Group therapy at Los Angeles Outpatient Center (LAOP) puts you in a warm, welcoming room in Culver City, minutes from the 405 and the 10, creating a unique opportunity to connect with others and support each other as you work through your own personal challenges, alongside an experienced therapist.
At LOAP, we offer a range of group therapies. Each is designed to teach coping skills, raise awareness of risk factors, and explore new strategies for managing stress and anxiety, in a supportive environment where you can feel free to explore your thoughts and feelings.
Call 888-449-0852. Our admissions team answers 24/7 and can verify your insurance for free.
Does Group Therapy Work?
Group therapy is often a core component of treatment because it leverages social, psychological, and behavioral processes that are difficult to replicate in individual therapy alone.
Group members can offer encouragement, practical suggestions, and accountability in ways that sometimes feel more relatable than feedback which creates opportunities for real-time learning.
Each group therapy session involves a trained, compassionate therapist who leads discussions and guides exercises and practices designed to help you develop new skills, raise self awareness, improve emotional regulation, and promote personal growth.
Though the outcomes can be similar to individual therapy, group sessions also encourage peer support, and a chance to connect with people working through similar challenges.
Each group session at LAOP lasts 50 minutes, and gives you the chance to take part in open discussions, guided sessions, and exercises designed to unlock tools and practices to support growth.
Types of Group Therapy at LAOP
Not all group therapy sessions are the same. Some skill-focused groups design to help you pick up new tools, others are focused on helping you to process what you’re dealing with, and creative groups can help you re-connect with your body.
Our group therapy sessions support people living with anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, grief and loss, bipolar disorder, and OCD, among other conditions. LAOP has a 13-week curriculum that focuses on the many different modalities and interventions that will help with specific treatment goals as well as process and heal through challenging moments encountered. These therapeutic approaches include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Identifies and challenges negative thought patterns to promote healthier behaviors and emotions
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Focuses on emotional regulation and mindfulness, essential for managing intense emotions related to depression.
- Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices promote present-moment awareness and stress reduction.
- Emotional Intelligence Therapy: Enhances clients’ ability to recognize, understand, and manage their emotions.
- Coping Skills for Mood Regulation: Provides strategies to help manage and stabilize mood.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Encourages clients to accept what is out of their control and commit to actions that improve and enrich their lives.
- Stress-Reduction Therapy: Focuses on identifying stressors and implementing techniques to reduce stress.
- Processing Group Therapy: Facilitates peer support and shared experiences to foster healing and growth.
What Happens in a Group Therapy Session at LAOP?
For many of us, walking into your first group therapy session is one of toughest parts about starting therapy. But once you’re in the room, you’ll soon feel comfortable, and everything we do at LAOP is designed to make the experience as easy as possible.
Groups at LAOP include no more than 11 people. Small enough that people know your name and big enough that you hear a range of perspectives and experiences that could help you as you process your own challenges.
The Group Therapy experience comes with a lot of different personalities, diversities, trauma, and sensitive information about your peers. Our group sessions are guided by a few ground rules that keep your emotional safety, and your peers’, a priority:
- Safe Space: Participants should actively participate in creating a safe and inclusive space for yourself and other group members this includes common areas such as the café.
- Timely: Individuals are responsible for knowing when groups begin, and you are expected to be in session when the group starts.
- Courteous: If you need to leave the group, do so quietly and upon return please enter the room quietly.
- Confidentiality: What is said in a group stays in the room. Discussions about group content is prohibited to be discussed outside of group. Especially in public space.
- Respectful: No cellphone/electronics use during group sessions.
- Sharing: Create space for group members to share their feelings in a safe, supportive environment.
- Presence: Use the indicated break times to use the restroom and/or enjoy a snack. Be present for yourself and for other group members.
- Communication: Threatening comments, aggressive behavior or inappropriate language directed at peers and staff are not acceptable. These may include, but are not limited to, hostile personal attacks, yelling/screaming, vulgar language, glorifying drug use, discrimination, demeaning or sexually explicit language. This is grounds for immediate administrative discharge.
