Safety is paramount in any therapeutic setting, and here at Sacred Wellness, we prioritize this from our very first session in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy groups. One of the first things we do in our initial preparation session is establish group rules. We open the discussion by asking group members what they need to feel safe in group. We leave lots of space for each group member to explore and share what they need to feel comfortable. Once everyone has had ample opportunity to process safety needs and share with the group, we take the time to share about confidentiality outside of group and the boundaries around non-sexual touch in group (more on this topic in another blog). I’d like to share an example of group rules from a recent group to give you some idea.
Sample Group Rules:
- Create and maintain a space without judgment.
- Hold mutual respect for each other’s feelings and experiences.
- Be responsive to one another without giving advice.
- Keep identifying information and other’s stories confidential.
- Maintain privacy over zoom to protect one another’s confidentiality.
- Honor one another’s physical space and always ask for consent to enter one another’s physical space.
- Only offer touch (non-sexual) when asked and discontinue touch when asked to stop.