Group therapy at Villa Wellness Center is structured, peer-supported treatment for adults in addiction recovery. Groups run daily during mental health and substance abuse treatment at the PHP level, several times per week during IOP, and weekly throughout outpatient care.
Most major insurance is accepted via online form or call (844) 609-3035 to verify your benefits.
Group Therapy
Who group therapy is for
Group therapy at Villa is for adults working through substance use disorder, with or without co-occurring mental health conditions. Group work is a required component of most addiction treatment programs because the peer dynamic produces clinical effects individual therapy cannot replicate: shared experience that reduces isolation, mirrored insight from people facing similar challenges, and practice in honest communication with others in recovery.
People who benefit most from group therapy typically include adults new to recovery who have isolated during active addiction, adults in PHP or IOP whose treatment plan requires daily group programming, adults returning to treatment after relapse who want a peer-supported context for working through what happened, and adults whose social connections during active use need to be replaced with recovery-oriented relationships.
You do not need prior group therapy experience. The first few sessions focus on orientation, ground rules, and building enough trust to engage. The therapist running the group is a licensed clinician who structures the work and keeps the group on track.
WHY CHOOSE US
What group therapy at Villa looks like
Groups meet for 60 to 90 minutes with 6 to 12 participants and one or two licensed clinicians facilitating. The format depends on the type of group: process groups follow what comes up in the room; psychoeducation groups follow a curriculum; skills groups practice specific techniques like distress tolerance or relapse prevention. Group composition is matched to clinical need and level of care.
Confidentiality rules are reviewed at the start of every group and reinforced as needed. What is said in group stays in group. Clinicians are bound by HIPAA and licensing ethics; participants are bound by the group contract. The rule is foundational because group therapy does not work without it.
Group attendance is part of the treatment plan; consistency matters. Most people who finish addiction treatment cite group work as one of the most useful components, even when they were initially skeptical or uncomfortable. The discomfort often reflects exactly what needs work.
WHAT WE OFFER
Types of groups we run
Villa runs several distinct group types throughout the program week. Each is matched to a clinical purpose and to the level of care.
Process groups
Process groups follow what arises in the room rather than a fixed curriculum. Participants bring current challenges, conflicts, feelings, or recovery questions, and the group works through them together with clinical facilitation. Process work develops self-awareness, communication skills, and the ability to receive feedback from peers.
Psychoeducation groups
Psychoeducation groups follow a curriculum covering the science of addiction, brain changes in recovery, the role of trauma, the relationship between mental health and substance use and other clinical topics. The group format allows discussion and clarification of concepts you encounter in individual therapy.
Skills groups
Skills groups teach specific techniques and provide structured practice. DBT skills (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness) are common. CBT-based skills (thought identification, cognitive restructuring) are also taught in group format. The group setting provides feedback during practice that individual sessions cannot.
Relapse prevention groups
Relapse prevention groups focus specifically on identifying triggers, building coping plans, and rehearsing strategies for high-risk situations. Late-stage and aftercare programs lean heavily on this format because the work directly addresses post-treatment risk.
Specialty groups
Topic-specific groups address particular populations or issues: trauma-focused groups, women's groups, men's groups, family-of-origin work, and others depending on cohort composition. Specialty groups run when enough participants share the clinical need.
Art Therapy
Art therapy groups use creative expression to help participants process emotions, reduce stress, and explore personal experiences in a non-verbal, supportive environment. No artistic experience is required.
Group type comparison
Most adults in PHP attend several group types per week; outpatient programming uses fewer groups per week but draws from the same set. The comparison below clarifies what each format does best.
Process vs psychoeducation vs skills vs relapse-prevention groups: which does which work?
Most adults in PHP attend several group types per week; outpatient programming uses fewer groups per week but draws from the same set. Your treatment plan determines which groups you attend based on phase of recovery and clinical need. The combination is the work; no single group format addresses everything addiction recovery requires.
How group therapy fits the rest of treatment
Group therapy runs alongside individual sessions, medication management, and family work. The components serve different functions and reinforce each other.
Insurance coverage for group therapy
Villa Wellness Center works with most major insurance plans. Group therapy is delivered as part of the integrated treatment program; coverage is bundled with the level of care your treatment plan calls for. Coverage depends on your plan. We verify your benefits before treatment begins, free of charge.
