How a Women’s Empowerment and Process Group Can Help You Grow
Thinking about joining a women’s empowerment and interpersonal process group? Learn how group therapy can help you feel more connected, confident, and understood—especially during times of transition like infertility, pregnancy loss, new motherhood, involuntary childlessness, or menopause.
A quick note: The phrases “process group” and “interpersonal process group” are used interchangeably throughout this article.
To show you what a women’s process group can offer, let me introduce you to three women who might sound a little like you.
Meet Maya, Sarah, and Sheryl
Maya is a caretaker in her late thirties. She’s the friend everyone turns to, but rarely lets anyone see her own pain. In group, she’s learning how to receive as much as she gives.
Sitting in her car after work, she’s staring at her phone but not quite ready to go home. Lately, something has felt off. She’s surrounded by people all day, yet deeply lonely.
Maya is smart and capable. She keeps things moving. She supports her friends and shows up for her family. But inside, she feels like no one really knows what she’s carrying.
There’s the unspoken grief of an early pregnancy loss she never talks about, not even with her partner. There’s the wish—and the fear of another pregnancy with the possibility of loss.
The growing distance between her and her partner, who also doesn’t know how to talk about it. The pressure of figuring out what comes next in a life that doesn’t feel like it fits anymore.
Some nights, she imagines saying it all out loud—but the thought of being misunderstood keeps her quiet.
Sarah feels invisible. She worries that her needs are “too much,” so she keeps them hidden. In group, she finds out her voice actually matters. People listen.
In her mid-forties, Sarah is raising two energetic children she once longed for with all her heart.
She used to imagine motherhood as pure joy. But now that she’s living it, she finds herself stretched thin. She’s juggling work deadlines, school pickups, and a partner who often seems to need as much managing as the kids.
At the office, she lets her colleagues interrupt her. At home, she bites her tongue when she feels unappreciated. She tells herself she should be grateful. After all, this is the life she wanted. But in quiet moments, resentment shows up, along with a question she’s not sure she’s ready to answer: What about me?
Sheryl is successful on the outside. But inside, she feels disconnected and unsure. In group, she practices showing up as her real self, without the mask.
She is thriving in her career yet quietly grieving the possibility that at 42, she may never become a mother.
She’s been in one long-term relationship after another, each ending with promises that didn’t last. Now she wonders whether starting a family is still possible—and if so, whether she can make it happen before her body decides for her.
The question is tangled with old wounds: a fractured relationship with her parents, years of feeling she had to prove her worth, a longing for stability she’s never truly known. On some days, she convinces herself she’s fine without children. On others, the ache is sharp, and she wishes she had somewhere safe to open up.
Though their details differ, all three are navigating a tension between what they show the world and what they hold inside. You may not be Maya, or Sarah, or Sheryl. But you may be living with an unexpressed longing. You may be looking for a way to shift something within.
You may be seeking more—more depth, more understanding, more connection
The Tension Between What You Show and What You Feel
Maybe it’s your relationship with yourself, your partner, your sister, your best friend, or your parent.
You wish you could speak up about the thoughts and feelings that bubble up inside. You want to be seen and known, but you worry you’re too much or not enough. You fear people won’t understand, and you’ll feel even more alone.
You feel stuck and you want to grow, but you don’t know how. And you wonder: What is the first step toward change?
What Is a Women’s Interpersonal Process Group?
A Woman’s Interpersonal* Process Group could be a doorway to your next step. This isn’t a class or a support group with a set curriculum. A women’s interpersonal process group is a form of group therapy that focuses on relationships: how we relate to ourselves, how we relate to others, and how those dynamics show up in real time.
My group is a Women’s Empowerment and Process Group— an interpersonal process group. In this article, I’ll use “process group” as shorthand. It’s a space where meaningful connection grows through honest conversation and reflection. The group becomes a mirror of your relational world.
Taking risks to share your thoughts and feelings as they arise and receiving in-the-moment feedback highlights patterns and offers the opportunity to practice new ways of being.
Many women come to a process group because they feel isolated, stuck in old patterns, or unsure how to express themselves authentically.
