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Clinician-facilitated process, psychoeducation, skills-building, and trauma-focused groups for adults 18 and older in residential and outpatient mental health care.
Group therapy at Villa Healing Center is clinician-facilitated peer-supported treatment for adults 18 and older, delivered as part of residential and outpatient mental health care using process, psychoeducation, skills-building, and trauma-focused group formats. Most commercial insurance covers group therapy under CPT code 90853. Call (888) 669-0661.
Group therapy is a clinically-facilitated psychotherapeutic modality where a licensed mental health clinician leads small groups of patients in structured therapeutic work. The clinical framework follows the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) Clinical Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy (2007), with substance-use-co-morbidity components informed by SAMHSA Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 41, Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy (2005). Group psychotherapy is billed under Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 90853 by most commercial insurance carriers.
Group therapy works through specific therapeutic mechanisms identified in Irvin Yalom’s foundational text The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (first published 1970, 6th edition published 2020 with co-author Molyn Leszcz). Yalom and Leszcz describe 11 therapeutic factors that operate in well-run groups, including universality (recognition that one’s struggles are shared by others), instillation of hope, group cohesiveness, interpersonal learning, and catharsis. These are the clinical mechanisms group therapy uses to produce change. Group therapy does not replace individual therapy at Villa Healing Center; it works alongside it.
Adults consider group therapy as part of their treatment when their clinical presentation includes interpersonal patterns, social difficulty, isolation, or a need for peer perspective that individual therapy alone cannot provide. Common presentations addressed in Villa’s groups include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, complex grief, and co-occurring substance use as part of dual diagnosis care. If symptoms include thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call or text 988 immediately rather than waiting for a group session. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
Adult group therapy is delivered in four primary formats per the AGPA Clinical Practice Guidelines. Each format has distinct objectives, structure, and clinical fit. Villa Healing Center runs groups across all four formats, matched to clinical presentation.
Dimension | Process Groups | Psychoeducation Groups | Skills-Building Groups (DBT/CBT) | Trauma-Focused Groups |
Primary objective | Interpersonal learning, group cohesiveness, recognition of shared experience | Information delivery and clinical education on a specific topic | Acquisition of specific behavioral skills (emotion regulation, distress tolerance, communication) | Processing trauma in a group setting with peers who share trauma experience |
Theoretical basis | Yalom interpersonal model; psychodynamic and existential traditions | Cognitive-behavioral and educational frameworks; AGPA psychoeducation guidelines | Dialectical Behavior Therapy (Linehan); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Beck); ACT (Hayes) | Trauma-focused group protocols; evidence base from VA group trauma treatment research |
Structure | Open agenda; group decides session focus; clinician facilitates process | Curriculum-based; clinician teaches; group discusses and applies | Skills curriculum (often DBT skills modules); clinician demonstrates; group practices | Structured protocol; clinician guides processing while maintaining safety |
Typical group size | 6 to 10 participants | 8 to 15 participants | 6 to 12 participants | 5 to 8 participants (smaller for safety) |
Best clinical fit | Patients with interpersonal patterns, isolation, social anxiety, complex grief | Patients early in treatment learning about their condition; relapse prevention contexts | Patients needing concrete coping skills; emotion dysregulation; impulse control | Patients with PTSD or complex PTSD who can tolerate group processing of trauma |
All four formats have evidence support and AGPA practice guideline backing. Villa Healing Center delivers process groups as the foundational format for most patients, with psychoeducation and skills-building groups added based on clinical assessment, and trauma-focused groups offered to patients in trauma recovery whose individual trauma work has progressed sufficiently to tolerate group processing. Format assignment is made by the clinical team during intake assessment in collaboration with the patient.
Group therapy at Villa Healing Center follows a structured clinical sequence: intake assessment, group format matching, group assignment, regular session attendance with skill or process work, and ongoing clinical coordination with individual therapy. Group therapy is typically delivered as part of a broader treatment plan alongside individual therapy and other clinical services.
Intake assessment uses validated mental health instruments matched to presenting clinical picture. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) screens for depression severity. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) screens for anxiety severity. The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) screens for suicide risk and is administered at intake for every group admission given that group participants commonly include individuals with depression and active suicidal ideation. Where post-traumatic stress disorder is part of the clinical picture, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is added to the intake battery.