Every session happens in person at our Culver City center, and the environment is part of the care. People comment on it the moment they arrive: the building is warm and cared for, there’s catered lunch and unlimited coffee, and it feels closer to a living room than a clinic.
Who Leads Group Therapy at LAOP
Every group at LAOP is led by a licensed therapist, and behind every group is a full care team in support.Our therapists come from a wide range of cultural, religious, and social backgrounds, and work alongside psychiatrists and medical staff. LAOP is also accredited by CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, which means an independent body audits the quality of our care against international standards.
Most commercial insurance plans cover group therapy when it’s delivered as part of a treatment program that’s deemed medically necessary. What you may have to pay depends on your plan, deductibles and copays. Our admissions team will verify your benefits for free before you commit to anything.
LAOP is in-network with Blue Shield of California, Magellan Health, TRICARE, and TriWest. We also work with major carriers like Anthem, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare on an out-of-network basis, which is often more workable than people expect.
If you’ve ever tried to read your own benefits documents, you know the insurance system is a maze. Our admissions and utilization review team deals with that maze all day, every day, so your whole job is one phone call and there will be no surprise costs.
Getting Here Is Easy, Wherever You’re Coming From in LA
LAOP is based at 6053 Bristol Pkwy in Culver City, it’s just minutes from the 405 and the 10. We regularly see clients from West LA, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, El Segundo, and mid-city Los Angeles, and commuters from much further out. Hundreds of thousands of people also commute to work in Culver City every day, and practice is well positioned for those commuters, too.
Our practice offers free parking, which anyone who has driven in LA knows is worth sharing. And free Lyft pick-up and drop-off is available for eligible insurance plans. And if you’re employed, we can help you with leave-of-absence paperwork, too, once evaluated by the care team.
Choosing LAOP’s group therapy in Los Angeles, CA means accessing a structured, supportive, therapist-led program that is dedicated to your mental health and well-being. We are here to support you every step of the way.
Take the Next Step Toward Healing
At Los Angeles Outpatient Center (LAOP), we are committed to providing comprehensive mental health care through our Group Therapy Program and other supportive services. If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health challenges, our team is here to help you navigate your recovery journey with compassion and expertise.
Contact us today to learn more about our group therapy or to begin the admissions process. We accept a variety of major insurance plans with out-of-network benefits and offer support to help you understand your coverage options.
Other Programs Offered at LAOP Center
In addition to our Group Therapy Program, Los Angeles Outpatient Center (LAOP) offers a variety of programs to meet the diverse needs of our clients. Each program is designed to provide the appropriate level of care and support, ensuring that clients receive comprehensive treatment tailored to their specific mental health needs.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
- Schedule: Three hours a day, ranging from three to five days a week.
- Description: The IOP is ideal for clients who need a structured level of care while maintaining their everyday responsibilities. This program includes individual and group therapy sessions, allowing clients to continue working or attending school while receiving intensive treatment.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
- Schedule: Six hours a day, five days a week.
- Description: Partial Hospitalization Program PHP provides the most intensive level of outpatient care, ideal for individuals who require substantial therapeutic intervention. Clients engage in daily therapy sessions, holistic therapies, and skill-building activities, all while receiving comprehensive psychiatric care.
Alumni Program
- The Alumni Program helps clients stay connected and supported after completing their primary treatment. It provides a space for ongoing support, community engagement, and sharing of experiences.
Getting Started with Group Therapy at LAOP In Three Steps
You don’t need to have anything figured out before you call. The first step is a conversation.
-
Call 888-449-0852. Admissions answers around the clock.
-
Free insurance verification. We check your benefits and tell you plainly what’s covered.
-
Assessment and start. Often within days. Our admissions team runs on a simple question: “Can you do an assessment today?” Usually, the answer is yes.