Why Women Like Maya, Sarah, and Sheryl (and Maybe You) Join a Process Group
You may be seeking more—more depth, more understanding, more connection—or something you can’t even put your finger on. You may be tired of pretending everything’s fine. You may want to feel seen and accepted, even when you’re struggling.
In group, you might:
Say something out loud you’ve never told anyone
Receive reflection and support from others who understand
Learn how your words and presence impact people
Challenge beliefs that say you’re too much or not enough
Take emotional risks in a space that feels safe
Over time, you might feel more confident speaking up in everyday life. You might set boundaries in draining or difficult relationships. You might realize you’re not broken—just human, and deserving of care.
The Power of a Women-Only Space
In this group, our focus is on what’s happening between us in the moment. While each woman’s experience is shaped by intersecting identities of race, culture, class, sexuality, and life story, being in a women-only space can ease some of the pressures or dynamics that can show up in mixed-gender settings. Sharing space with other women can sometimes make it easier to open up, take risks, and be curious about how we connect. It offers a starting point to explore our similarities, our differences, and the ways we can grow in the here and now.
You’re not broken—just human, and deserving of care
Is an Interpersonal Process Group Right for You?
This group may be a good fit if you
Feel disconnected or lonely, even in your relationships
Struggle with trust, vulnerability, or expressing your needs
Long for more authentic and fulfilling connections
Are moving through a life transition and feeling unmoored
Want to better understand your patterns in relationships
You don’t need to have a specific issue to join—just a desire to grow and a willingness to show up.
I’m currently accepting members for a new in-person Women’s Empowerment and Process Group in San Diego. This group is designed to support women navigating many of life’s transitions, including:
Infertility
Pregnancy or postpartum changes
Pregnancy or baby loss
Motherhood
Involuntary childlessness
Perimenopause or menopause
Relationship shifts
Or simply the desire for deeper self-awareness and connection
If you’re curious about how a group like this could support you, I’d love to talk. You’ll have a chance to ask questions and explore whether it feels like a good fit.
Click here to learn more or schedule a free consultation.
Personal growth doesn’t have to happen alone. Sometimes the most powerful changes begin by sitting with others, listening, and being heard. If you’re ready to take that step, let’s talk.
Why I took a risk and joined a therapy group
In May of this year, I published this in my newsletter. I want it to live on for others to read and learn more about group therapy so I’m sharing it here. (If you’d like to join my mailing list to receive future newsletters, please sign up here).
Last October I enrolled in a group therapy training program. If you’ve been following along for any length of time you know I’m passionate about running groups. If you're new here— welcome!
Enrolling in this program seemed like a natural step to deepen my work. What I didn’t realize was just how much I would learn about myself. In addition to the monthly Saturday classes, students are required to participate in a weekly interpersonal process group. I was aware that one's role in the group often mimics interactions in the outside world. But I had no idea how that would FEEL.
To see myself more clearly has been liberating. From my interactions with colleagues, to the group of parents I’ve met through my child’s softball team, to my family of origin— I'm the same person, doing the things I do that keep me feeling safe and that simultaneously hold me back from being the person I'd like to be.
The group provides an experimental place to try out new things and take risks in being the person I'd like to be in the outside world. With practice, the hope is that I will start making changes in all my real-world groups.
Participating in a group is a risk. We don't know how we will change, and if the group will deliver what we are seeking. It takes vulnerability and courage to show up, commit, and make changes where old patterns are no longer serving us. By the end of the group, most people feel more comfortable in their own skin.
I don't usually disclose so much about myself, but I’m sharing my experience because soon I will be offering process groups in my practice to provide a similar opportunity for others. Message me here with any questions you have about process groups. What would it be like to lean into being a better version of yourself?
As of August 2024, I’m opening enrollment for a women’s group I’m starting this fall. This group is open to everyone and anyone who identifies as a woman. Would you like to learn more about yourself, challenge old patterns, improve relationships at work, home, with peers? This group is for people who are interested in learning about their own reactions and interpersonal interactions. The focus is on what comes up within and between the members in the room. You can learn more about the group here.