Group Therapy
Recovery is hard to do alone, and group therapy is where you stop trying to. Our group therapy for mental health and addiction in Massachusetts brings you together with a licensed clinician and people who truly understand, so you find honesty, accountability, and the relief of being seen.
What Is Group Therapy?
Group therapy brings several people together with a licensed clinician to share, learn, and heal alongside one another. It is a cornerstone of effective treatment, not because it is efficient, but because so much of recovery is about connection. Addiction and mental health struggles both thrive in isolation and shame, and group work is the antidote to both.
At New Wave, group therapy for mental health and addiction in Massachusetts is a safe, judgment-free space led by clinicians who know how to keep a room supportive and productive. You hear your own story in someone else’s words, get honest feedback from people who cannot be fooled, and practice trust and vulnerability in real time.
Who Group Therapy Is For
Group therapy helps a wide range of people, whether you are facing substance use, a mental health condition, or both together. It is an especially good fit if you:
- Feel isolated or alone in what you are going through
- Are in treatment for addiction and want peer support
- Live with anxiety, depression, or trauma alongside substance use
- Tend to withdraw or hide what you are really feeling
- Learn well from others' experiences and feedback
- Want to rebuild social confidence and connection in recovery
How Group Therapy Helps Mental Health and Addiction
The same group setting that supports sobriety also eases the conditions that so often travel with it, which is why group work sits at the heart of dual-diagnosis care.
For addiction, group therapy breaks the secrecy that keeps using going. Hearing others name cravings, triggers, and slip-ups out loud makes your own struggle feel survivable, and the accountability of a room that knows you is a powerful deterrent to relapse. You also pick up practical relapse-prevention skills by watching what works for others.
For mental health, group therapy directly counters the isolation that fuels anxiety and depression. Being witnessed without judgment lowers shame, normalizes hard emotions, and rebuilds the social connection that protects mental wellbeing. Because addiction and mental health so often feed each other, treating them in the same supportive space helps both heal at once.
Specific techniques used in our groups include:
Group work is woven together with individual therapy and our daily holistic practices, so what you discover in group gets reinforced everywhere else in your care.
- Process groups that explore emotions and relationships in real time
- Psychoeducation groups teaching the science of addiction and mental health
- CBT- and DBT-based skills groups for coping and emotion regulation
- Relapse-prevention and trigger-mapping groups
- Mindfulness and grounding practices to steady the nervous system
- Peer feedback and structured sharing with clear ground rules
The Benefits of Group Therapy
Group work gives you things individual sessions cannot: perspective, belonging, and proof that change is possible.
Many people tell us group therapy was the part of treatment they dreaded most and ended up valuing more than anything else.
- Realizing you are not alone in what you are facing
- Honest feedback and accountability from peers
- Learning coping and relapse-prevention skills together
- Practicing communication and healthy boundaries
- Building a recovery community that lasts
- Giving and receiving support, both of which heal
Explore Our Clinical Therapies
Each of our evidence-based therapies works together as part of your individualized plan. Explore the others in this approach.
Change the thought patterns that drive substance use.
Build emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
Group Therapy
Heal alongside peers who understand.
You are here
Medical oversight when medication supports recovery.
Care that feels different
We were founded by people in long-term recovery, so the way we treat you comes from having been where you are. That shows up in everything we do.
Founded by people in recovery
When you call New Wave, you talk to someone who has walked this path, not a call center. This is personal for us.
The same therapist throughout
You keep your private therapist as you move between levels of care, so your progress is never interrupted and you never start over.
Holistic care, every day
Reiki, yoga, sound healing, and mindfulness are woven into daily treatment alongside evidence-based therapy, not offered once in a while.
Meet the People Behind Your Recovery
Our licensed clinicians and team, many in long-term recovery themselves, are who you will work with at New Wave.
Angela Faccone
Co-Founder & Program Director
Charles Draleau
Executive Director
Melanie Draleau
Co-Founder & Reiki Practitioner
Ryan SmithBratton
Co-Founder & Director of Community Outreach
Danielle Visone
Mental Health Counselor & Clinical Director
Recovery That People Remember
Insurance & payment: Contact our team and we will work with you to verify insurance benefits.
Fill out our form and contact us for additional assistance
Group Therapy FAQs
Want to talk to a real person? Call us, someone in recovery will answer.
What is group therapy in addiction and mental health treatment?
Group therapy brings several clients together with a licensed clinician to share experiences, learn coping skills, and support one another. It is one of the most effective parts of recovery because it breaks the isolation that addiction and mental health conditions both create.
Will I have to share in group?
You are never forced to share before you are ready. Many people start by listening and open up as trust builds. Our clinicians create a safe, judgment-free space.
Can group therapy help with anxiety or depression too?
Yes. Group therapy is highly effective for co-occurring mental health conditions. Being witnessed without judgment lowers shame and rebuilds the connection that protects mental wellbeing.
How is group therapy different from individual therapy?
Individual therapy is one-on-one work with your own therapist. Group therapy adds peer connection, feedback, and accountability. Most people benefit from both, and we offer both.
Is what I say in group kept private?
Confidentiality is a core ground rule of every group. Members agree to keep what is shared in the room private, and clinicians reinforce that trust.
Is group therapy covered by insurance?
Often yes. We are in-network with WellSense and approved through MassHealth (the plan we accept is WellSense). Our team can verify your benefits.
Keep learning
Helpful, judgment-free articles on recovery, treatment, and supporting the people you love.
In-Network Coverage Varies by Plan. Let's See If Yours Is a Match
We’ll verify your benefits and have an honest conversation about whether our program is the best match for your stage of recovery. And if we’re not the right fit for your journey, we won’t leave you guessing. We’ll help you find the place that is. Because we’ve been where you are, our only goal is getting you to the care that works.
Find Your People in Recovery
The connection you find in group can change everything. Call and we will help you take the first step.
- 100% Confidential
- Free Assessment
- No Commitment
- You'll talk to someone in recovery
In a crisis? If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.