New coping skills groups
Right Track Medical Group is offering a new group-based program designed to equip people with practical skills for achieving mental wellness.
Coping skills groups are facilitated by Right Track Medical Group's licensed mental health professionals including Emily Grace Ames, LPC (left) and Clark Hunt, LPC (right).
Coping skills groups meet once a week and are facilitated by Right Track Medical Group's licensed mental health professionals. The groups focus on identifying stressors, developing healthy coping skills and creating strategies for self-care. Members build skills through participating in open discussions and completing hands-on activities.
The first group, Coping with Stress, meets Tuesdays at 1 p.m. at Right Track Medical Group-Oxford. Other groups slated for addition in the future will focus on topics like processing grief and effective communication in relationships.
“Coping skills groups offer practical skills that can be a benefit along with individual therapy,” said Clark Hunt, LPC, treatment coordinator at Right Track Medical Group. “The goal is to take what you learn from the group and apply it to your daily life.”
“Having the support of a group of people who understand what you are going through enforces the truth that you are not alone.”
Therapist Emily Grace Ames, LPC, said the benefits of coping skills groups include not only the ability to manage everyday stress, but also the support of people who understand the journey you are on.
“Having the support of a group of people who understand what you are going through enforces the truth that you are not alone,” she said. “Groups provide a balance of an educational component, while also offering a collaborative environment for change.”
Most people come to group wanting to make a change, but are unsure of how to get started, said Ames. Groups facilitate increasing awareness and identifying solutions.
“Members of groups discuss where they want to be in life and the steps it will take to get there,” said Hunt. “Group members learn new skills and have the opportunity to practice them in a safe, supportive environment.”
Coping skills groups may include six to eight people and are open to current and new patients, ages 18 and up. Patients are not required to be receiving psychiatric and individual therapy services at Right Track Medical Group to participate in coping skills groups. Patients complete an intake assessment and admissions paperwork before joining the group.
For more information on coping skills groups, call Right Track Medical Group-Oxford at (662) 234-7601.