At Oak Valley Health, we offer a variety of types of group therapy in our Outpatient Mental Health Program. A referral from a physician or nurse practitioner is required unless otherwise specified. Referrals that include group requests will require an intake by our intake workers.
Please note: You will be informed of the type of group delivery (in-person or virtual) at the group orientation.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a behavioural therapy rooted in mindfulness-based practices. The goal of ACT is to find ways to create a “rich and meaningful life” in the presence of our struggles by connecting to who or what matters to us. As we do this, group members may notice barriers, challenges, distressing experiences, and ACT offers skills to handle these experiences differently. ACT is helpful for those who experience depression, anxiety, OCD, chronic pain, PTSD, and more. Two hours weekly for eight weeks.
Art Therapy
A form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of art making to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Promotes problem solving and self-soothing skills, the development of insight and self-awareness, and also aims to improve self-esteem, manage stress, and enhance interpersonal skills. This program is held two hours weekly for eight weeks.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) addresses negative thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and unhealthy coping behaviours in depression and anxiety. In this group, you will be encouraged to access different coping mechanisms and develop a set of personal coping strategies that you can use to solve current and future problems. We use a type of therapy called behavioural activation and will encourage you to set goals and try out mindfulness exercises. ALL CBT programs are held two hours weekly for 8 weeks.
We also offer:
- CBT for transitional age youth (age 18 – 26): This group is offered to youth struggling with depression and/or anxiety, combining CBT with a life skills component.
- Cantonese CBT: A CBT group for people whose first language is Cantonese.
Concurrent Disorders Group – Surf’s Up!
An ongoing virtual group for individuals who have co-occurring substance use and mental health concerns. The group is a safe, non-judgmental space to reduce stigma, learn skills, acquire knowledge, share experiences, and receive mutual support. Surf’s Up is an ongoing group that meets once weekly for 90 minutes over Zoom. New members welcomed on a regular basis!
Emotional Resiliency
This group focuses on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills to help people learn new strategies for regulating their emotions. DBT skills include mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. This program is held two hours weekly for eight weeks. Referral to this group is only accepted from Markham Stouffville Hospital psychiatrists.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy Group
This is a time-limited and structured psychotherapy group. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) focuses on relationship problems and on helping people identify how they are feeling and behaving in their relationships. When a person is able to deal with a relationship problem more effectively, their psychological symptoms often improve.
This program is held two hours weekly for 14 to 16 weeks.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
This group is for people struggling with low-to-moderate levels of depression and anxiety in addition to health-related conditions such as chronic pain, osteoporosis, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, or cardiac conditions. MSBR uses a combination of mindfulness meditation, body awareness, and yoga to help people become more mindful and present in the moment, in the midst of stress. This group is held 2 hours weekly for eight weeks.