I’ve never done group therapy before. How do I know if it’s for me?

This group is for you if you’re interested! As long as you want to connect with other people in a fun, respectful way, you’re on the guest list. It’s made for people who have never tried a group before to come and see what they like and don’t like about groups.

But seriously, I’m very introverted/socially anxious/autistic/lost all ability to read cues in the pandemic…is this group for me?

Friend, you’re in the right place.

We have clear start and end times. We have a craft so you can look at your hands and not into the eyes of strangers. We have a topic. We will have agreements about what kind of boundaries we want outside of group. We have ways of practicing saying challenging things. And we will have fun!

How much does it cost? Can I use insurance?

I have a feeling that your insurance company does not think that discussing Lana del Rey’s artistry counts as “medically necessary treatment” so I am not going to bill your insurance. I am also not going to diagnose anyone, which I would have to do for insurance purposes. Let’s keep things simple.

The sessions are offered on a sliding scale: $0-50 per session. It can be free if you have Medicaid, if you’re Black or Indigenous, or if you’re housing insecure. It’s $50 if you’re white and have nice tattoos, or if you just want to pay to keep this thing going!

Do I have to come to all the sessions?

I ain’t gonna call the truancy officer to go to your house and fetch you, but this will be most meaningful if we all show up every week. Pushing out of your comfort zone is part of the deal!

Of course, if you have conflicts that you know about ahead of time, just let the group know so we can expect to miss you one week.

Do I have to have a mental illness to join? What kind of problems are we going to discuss?

The focus of this group is on building connection to others through music appreciation. It will be a lot like an emotionally deep book club.

Part of trauma-informed care is assuming that everyone might have a trauma history, and that everyone is grieving. You won’t need to share the worst thing that happened to you in order to received the care and consideration of others in this group.

We’re going to talk about how Lana’s music affects us personally, so of course we’ll discuss the issues going on in our lives.

We might discuss our own pain: “This was my breakup album!!!” …

or our own evolution: “Lana’s relationship to power and gender has shifted over time, and mine has too.”

We will discuss the ways our own identities and experiences affect how we hear her work: “She reminds me of other white women who only see themselves as the victim, and it makes me want to pull back, as I don’t want her delusional thoughts taking up space in my brain.”

If you’ve got a diagnosis, you can certainly share it if you’re comfortable. But we will all be strangers when we meet, and I’ll encourage us to take our time.

Isn’t Lana problematic? Are you problematic?

Lana has said and done many wild things. Luckily, she will not be in the same room as us. However, I will. I am a white, cis, queer, late-30s femme. I’m rocking some invisible disabilities and come from class privilege.

I invite as much feedback on the way I lead the group as you feel comfortable sharing!

My goal is for this to be a pro-Black, pro-Indigenous, pro-trans, pro-femme, pro-queer, pro-mad space where we can talk about the parts of our lives that are not valued by the dominant culture.

But to do that, we have to be in relationship to the parts of us who feel entitled to wealth, power, comfort, and other people’s things, so that we are aware of them but they’re not running the show!

Do I have to LOVE Lana or know everything about her to come?

Heck no. I have not even listened to every Lana album. But the ones I have listened to have really moved me and yeah I just cried in my car to “The Grants” this afternoon, ok? I think she’s smart and good at inhabiting the shadow side of American culture. The most important thing is that we all listen to the same album every week, and discuss our reactions to it.

Is this space accessible?

We will be meeting at Philly Couples and Sex Therapy. They have a great page about their office. If you have other accessibility needs, please let me know when you reach out to me!

I really want to do this but the time doesn’t work for me!!!

Please write me and let me know what times work better. If this group is worthwhile, I’ll try to run it again in the Fall.

Will you run this online?

We are going to run this first round in-person in Philly. If I get enough interest I’ll consider running an online version of the group at a later date!

OMG my girlfriend/ex/roommate would LOVE THIS!!!

PLEASE forward them this website! They will not know about it unless you tell them!!!