Group format matching is based on intake assessment results and clinical recommendation. Process groups are appropriate for patients with interpersonal patterns or isolation as central features. Psychoeducation groups fit patients early in treatment who benefit from structured learning about their condition. Skills-building groups (DBT skills modules in particular, drawing on Linehan’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy protocols) fit patients with emotion dysregulation, distress tolerance difficulties, or interpersonal effectiveness deficits. Trauma-focused groups are reserved for patients in trauma recovery whose individual trauma processing has progressed enough to tolerate group setting.
All group therapy records receive Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protection. Group therapy has a unique confidentiality structure: the clinician is bound by HIPAA and licensing ethics, and group participants are bound by a written group contract reviewed at the start of every group and reinforced when needed. What is said in group stays in group. Where group therapy addresses co-occurring substance use disorder as part of dual diagnosis, treatment records also receive additional federal confidentiality protection under 42 CFR Part 2.
Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes with 6 to 12 participants and one or two licensed clinicians facilitating, depending on the format. Frequency varies by level of care: groups meet multiple times per week during residential treatment, several times per week during partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient programs, and weekly in outpatient phases. Group attendance is part of the treatment plan; consistency matters. Many patients describe group work as a valuable component of their overall treatment.
Group therapy at Villa Healing Center is delivered by licensed mental health clinicians with group therapy training.
Groups are typically facilitated by a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), or licensed psychologist (PsyD or PhD). Each clinician holds active California licensure with the Board of Behavioral Sciences or the Board of Psychology. Some Villa clinicians additionally hold the Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP) credential through the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists (IBCGP), the credentialing body affiliated with AGPA. Where DBT skills groups are offered, facilitators have training in Linehan’s DBT protocols. Where trauma-focused groups are offered, facilitators have training in trauma-focused group protocols.
Psychiatric medication review, when indicated by intake screening, is conducted by a psychiatric medication prescriber. Medication recommendations follow guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Group therapy is clinically reviewed by Dr. Courtney Scott, MD, Medical Director at Villa Healing Center, with board eligibility in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Addiction Medicine.
Group therapy at The Villa Healing Center is delivered as a component of treatment for several mental health conditions, alongside individual therapy and other clinical services. Each condition has a dedicated clinical page describing how Villa treats it and where group therapy fits into the overall treatment plan. Family therapy options are also available for families looking to improve communication and resolve conflicts.
If primary substance use disorder is identified during intake and mental health is secondary, we coordinate direct referral to a primary substance use disorder treatment facility with coordinated records transfer.
Most commercial insurance plans cover group therapy under Current Procedural Terminology code 90853 as a billable mental health service. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires commercial insurance plans that cover mental health benefits to provide coverage at parity with medical and surgical benefits, which includes evidence-based group therapy.
Coverage typically applies to group therapy delivered within residential mental health care, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs, and standalone outpatient group therapy. Out-of-pocket cost depends on your plan deductible and coinsurance. Group therapy is generally billed at a lower rate than individual therapy because the cost is distributed across multiple participants, which often makes group therapy more accessible than individual therapy for patients with deductibles or coinsurance constraints.
If your plan is out-of-network or you are paying out-of-pocket, we discuss rates and payment options during the verification process. Call (888) 669-0661 to discuss.
Villa Healing Center’s facility is located at 23033 Ostronic Drive, Woodland Hills, California 91367, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County.
Adults across Los Angeles County experience common mental health conditions at rates consistent with national prevalence. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that one in five adults in the United States lives with a mental illness in any given year. Group therapy is part of evidence-based standard of care for many of these presentations, either as a primary component (such as DBT skills groups for emotion regulation difficulty) or as a complement to individual therapy.
Our facility sits in Woodland Hills, accessible from the 101 and 405 Freeways. We serve adults from across Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Encino, Calabasas, West Hills, Canoga Park, and Agoura Hills. Adults from across Los Angeles County and surrounding Southern California regions access group therapy at our Woodland Hills facility as part of residential and outpatient mental health programs.
Medical Director
Medical Director
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Courtney Scott, MD, Medical Director at Villa Healing Center. Board-eligible in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Addiction Medicine per Villa’s published clinical leadership profile.
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Group therapy is available for adults 18 and older at Villa Healing Center, delivered as part of our residential and outpatient mental health programs. Call (888) 669-0661 to speak with a clinical intake coordinator, or verify your benefits to begin. Intake assessment uses validated mental health instruments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, C-SSRS for suicide risk screening, PCL-5 when trauma is part of the picture), and group format matching is made jointly with your clinical team during the first week of treatment.
