy session. https://www.theraplatform.com/blog/2131/running-a-successful-group-therapy-session