document iconmyCSUSM
cougar courses logoCOUGAR COURSES
email iconEMAIL
email iconMS OFFICE APPS
password iconPASSWORD
MANAGEMENT
Your  Account:
document iconmyCSUSM
cougar courses logoCOUGAR COURSES
email iconEMAIL
office iconMS OFFICE APPS
password iconPASSWORD
MANAGEMENT
Counseling Services

Group Therapy

Group Support

Group Therapy Available  

Academic Support Group | Asian Student Collective |  Body Image Group |  Conscious Connecting | Cultivating Wellness | DBT-Based Skills Forum | Entre Familia | First-Gen Support Group | FLUTTER | Gathering Compassion | Grief and Loss | Healing Hearts | LGBTQIA Safe Space | Mindfulness for Depression | Social Anxiety Toolbox | Surviving and Thriving in the First Year | Women of Color Connection 

Download a PDF copy of all our Group Therapy handout and SHCS Coping Skills Series.

If you are self-referring for a group, please contact the SHCS front desk to schedule a brief screening to confirm eligibility.  All groups will require a group screening, and will be held via Zoom.

If you are interested, please sign up for a group.

Academic Support Group

This is s a support group open to all students looking for a space to disucss, receive support, and lean skills to manage their academic challenges. Topics can range from time management, imposter syndrome, test taking anxiety and beyond. 

  • Who: Katie Ramos, LCSW
  • When: Thursdays, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm 
  • Contact: Katie Ramos, LCSW at kramos@csusm.edu 

Asian Student Collective

This support group is for all domestic and international students who identify as Asian Pacific Islander, and/or Desi. This gropu offers a space for community building, mutual support, healing, and empowerment. 

  • Who: Dr. Leah Tappero
  • When: Thursdays, 3:00-4:00 pm
  • Contact: Dr. Leah Tappero at ltappero@csusm.edu 

 

Body Image Group

This group is open to all students looking for a space to discuss body image concerns and connect with others who have shared experiences. Students will have the opportunity to learn about topics relating to body image, feelings of worth, self-esteem, and more. This group offers a space for empowering self and others, as well as debunking myths and standards imposed on the human form by various societal and cultural expectations. 

  • Who: Lilly Parks, M.A.
  • When: Tuesdays, 3:00-4:30 pm
  • Contact: Lilly Parks, M.A. at lparks@csusm.edu 

Conscious Connecting

This group provides a safe place for students to practice new ways of connecting with others as they learn new ways to view themselves through feedback and group support. They can also address fears, problems, or patterns that can get in the way of fulfilling relationships. Through the process of connecting with other people in this format, members often find they can navigate relationships with more satisfaction, leading to more fulfillment in their lives.

  • Who: Dr. Jay Robertson-Howell
  • When: Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
  • Contact: Dr. Jay Robertson-Howell at jrobertson@csusm.edu

Cultivating Wellness

This group will provide students a space to learn and participate in self-care. What is it, why it's more than just a buzzword, and how to incorporate it into their lives to improvie their overall well-being. Meetings consits of reflection on a weekly topic and self-care activity. 

  • Who: Liya Levanda, M.A.
  • When: Thursdays, 12:00 - 12:50 pm (In-Person)
  • Contact: Liya Levanda, M.A. at llevanda@csusm.edu

DBT-Based Skills Forum

This group helps students learn and practice skills drawn from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) including distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. 

Entre Familia

This group provides Latinx students a space to share, learn, and explore issues related to their culture, family, academics, as well as any other issue affecting them. The group also focuses on building community, mutual support, and empowerment. This group is conducted in English and Spanish.

  • Who: Laura Bermudez, M.S.
  • When:  Mondays, 3:00-4:30 pm 
  • Contact: Laura Bermudez, M.S. at lbermudez@csusm.edu 

 

First-Gen Support Group

This support group is for all students who identify as first-generation college students. First-gen students are students whose parents did not complete a univeristy degree. This group allows first-gen students to connect with each other, learn and explore how their first-gen identity impacts their college exprience and discuss any current stressors.

Flutter

This is a support group for undocumented and mixed status students. The group creates a safe and confidential space to give and receive support around the experiencs of being undocunmented or mixed status. 

  • Who:  Jennifer Rubalcaba, M.A.
  • When: Mondays, 2:00 -3:00 pm 
  • Contact: Jennifer Rubalcaba, M.A. at jrubalcaba@csusm.edu 

Gathering Compassion

This group is a safe space to practice self-care and learn about the different ways compassion and mindfulness can help you cope with everyday stress. The goal of the group is to learn to manage painful emotions and life's difficulties through the daily cultivation and practice of self-compassion. 

  • Who: Dr. Juan Alvarez  
  • When: Thursdays, 4:00-5:00 pm
  • Contact: Dr. Juan Alvarez at jalvarez@csusm.edu  

Grief and Loss 

Our Grief and Loss Group provides a safe environment for you to look at your old beliefs about dealing with loss, which losses have affected your life, and take actions that will lead you to complete unresolved emotions that may still be causing you pain.

In collaboration with The Elizabeth Hospice agency, our group will provide a framework for understanding grief  to most importantly understand your own grief in context. The process and stages of moving through grief will be both explained and explored in a safe space of support, understanding, kindness, acceptance, and compassion. If you are interested solely in this group and no other counseling services, you may schedule an appointment with Dr. Peters directly for a group screening.

  • Who: Dr. Alli Peters 
  • When: Tuesdays, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm 
  • Contact: Dr. Alli Peters at apeters@csusm.edu

Healing Hearts

This group is designed for people affected by seuxal trauma, and is open to people of all genders. The group provides a safe and empowering space space for students to gain support, connect with each other, and learn coping skills that can help them move toward healing. 

  • Who: Dr. Lissa Lim or Liya Levanda, M.A. 
  • When: Fridays, 3:00-4:30 pm
  • Contact: Dr. Lissa Lim at llim@csusm.edu or Liya Levanda, M.A. at llevanda@csusm.edu 

LGBTQIA Safer Space

This group privides a safe and supportive environment for persons who identify  as LGBTQIA, those who might be questioning their seuxal orientation or gender identity, and those who would liek support as they navigate the coming out process. Come join us to meet new people, build a sense of community, and to share your experiences (both the benefits and challenges) of being LGBTQIA.

Mindfulness for Depression

This group helps students learn and use Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) skills to manage depression, stress and anxiety.

Social Anxiety Toolbox

This weekly workshop will help provide participants with a better understanding of social anxiety. It will also teach skills to manage it, including cognitive, behavioral and mindful self-compassion approaches.

  • Who: Dr. Ryan Stevenson
  • When: Thursdays, 2:00 pm
  • Contact: Dr. Ryan Stevenson at rstevenson@csusm.edu

Suriving and Thriving in the First Year

This group supports students as they adjust to their first year at college. Students will learn how to identify feelings, develop coping strategies to regulate emotions, build relationships, and their improve of self. We will examine how our mental health impacts academic performance while strengthening skills to better manage stress, time, motivation and avoid procrastination. 

  • Who: Dr. Ryan Stevenson
  • When: Thursdays, 2:00 pm
  • Contact: Dr. Ryan Stevenson at rstevenson@csusm.edu

Women of Color Connection 

This support group is for cis and trans women of color students to explore, share, and learn how their multiple identities impact their personal and interpersonal experiences. Members choose topics which can include cultural identity, family, gender roles, academic, stress, romantic relationships, friendships, social justic concerns, and mental health and well-being.