Group Therapy

Group therapy provides a powerful venue for growth and change. It has been used effectively by mental health professionals for over 50 years. The intent is to help people who would like to gain support, increase self-awareness and learn new ways to cope with personal or interpersonal challenges. It is one of the most effective tools for addressing issues common among college students.

Therapy groups are aimed at bringing about change in participants through an examination of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Support groups are generally focused on a particular issue, with an emphasis on coping.

Groups at CAPS are offered during the academic year and generally do not run during breaks (i.e., spring, winter, summer and fall break). Group offerings are announced at the beginning of each semester, and some may become unavailable as they reach maximum capacity. While many groups may feel like a good fit, we encourage you to select one group to participate in per semester. The group therapy coordinator or the facilitators for the groups you are interested in can also help you determine which group better fits your needs.

To find out more about group therapy or to provide any group-related feedback, please reach out to our Group Coordinator, Dr. Sonia Amin, directly at sp1851@georgetown.edu.

Below is a list of spring 2026 groups and workshops offered by CAPS.

CAPS
(Open to Students From All Campuses)

Please note: Unless otherwise stated, group days, times and formats (virtual or in-person) will be determined by group facilitators after meeting with interested participants. Some groups may require group screening. Please contact the group facilitators for more details. For in-person groups and workshops at CAPS, please follow the directions below. 

These groups are open to all Georgetown students regardless of race, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected under University policy.

In-Person Locations

If you are interested in attending an in-person group, please email the facilitator about the location. They will be able to assist in providing directions.

You may also contact the CAPS front desk at (202) 687-6985 — 2 if you need assistance with directions.

Facilitators: Engin Ontiveros, Ph.D. and Jasmine Kaleka, Psy.D.
Graduate Student Group
In Person (Hilltop Campus)

This insight-oriented group provides a safe environment to explore yourself and interpersonal style in areas such as trust, intimacy, anger, assertiveness, taking risks and dealing with authority. This group requires screenings. Please email Engin Ontiveros or Jasmine Kaleka for questions or to schedule a screening.

Undergraduate Student Group
Facilitators: Wenzhi Pan, M.S.Ed., LPC and Kelly Gleichshman, M.Psy

This insight-oriented group provides a safe environment to explore yourself and interpersonal style in areas such as trust, intimacy, anger, assertiveness, taking risks and dealing with authority. This group requires screenings. Please email Wenzhi Pan or Kelly Gleichshman for questions or to schedule a screening.

Facilitators: Jessica Kuszelewicz, LCSW, LICSW and Marie-Sophie Bernzen, M.Sc.
Beginning Jan. 30, 2026
Hybrid, Monthly, 2-3 p.m.

This support group is designed for students returning from a medical leave of absence or personal leave. This group provides a safe and supportive environment to navigate the transition to campus life at GU. We will address and problem-solve challenges related to mental health, academics and social reintegration through guided discussions, skill-building practices and peer support. Group members will engage in activities centered around time management, mindfulness, stress management and more to build resilience and ensure success in their academic journeys at Georgetown. To register, please email Jessica Kuszelewicz or Marie-Sophie Bernzen.

CAPS and Health Education Services Collaboration
Facilitators: Minu Mathew, LICSW and Alex Huss, LCSW
Beginning, Jan. 21, 2026
In Person (Hilltop Campus), Biweekly, Wednesday, 1-2:30 p.m.

This group is intended to create community and support survivors of interpersonal violence (sexual assault, dating violence, stalking and childhood sexual abuse) who are seeking to connect with others with similar experiences and gain insight into the ways trauma continues to affect them. This group will focus on the impact of traumatic experiences, the use of coping skills in managing symptoms and the connection of survivors in order to decrease isolation and promote personal empowerment. The group will begin with a brief mindfulness exercise followed by an open format depending on the group’s interests. To register, please email Minu Mathew or Alex Huss.

Facilitator: Sonia Amin Patel, Ph.D.

This six-week structured group utilizes Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and creative expression interventions to teach practical tools to students to manage intense emotions. The aim is to help students increase distress tolerance skills, foster inner resilience and learn to regulate their emotions. Please email Sonia Amin for details, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Facilitators: Engin Ontiveros, Ph.D. and Queen-Ayanna Sullivan, Psy.D.

This group is for students who have experienced the loss of a family member, loved one or acquaintance, recently or unresolved from the past. It is designed to provide a confidential and supportive place to express and process feelings around coping with major losses and to provide support for adapting to new ways to build meaning after loss. Please email Queen-Ayanna Sullivan or Engin Ontiveros for details, questions, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Facilitator: Logan Payne, LICSW
Virtual, Weekly, Dates and Times TBD

This group aims to provide a safe and affirming environment for undergraduate and graduate students to discuss topics like identity development, coming out, relationships, family dynamics, general mental health concerns and community/university concerns unique to queer folks. It is also a place to gain support, give support and share in community. Please email Logan Payne (he/they) at lp1046@georgetown.edu to learn more about this group.

