Groups typically have 6-10 members that meet with one or two trained counselor(s), usually once a week for 90 minutes. Group members talk about a variety of issues including exploring relationships and enhancing coping skills. Group leaders create a brave space for students to share information about themselves, gain insight into their own thoughts and behaviors, and provide feedback and support to others. To participate in a group, students need to meet with the co-facilitators for a screening to learn more about the group and determine together if the group is an appropriate treatment option.
Connection Through Circles
Group Forms
Group Descriptions
We offer a variety of groups including topic specific groups, support groups and process groups. Learn more about each of the groups in the descriptions below. If you are interested in participating in a group, please complete the Group Interest Form. If you are interested in multiple groups, choose the group you are most interested in to explore first. Once you submit the form, our office will be in touch with you via the CAPS student portal to help you get started. Please complete required paperwork in the portal as well as enable text messaging so you can get alerts.
Summer 2022 Group Schedule
Summer groups are now forming. Please select a group to learn more information.
This semi-structured process group is designed for those who struggle with feeling worthy, accepting themselves, and understanding what it means to care for themselves. Topics that will be explored include self-esteem, self-compassion, shame/vulnerability and authenticity. Members will be asked to participate in structured exercises such as journaling and mindfulness.
- For Engineering Students: Mondays, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. via Zoom
- Wednesdays, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. via Zoom
This process group will focus on self-awareness and attention to one's interpersonal style but is open to students with a large array of presenting concerns, including relationship difficulties, social anxiety, and school-related stressors. While the specific focus of each session will be determined by group members' needs, some of the issues addressed may include relationships, communication styles, boundaries, self-awareness, academic stressors, as well as other general challenges of graduate school and interpersonal process.
- Wednesdays, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. in person
Is anxiety and stress adversely affecting areas of your life such as your academic performance and social interactions? If so, join us for a weekly group designed to help you increase awareness of your personal reactions to stressors, learn anxiety management techniques, practice breathing and relaxation exercises, and gain support from others.
- Tuesdays, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. via Zoom
This support group will examine the many factors that contribute to depression and the ways depression may interfere with academic performance, relationships, self-esteem, and overall satisfaction with life. This group will draw material from the Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy approach developed by Teasdale, Williams, and Segal.
Note: If you are having thoughts of suicide, please consult with a CAPS Counselor on an individual basis first and determine if this group is right for you.
- Wednesdays, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in person
A supportive space for graduate students struggling with the process of writing a dissertation. Group topics include issues of competence, procrastination, anxiety, goal-setting, and bureaucratic struggles.
- Thursdays, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. via Zoom
In this group, through interactions with other group members, you will better understand yourself and your relationship patterns, and develop ways of changing these patterns to improve your relationships. You will have opportunities to observe your own and others’ emotions, behaviors, and reactions as they occur.
- Tuesdays, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in person
Commonly Offered Groups
We typically start groups at the beginning of each fall, spring and summer semesters. Please check back regularly to see what groups are currently being offered.
This group is a process group focused on providing a safe space for individuals to process emotions often associated with the loss of a loved one, family member, or friend. The group also focuses on encouraging self-compassion for individuals struggling with the non-linear nature of the grieving process.
This group will help students to process their emotions around family concerns, understand their own family structure from a culturally informed perspective, and learn skills to navigate healthy interactions with families. Some topics that may be explored included self-esteem, family of origin, family dynamics, interpersonal conflict, familial pressure, and lack of support system at home.
Do you struggle with indecisiveness? Maybe it’s hard to tell others what you want because you fear they will get mad? Do you people-please and give in to others’ demands to keep the peace in a relationship? Perhaps your struggles are more about understanding who you are and why you make the decisions you do? In this identity development group, we will explore each of these topics, and a wealth of others to help you learn more about your value system, making decisions with intention, establishing and maintaining boundaries, and accepting who you truly are. Participants will be expected to read assigned chapters between meetings (provided by the facilitators) in order to process and share reactions to the topic of the week. The most important and long-standing relationship you will have in this world is with yourself. Gift yourself the opportunity to Find the Real You!
The purpose of this group is to increase knowledge of U.S. cultures as well as develop skills to cope with adjustment, stress, loneliness, relationships and other challenges that international students might face.
This process group provides an affirming space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students to explore issues of concern. Topics often discussed include identity development, coming out to family and friends, relationships and dating, gender transitioning, social stigma, religion, and queer life in College Station.
This process group will provide Latinx/Hispanic students with a supportive environment to acknowledge and celebrate our strengths and resilience as well as navigate challenges related to issues of inclusion, belonging, discrimination, and the various intersecting identities that inform the diversity amongst us. Our collective culture teaches us that we do well when we know we belong and when we, in turn, accept and validate others. The object is to claim our place and succeed together at Texas A&M University.
A semi-structured group for women who have been in or are currently in an abusive intimate relationship (emotional, physical, verbal, psychological, financial, and/or sexual). This group is focused on understanding healthy and unhealthy aspects of relationships, identifying and managing triggers, and connecting with others in a supportive, safe environment.
We know college can be filled with non-stop stress, especially in the midst of a pandemic. This group is designed to help students learn ways to use their stress as a motivator before it becomes anxiety. Learn tools for moving forward with your goals, learn good self-care habits, and learn from each other. We all have knowledge and experiences to build on and to share with other. Together we can do this.
This group provides a safe and supportive environment for female students from U.S. ethnic groups (e.g., Latina/Hispanic, Asian American, African American, Native American, etc.) and other countries to explore issues of concern. Presenting concerns vary, but may include issues related to race/ethnicity/culture, family of origin, relationships, trauma, and academics. This group also helps members consider the impact of race/ethnicity/culture on developmental, identity (e.g., sexual orientation, gender, religion, class, citizenship status, etc.), and transnational (e.g., migration, documentation, acculturation) concerns.