The behavioral health industry is at a crossroads, grappling with an ongoing crisis of clinician shortages and an unprecedented surge in mental health needs. In the face of these challenges, many individuals are struggling to get the care they need, leading to worsening mental health conditions, increased hospitalizations, and a higher burden on society as a whole. The current system simply cannot meet the demand, and as mental health issues continue to rise, finding innovative ways to deliver care more efficiently and effectively is crucial.
One of the most promising solutions to these challenges is group therapy in behavioral health. While it has long been seen as a secondary option to individual therapy, recent research, expert opinions, and industry trends suggest that group-based care may be the key to addressing the gaps in access to care. Group therapy in behavioral health can provide a unique combination of clinical benefits and cost efficiencies, all while helping mitigate the workforce shortage that is crippling the industry.
Why Group Therapy Matters
Group therapy is often misunderstood. Many people assume it’s a chaotic or disorganized experience where participants are just left to share their problems with little structure. The truth is far from that. In fact, group-based care is a well-established, structured therapeutic modality that can be just as effective as individual therapy, if not more so in some cases. One of the key benefits of group therapy in behavioral health is that it allows individuals to learn from one another, gain emotional support, and practice therapeutic skills in a safe and structured environment.
Ben Robbins, general partner at Google Ventures (GV), has been a vocal advocate for group therapy in behavioral health, noting that it’s a particularly attractive option when reimbursement models incentivize value-based care. He explains that in group-based care, one clinician can work with multiple clients at the same time, creating an efficient way to deliver services and dramatically increasing the provider’s capacity to help more people. According to Robbins, “Groups are probably, if not the main tool, one of the key tools in unlocking value in behavioral health.”
Robbins’ perspective is shared by many in the industry who see group therapy in behavioral health as an essential part of solving the behavioral health crisis. Investors, too, are increasingly betting on group therapy providers, with GV putting its money behind companies like Guidelight Health, Firsthand, and Diverge Health—each of which leverages community health workers or peer support specialists to facilitate group-based care. These investments underscore the growing recognition of the benefits that group therapy in behavioral health can offer not just for patients, but for providers looking for cost-effective, scalable solutions.
The Clinical Benefits of Group Therapy
There is a wealth of evidence supporting the effectiveness of group therapy in behavioral health. In addition to providing a supportive environment for individuals to share their struggles, group-based care fosters learning and growth in ways that individual therapy often cannot.
For example, patients can gain valuable insights from others who have similar experiences or struggles. This peer-based model helps individuals realize they are not alone, which can be particularly helpful for those dealing with issues like anxiety, depression, or addiction. The shared wisdom from others who have walked similar paths can also provide powerful coping strategies and alternative perspectives that may not arise in individual therapy.
Research has demonstrated that group therapy in behavioral health is equally as effective as individual therapy for conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But its benefits extend beyond just mental health conditions. group-based care has been successfully used for pain management, smoking cessation, and managing chronic health conditions. Moreover, it offers significant benefits in terms of affordability and efficiency, making it an ideal solution for tackling the behavioral health crisis from a systemic perspective.
In fact, one study published in American Psychologist found that increasing group therapy in behavioral health sessions by just 10% could enable over 3.5 million additional people to access therapy each year. This increase in group therapy in behavioral health would reduce the need for nearly 35,000 new therapists and save the health care system over $5.6 billion. These statistics speak to the broader economic and accessibility benefits of expanding group-based care as a widely used mental health intervention.
The Role of Group Therapy in Expanding Access
The ability of group therapy in behavioral health to expand access to mental health services is perhaps its most compelling attribute. The growing demand for behavioral health services has put a strain on the system, and the shortage of qualified clinicians is only worsening the problem. In this context, group therapy in behavioral health has the potential to provide a much-needed solution.
By allowing therapists to treat multiple clients at once, group therapy in behavioral health offers a way to provide care at scale. For example, where individual therapy might allow a clinician to treat only one patient at a time, group-based care enables a therapist to work with anywhere from eight to twelve people in a single session. This allows for better use of clinician time and creates more openings for patients to access care.
Dr. Martyn Whittingham, a leading expert in the field, noted that increasing the availability of group therapy in behavioral health would free up clinicians’ schedules, making it easier to match clients with the appropriate service, whether that’s group therapy or another form of treatment. This efficiency is critical in light of the growing demand for mental health services.
Group therapy in behavioral health also holds particular promise for marginalized populations, who face disproportionate rates of mental health issues but often struggle to access care. People from underserved communities, such as racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and low-income groups, often experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and trauma but have fewer opportunities to receive treatment. group-based care can help bridge this gap by providing a more accessible, cost-effective treatment option, especially for individuals who might otherwise face significant barriers to care.
The Barriers to Widespread Adoption
Despite its many benefits, there are significant barriers to the wider adoption of group therapy in behavioral health. The most prominent of these is the current reimbursement system, which is poorly aligned with the realities of group therapy delivery.
Currently, individual therapy sessions are reimbursed based on the time a clinician spends with each patient. However, group-based care sessions are reimbursed based on the number of participants in the group, rather than the time spent by the clinician. This can create a financial disincentive for therapists, as they must ensure a certain number of participants to break even. If group members drop out or don’t attend regularly, therapists may face financial losses. Dr. Susan Sprich, clinical director of psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital, pointed out that a therapist needs approximately seven group members in a session to receive the same reimbursement as two individual 45-minute therapy sessions.
Additionally, payers—whether private insurers or public health programs—often undervalue group therapy in behavioral health, especially virtual group therapy, despite its effectiveness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, group therapy sessions transitioned to virtual formats, but now that in-person therapy is resuming, there’s some reluctance from both providers and insurers to embrace virtual groups. However, virtual therapy offers important advantages, including accessibility for individuals with transportation issues or those with busy schedules.
There are also operational hurdles. Group therapy in behavioral health requires different skills and training than individual therapy. Leading a group effectively involves managing group dynamics, ensuring that every participant has a chance to speak, and addressing the needs of a diverse set of individuals in a single session. Dr. Whittingham recommended that clinicians receive specific training in leading group therapy, and he proposed that group therapy certification should be a requirement for those who wish to lead such sessions.
Moving Forward: A Radical Rethink of Group Therapy
As the mental health crisis continues to unfold, group-based care offers a clear path to improving access to care while also providing efficient, effective, and affordable treatment options. However, for group therapy in behavioral health to reach its full potential, significant changes need to be made to the reimbursement models and the infrastructure that supports its delivery.
The first step is to rethink how group therapy in behavioral health is reimbursed. Dr. Whittingham is one of many experts who argue that a radical overhaul of the current reimbursement system is necessary. Insurance companies need to recognize the value that group-based care brings to both patients and providers. Instead of penalizing therapists for offering group therapy in behavioral health, payers should incentivize its use to help improve access to care for millions of individuals in need.
Additionally, there needs to be more investment in training and resources to ensure that clinicians have the skills to lead effective group-based care sessions. By prioritizing group therapy in behavioral health as a mainstream behavioral health intervention, we can begin to address the current crisis in mental health care.
In conclusion, group therapy in behavioral health represents a unique opportunity to address the mental health crisis in a scalable and cost-effective manner. It offers clinical benefits, increases access to care, and provides a solution to the workforce shortage in behavioral health. By rethinking the current system and removing the barriers to wider adoption, we can unlock the true potential of group-based care and move toward a more inclusive, effective, and accessible mental health care system.