Facilitator: Jessica Kuszelewicz, LCSW, LICSW
Beginning Feb. 6, 2026
In Person (Hilltop Campus), Biweekly, Fridays, 2-3 p.m.

This group is designed for students who are reassessing their use of alcohol or other substances. There is no requirement of abstinence — only a willingness to explore one’s relationship with substances in a supportive, reflective environment. This is a confidential counseling group, not an AA or 12-step program. Students may join at any point during the semester. Please email Jessica Kuszelewicz for questions, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Facilitators: Jessica Kuszelewicz, LCSW, LICSW and
Shanice D. Anderson, Psy.D
Beginning Jan. 30, 2026
Virtual, Fridays, 11-12 p.m.

This group offers a safe and supportive space for students to explore challenges related to body image and eating concerns while navigating campus life. Together, we will share personal experiences, build practical coping strategies and foster self-acceptance through group discussions, introspection, skill-building exercises and peer support. Our goal is to create a community of understanding and encouragement where every member feels heard, supported and empowered. Please email Jessica Kuszelewicz or Shanice Anderson for questions, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Facilitator: Laura Jones, LPC 
Virtual

The group aims to provide a safe space for those looking to discuss topics like gender identity and expression, coming out, relationships, general mental health concerns, family dynamics and community/university concerns unique to trans and non-binary folks. It is also a place to gain support, give support and generally share in community with other folks. The group facilitator, Laura Jones, LPC (they/them), is a community therapist who is BIPOC, Queer and neurodivergent. Please email Laura Jones to learn more about this group.

Less Ghosting, More Growing | Unlearning Patterns, Relearning Presence
Facilitators: Nisha Molugu, Psy.D. and Sonia Amin Patel, Ph.D.

This is an in-person, eight-week semi-structured group that aims to help students unlearn outdated dating norms, explore values and needs, examine roles within dating dynamics and attachment patterns, as well as focus on developing strategies to work through relational challenges. Ultimately, the goal is to help students enter romantic partnerships intentionally, rather than automatically. Please email Nisha Molugu or Sonia Amin for questions, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Facilitators: Alexa Euceda and Génesis Genao
In-Person (Hilltop Campus)

This group is for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in using mindfulness to increase self-acceptance and relate more comfortably to others. Sample topics include working with social anxiety, self-critical thoughts, mindful communication and present-centered awareness. Prior experience with mindfulness or meditation is welcome, but not a requirement for participation in this group. Screenings are required. Please email Alexa Euceda or Génesis Genao for details, questions, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Facilitators: Chao Song, Ph.D. and Wenzhi Pan, M.S.Ed.
In Person (Hilltop Campus), Weekly, Tuesdays, 3-4 p.m.

This group is a safe and supportive space to explore and process unique experiences of being an undergraduate or graduate international student. Students may examine patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that are undermining their ability to enjoy their interpersonal lives and to achieve their goals. Through the group process, students may discover aspects of self, change interpersonal patterns, try new behaviors and learn new ways of navigating challenges. Please email Wenzhi Pan or Chao Song for details, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Facilitator: Laura Jones, LPC

This support space is designed to address issues of interest to undergraduate and graduate students who identify as neurodivergent (e.g., ADHD, autism) and those who care for others who are neurodivergent. This group aims to create a supportive peer environment to discuss experiences related to being neurodivergent or caring for those who are neurodivergent, share coping skills and build community. The group facilitator, Laura Jones, LPC (they/them), is a community therapist who is BIPOC, Queer and neurodivergent. Please email Laura Jones to learn more about this group.

Truth, Empowerment, and Advocacy Support Group
Facilitators: Shanice Anderson, Ph.D. and Queen-Ayanna Sullivan, Psy.D.
In Person, Bimonthly, Tuesdays 4:30-5:30 p.m.

The Real T.E.A. is a healing-centered support space for students whose experiences are shaped by their identity, culture and navigating spaces where they may be underrepresented. Rooted in collective care, resistance and resilience, this group offers a space to build strength through solidarity, affirm their identity and reclaim their voice through the discussion of issues unique to their experience at Georgetown, including academic stress, relationships, race/ethnicity related stress, cultural values and navigating cultural expectations, values exploration, family dynamics, identity development, building resilience, self-care and community care. T.E.A. is a space to be seen, to be heard and to heal — together. Please email Shanice Anderson or Queen-Ayanna Sullivan for more details, questions or accommodation requests.

