Group & Career

Group & Career

Group Psychotherapy

Group psychotherapy is a type of therapy that involves one or more psychotherapists meeting with several individuals together. Groups can be formed around a theme, such as bereavement, divorce recovery, trauma or parenting…… or they can be open-ended psychotherapy groups. Some groups are time-limited while some are ongoing.

Typically groups include 6-8 people although this number may vary. They usually run for 90 minutes and meet weekly. Group work is especially helpful for people who are feeling isolated or alone with their worries and it provides a kind of support that people tend to find extremely helpful.

Group therapy can be used on its own or it can be used in conjunction with individual or couples therapy. It provides an environment where clients can receive feedback not just from trained clinicians but from group members who may be struggling in similar ways.

Clergy Evaluations

The Counseling Center offers in-depth evaluations of candidates for the ministry. The Center has connections to several Protestant denominations and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).Candidates are given a battery of psychological tests, interviewed in depth and asked to write personal narratives. Reports are then written for their committees on ministry or for their bishops. This process allows the church organizations to make sure that each candidate is psychologically equipped to take on the very demanding job of a ministry or the priesthood.

Dr. Richard Shoup, who in addition to being a psychotherapist is an ordained Presbyterian minister, conducts these evaluations. He understands the dynamics of working in churches. He has done several hundred of these reports over 15 years and he knows how to work with church committees and bishops in the church hierarchy. The finished reports, in addition to providing a gate-keeping function for the church, are also very helpful for the candidates in terms of highlighting their own personality dynamics, leadership styles and vocational strengths and weaknesses. READY TO START? Call the Counseling Center to arrange an appointment at (914) 793-3388.