Announcing a New Psychotherapy "Process" Group for Men and Women 

There is arguably no better way to learn about yourself and discover your "blindspots" than in the context of a group.   Scientific research has shown that group psychotherapy is beneficial for a range of psychiatric issues and relationship struggles, and helps people cope more effectively with the typical distress that emerges when facing the pragmatic and emotional challenges of daily life.  
 
Groups are primal and ubiquitous: as children we were raised in and by groups, and groups constitute most of the formative experiences across the lifespan -- whether in school, at work or in the community.  Yet, most groups do not have at their core the direct objective of providing support to their members as well as observations, feedback, and relational experiences necessary to support growth and change.
 
This is precisely the aim of a psychotherapy process group. 
 
In a process group, members come together on a regular basis to share their experiences, both within and outside of the group, and to utilize the emerging dynamics of the group culture and the interactions between its members as a vehicle for personal discovery.  In a sense, the group is a "laboratory" -- each member can achieve new realizations about him- or herself and "try on" new roles and ways of being that may directly impact one's "real" life outside of the group.
 
I would like to announce the formation of a new psychotherapy process group that will begin on Saturday, October 7, 2017 (11:00 AM to 12:15 PM) and will meet the first and third Saturday of each month at this time at  The Water Garden Business Center, 23421 South Pointe Drive, Suite 130, Laguna Hills, CA, 92653.  Group membership is limited to 8 persons.  The fee for each group session is $40.00.  Interested persons should contact Dr. Tobin at 949-338-4388 or [email protected] to schedule an evaluation/pre-group screening interview (the fee for the assessment interview is $75.00).  A formal commitment to participate consistently in ongoing sessions is required to gain membership into the process group.      
 
Psychoeducational Group Meetings on August 19, 2017

The Dating and Relationship Group:
Three Perspectives on How Relationships Inspire Change 
 
What makes a person change? In recent meetings we have started to approach this topic from numerous perspectives that have largely emphasized the psychological predisposition to resist change, seek out that which is familiar, and remain unconsciously motivated to repeat negative dynamics in relationships.  My notion of "inflexion points" is a view of the personal change process that emphasizes how to capitalize on events and interactions which hold the potential to challenge, even dispel, deeply-held assumptions about oneself and others. 
 
In the next meeting of the Dating and Relationship Group on Saturday, August 19, 2017 (12:00 to 1:15 PM),  we will review the writings of several authors who describe three unique approaches to the notion of change within the context of romantic love.  These three perspectives will address how a romantic relationship alters one's own identity and self-concept, the degree to which one can be freed up from his/her own problematic tendencies in relationships, and, finally, how a doomed relationship can be redirected so that a couple can avoid breakup and, instead, find deeper levels of intimacy with and attraction for each other.    

The Men's Group:  Male Power, Male Distress and "Male Disposability"

We are at a time in history when many men are confused as to the value systems, ideals, and roles they are expected to assume -- both relationally and societally.  

A review of the psychological study of gender suggests that in the last several decades traditional notions of gender have resulted in "toxic masculinity" and a corresponding "empathy gap" in which men are largely characterized as unsophisticated interpersonally and hesitant to reveal their own anxiety, fears, and vulnerabilities.

Other writers have highlighted the "myth of male power," arguing that traditional notions of masculinity are misguided and that men are actually significantly more disadvantaged than has been previously recognized.  Taking this idea further,  recent social commentators have argued that, in many ways, male is the "disposable gender." 

In the next meeting of the Men's Group on Saturday, August 19, 2017 (10:45 AM to 12:00 PM), we will explore these varied notions of maleness and masculinity, and pay particular attention to the observations of two prominent writers (John A. Barry and Warren Farrell) in this area.  The implications of these complex and controversial issues for men today will be explored.   

**To register for the August 19th meetings of the Men's Group (10:45 AM to 12:00 PM) and/or the Dating and Relationship Group (12:00 to 1:15 PM):  If you would like to attend one or both of these groups on August 19, 2017, please RSVP ASAP to Dr. Tobin at 949-338-4388 or [email protected]. There is a limit of 14 attendees for each group and registrants will be accommodated on a first-come/first-serve basis.  The fee is $25.00 and the location is The Water Garden Business Center, 23421 South Pointe Drive, Suite 130, Laguna Hills, CA, 92653.  Please note that these psychoeducational groups are educational in purpose, not therapeutic, and do not constitute psychotherapy or counseling.**
 
 
James Tobin, Ph.D., PSY 22074 | 949-338-4388 | [email protected]