Facilitator: Alyssa Alonso, Ph.D. and Jessica Carbino, Ph.D.

This group offers a safe, inclusive space for college students exploring their religious or spiritual identity. Whether you’re questioning long-held beliefs, transitioning between faiths or healing from religious experiences, this group supports your emotional well-being during a time of growth and change. Participants will: reflect on past and present beliefs, share experiences with faith, doubt, or spiritual shifts, process emotions tied to religious identity and connect with peers on similar journeys. Please email Alyssa Alonso or Jessica Carbino to learn more about this group.

Facilitators:
January: Sonia Amin Patel, Ph.D. and Alyssa Alonso, Ph.D.
February: Jade Sanders, Ph.D. and Sonia Amin Patel, Ph.D.
March: Nisha Molugu, Ph.D. and Sonia Amin Patel, Ph.D.
April: Wenzhi Pan, M.S.Ed. and Sonia Amin Patel, Ph.D.

At CAPS, we understand that students are impacted by different events that happen unexpectedly and that we cannot predict when or what might be impacting the mental health of GU students. Thus, we want to offer an ongoing drop-in space to any and all students who would like a space to process current events that are impacting their mental health, social, academic, and/or emotional functioning. In this space, we will also facilitate connection and insight, as well as offer coping tools and resources relevant to the challenges students are experiencing at the moment. Each month will have different facilitators. Please email Sonia Amin to register, for questions or accommodation requests.

Athletics Department Groups

Facilitator: Brandon Rivers, Psy.D.

This group offers space for student-athletes in any stage of injury recovery seeking support as they cope with sport-related injury and the challenges of being away from their sport during recovery. The focus will be on supporting student-athletes through wellness and connection. The group will offer a space for connection with peers while supporting student-athletes with identifying goals for injury rehabilitation, rebuilding and maintaining motivation, applying stress management techniques, and feeling more prepared to return to sport or in some cases, prepared to transition out of sport. Please email Brandon Rivers for more details, questions, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Law Center Groups

Facilitators: Seoyoung Lim, Ph.D. and Kimiki Mereigh, Psy.D.

This is a group for understanding oneself and others as an international student at the Law Center. Here, students have an opportunity to explore and process their unique experiences of being an international student. Students may examine patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that are undermining their ability to enjoy their interpersonal lives and to achieve their goals. Through the group process, students may discover aspects of self, change interpersonal patterns, try new behaviors, and learn new ways of navigating challenges. Group screenings are required. Please email Seoyoung Lim or Kimiki Mereigh for more details, questions or to schedule a screening.

Facilitator: Jerimi Vindua, Psy.D.

This group is designed for law students who are interested in using mindfulness to increase self-acceptance and relate more comfortably to others. Sample topics include working with social anxiety, self-critical thoughts, mindful communication and present-centered awareness. Prior experience with mindfulness or meditation is welcome, but not a requirement for participation in this group. Please email Jerimi Vindua for questions, accommodation requests or to schedule a screening.

Facilitators: Lauren R. DePompeo, Psy. D. and Ananya Yadav, Psy.D.
Virtual, Weekly, Fridays 10-11 a.m.

This therapy group is designed for both undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in using mindfulness to increase self-acceptance and relate more to others. Sample topics include working with social anxiety, self-critical thoughts, mindful communication and present-centered awareness. Prior experience with mindfulness or meditation is welcome, but not a requirement for participation in this group. Please email Ananya Yadav or Lauren DePompeo for more details, questions or to schedule a screening.

Workshops
(Open to Students From All Campuses)

Facilitator: Sarita Palmer, Ph.D., LCPC, LPC, NCC
Virtual, Feb. 26, 2026, 1-2 p.m.

This workshop aims to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with a better understanding of these complex conditions and equip participants with the knowledge, awareness and tools for early recognition of these disorders.  For students interested in attending the Eating Disorders 101 series, please email Sarita Palmer.

Facilitator: Sonia Amin Patel, Ph.D.
Virtual, March 11, 2026, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

While your academic syllabus outlines deadlines and exams, it does not provide guidance on how to cope with waves of intense emotions after a significant loss or how to cope with “brain fog” while trying to work on a school project or study for an exam. Many students feel isolated or alone in their grief and struggle with navigating life without the person/people they are grieving. This workshop aims to provide a framework to understand grief and explore pathways for coping. While grief is a complex and personal journey, there are practical strategies that individuals can use to (a) process emotions, (b) honor losses and (c) provide self-compassion. Please email Sonia Amin for questions or to register for the workshop.