Group therapy will be offered at the Counseling & Human Development Center in White Hall starting the second week in March. Students can register now for group sessions.

Logan Lamprecht, professional counselor and teaching fellow at the center, said he developed this program as a way for students to look at intrapersonal and interpersonal concerns.

Students are welcome to discuss any personal issues they are encountering, such as depression, anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties and life transitions or adjustments.

“A group kind of offers you a safe environment to take feedback and to put that feedback into practice, whether it’s about how to behave or communicate in a relationship or taking a risk to be vulnerable, to communicate honestly what you’re experiencing with another human being,” Lamprecht said.

Sessions will be free for all students and faculty and will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 325 of White Hall. The Tuesday sessions will begin on March 11 at 6 p.m., and the Thursday sessions will begin on March 13 at 1 p.m.

Tuesday sessions will be closed sessions, where they will cater to smaller groups of students who plan to attend on a regular basis. The Thursday sessions will be open to anyone interested in group therapy and for those who are unable to attend the first session.

Lamprecht said both sessions will be similar, but the smaller group will be more private.

“It’s beneficial in that there’s more confidentiality — the relationships seem to be stronger, there’s more trust,” he said. “In the other group we try to create that same environment, but it also lends itself flexible to students who might hear about it later.”

Those who are interested can either call or visit the center to register for a session. Students will then be screened with questions on the phone or in-person before being placed in the appropriate group. Questions will cover students’ counseling history and concerns about the group therapy experience, Lamprecht said.

Each group will be led by two co-facilitators who are trained in group work, Lamprecht said. However, their involvement in discussions will decrease as the sessions continue throughout the semester.

“As group begins, facilitators are quite active in regards to the process (of) helping members connect with one another and hear one another,” he said. “But then towards the end, their involvement becomes a lot less, and the hope is that the group members are able to take responsibility for the work they do in group.”

Before coming to Kent, Lamprecht received his master’s degree from Idaho State, where he co-facilitated a therapy group with a clinical psychologist. He said it was a beneficial experience for those who participated, which is a reason why he is implementing the sessions at Kent State.

“I felt like the students walked away with a lot of insight and walked away feeling somewhat enhanced or improved or better through it,” he said.

Lamprecht said group therapy is also way to improve relationships with others.

“In a group environment, you’re able to take risks and to get support and to kind of try on new behaviors and see what works and what doesn’t,” he said. “And you’re able to take that out into your environment and hopefully learn something there that you can apply and have more meaningful relationships with others.”

Lamprecht is looking forward to making group therapy available for students and faculty because he said it is a way to have authentic and honest relationships with people. He also said if they are successful, sessions will continue through the summer session.

“My hope then is that the people who participate in the group, that they’ll become more self-aware of themselves, that they’ll become more accepting and understanding of themselves and others,” he said.

Interested students and faculty can call the Counseling & Human Development Center in White Hall for more information or to register at 330-672-2208.

Contact student life reporter Brittany Wasko at [email protected].