Call (844) 609-3035 or use the form on this page to start verification.
Plans we work with: Aetna · Blue Cross Blue Shield · Cigna · Humana · United Healthcare
Group therapy for Camden County and surrounding areas
Group therapy in New Jersey at Villa Wellness Center serves adults across Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington counties from our Sicklerville facility. Group programming runs daily during partial hospitalization, multiple times per week during intensive outpatient, and weekly during outpatient continuing care. Group therapy is a core component of nearly all licensed substance use treatment programs in the United States. SAMHSA’s TIP 41 (Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy) identifies five distinct therapy group types used in addiction treatment, all of which Villa runs across the program week, and SAMHSA’s most recent National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services confirms group counseling is included in virtually all licensed addiction treatment programs nationally.
We serve South Jersey, including Sicklerville, Blackwood, Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Gloucester Township, Pine Hill, Berlin, Clementon, Stratford, and Somerdale in Camden County; Williamstown, Glassboro, Washington Township, Sewell, and Turnersville in Gloucester County; and Mount Laurel, Marlton, Medford, and Moorestown in Burlington County. The facility is accessible via the Atlantic City Expressway and Route 42.
If you are searching for a group therapy program in NJ that integrates with full clinical treatment, our admissions team can verify benefits and coordinate intake. Outpatient intake typically happens within a week; higher levels of care can often be coordinated within 24 to 48 hours.
24-Hour Support, Structure, and Community Ready To Help You!
Group therapy at Villa Wellness Center is guided by licensed clinicians who ensure sessions remain respectful, focused, and clinically effective. Groups are thoughtfully structured to encourage participation while honoring personal boundaries, making them a powerful tool for connection and healing.
Frequently asked questions
Dr. Courtney Scott
Medical Director
Dr. Courtney Scott
Medical Director
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Courtney Scott, MD. Board-eligible in Addiction Medicine, Medical Director at Villa Wellness Center. Full bio at about-us/our-team/
Reviewed for clinical accuracy against current American Music Therapy Association practice standards.
What is group therapy in addiction treatment?
Group therapy is structured peer treatment with a licensed clinician facilitating. Six to twelve adults in similar phases of recovery work together on process, skills, education, and relapse prevention. Group work produces clinical effects individual therapy cannot replicate because the peer dynamic is part of the treatment.
How is group therapy different from a support group or 12-step meeting?
Group therapy is clinical, facilitated by a licensed clinician, and part of a structured treatment plan. AA, NA, and other support groups are peer-led community fellowships without clinical facilitation. Both are useful; they serve different functions. Most people in treatment do both.
Do I have to share in group?
Not at first. Most people listen for several sessions before sharing significantly. The facilitator structures the group so participation can scale up over time. That said, group therapy works through participation, and the discomfort of beginning to share is often clinically productive.
Is what I say in group confidential?
The clinicians are bound by HIPAA and licensing ethics; what you say cannot be shared by them outside the clinical team. Other group members agree to confidentiality as a group contract; while not legally binding in the same way, the rule is taken seriously and is foundational to the work.
How many people are in a group?
Most groups run with 6 to 12 participants and one or two clinicians facilitating. Specialty groups may run smaller. Group size affects the dynamic; smaller groups go deeper on each person, larger groups expose you to more perspectives.
Can I do group therapy without doing individual therapy?
Group is part of the integrated program at Villa and works alongside individual therapy. You can have a treatment plan with more group emphasis or more individual emphasis depending on clinical need, but the two components reinforce each other. Standalone group without individual sessions is uncommon.
Does insurance cover group therapy?
In most cases, yes. Group therapy delivered as part of an addiction or mental health treatment program is typically covered by commercial insurance. Coverage depends on your plan. We verify your benefits free of charge.
How do I get started?
Call (844) 609-3035 to speak with admissions or use the form on this page to start insurance verification. The admissions team reviews fit, confirms benefits, and schedules an initial assessment.
Start group therapy in Sicklerville
If group work is part of the next step in your recovery, call (844) 609-3035 to speak with admissions or use the form on this page to verify benefits. Outpatient intake typically happens within a week; higher levels of care can be coordinated within 24 to 48 hours.