Human beings are social animals. There's no human deed or thought that can be grasped without the social context it is originated in. Our Self - or identity, if you will, is constantly shaped over time through the interpersonal interactions and relationships we establish within our social world. Some relationships, especially those we engage with our significant others in the early stages of our life, are pivotal in forging our personality which, in turn, determines how we respond to social situations.

When tied to traumatic/dysfunctional interpersonal experiences occurred in the past, these responses can affect the individual's present life, leading to psychological suffering, symptoms, and mental health illnesses. According to the theory of Interpersonal Psychoanalysis, psychological symptoms are to be considered an adaptation, to previous traumatic relationships with significant others.

The main objective of the interpersonal psychoanalytic treatment is to foster - never impose, a change through an improved understanding and awareness of the patient's conscious and unconscious experiences of themselves and the relationships they establish with other individuals. This can be obtained through psychotherapeutic treatments.

Since in our western culture therapeutic treatments are mostly represented in the form of indvidual psychotherapy, most therapists and patients overlook group therapy as a potential solution to the psychological suffering we, as humans, go through.

Group therapy is as effective as individual therapy. One of the main differences is that, not only the therapist, but also the group contributes to fostering awareness regarding each participants' way of function within a social context. Being in a group can be intimidating at first, but what most patients later recognize is that it is a warm and welcoming environment where they can learn a lot about themselves.