Group Therapy in Los Angeles | Pasadena Clinical Group

01

What it is

How Group Therapy works here.

Group therapy is psychotherapy delivered to a small, consistent set of people by a licensed clinician. It is not a support group, though good ones share some qualities. It’s not a class, though there is structure. It is therapy — with the addition that the most useful person in the room some weeks isn’t the clinician.

For depression in particular, the format does something individual therapy cannot fully replicate: it puts you in regular company with people who recognize what you’re carrying, who don’t need it explained, and whose presence over time slowly changes the story you tell yourself about who you are.

Group might be the right format if…

You know depression has been isolating you and you’re tired of carrying it alone.
Individual therapy has been useful but you suspect something is missing.
You’re curious about being witnessed by people who get it without explanation.
You’re skeptical about group — that’s a fair place to start the conversation.

A circle of adults sitting together in a sunlit room, listening attentively

02

What a session looks like

The practical shape of the work.

Most groups run weekly for 75–90 minutes, with a stable membership over months. New members are admitted via a short pre-group conversation. There are agreements about confidentiality and conduct that everyone signs at the start.

A typical hour might begin with a brief check-in, move into one or two members bringing something they’re working on, and end with a closing round. Some weeks it is heavy. Some weeks it is mostly laughter. The week-over-week is the medicine.

We currently run groups for adults living with depression and related mood concerns. Specialized groups (postpartum, professionals, LGBTQ+, grief) are run as cohorts when participation supports them.

01

Intake call

A short call with our coordinator to understand what you’re working on and identify the right cohort.

02

Pre-group meeting

A 30-minute individual session with the group’s clinician — both clinical and logistical.

03

First group

You join at the start of the next cohort week. Most members describe it as quieter than they expected.

03

What it can help with

Common reasons people choose this.

Major Depressive Disorder
Persistent Depressive Disorder
Anxiety with Depression
Postpartum Depression (cohort-dependent)
Grief & Bereavement (cohort-dependent)
Burnout & Work-Related Depression

If you’re curious about group but skeptical, that is the right starting place. The pre-group conversation is exactly for that uncertainty — there is no obligation to join after it.

Wondering whether this is the right fit?

The intake conversation is exactly for that. No commitment to schedule.

Talk to someone

You don’t have to figure this out alone

Reach out — even if you’re still not sure.

Most people sit with the question for a long time before making the call. Whatever you’re carrying, we’ve almost certainly sat with someone holding something similar. The first step is just a conversation.

Book Your First Session Call (626) 354-6440