Group Counseling & Support

Whether you're facing personal issues, emotional concerns, or simply seeking a supportive community, our confidential groups can help you manage stress more effectively, improve your mental well-being, and build resilience. Being in community with peers who understand your feelings and experiences can be incredibly beneficial and rewarding.

Group counseling provides unique benefits that individual counseling cannot offer, such as:

A space where you can be with peers who truly get it, and where your struggles are met with understanding, not judgment.
Diverse perspectives and coping strategies that can help you better understand your own challenges.
An opportunity to build and practice skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Feeling less alone and gaining a sense of belonging.

If you’re hesitant about group counseling, know it’s a step worth considering. Last year, 95% of surveyed CAPS group members agreed or strongly agreed that what they learned in their group could help them relationally, academically, and emotionally. Explore the groups we’re offering and find details on how to join each group below.

For questions or accommodations, please email [email protected].

Support & Community Groups

These groups offer welcoming spaces where you can connect and grow with other students who share similar experiences, challenges, or identities. They provide an opportunity to discuss your thoughts and feelings in a safe, supportive environment led by mental health professionals.

BIPOC Therapeutic Expressive Arts Workshop

Join BIPOC peers in a unique healing journey through an expressive and performance based arts workshop.

When & where: Wednesdays 2 to 3pm at the Black Cultural Center.
To join or inquire: email [email protected] or [email protected].

Circle of Support

Circle of Support is open to OSU students of all genders, providing a safe space for survivors of interpersonal and gender-based violence (including sexual/physical assault, emotional abuse, stalking, bullying, sexual harassment, and reproductive coercion) to share, connect, and heal. Hosted by CAPS, CAPE, and Cascades Student Wellness.

When & where: In-person group meetings Tuesdays 3 to 4:30pm. New Members accepted every week.
To inquire or request meeting location/link: email [email protected]

College of Engineering Students: Social Anxiety

Are you an engineering student struggling with social anxiety? Join us in a safe and supportive environment where you can share your experiences, learn Practical coping strategies and build confidence in social settings.

When & where: Starting Week 3 Spring term. Tuesdays 4-5 pm
To inquire about location or join: Email [email protected]

Grief and Loss

Engage in a warm, supportive forum for coping with the emotional impact of a major loss. Group is only open to students who have experienced a major loss but accepts new members each week.

When & where: Thursdays 2- 4 p.m. at CAPS
To join: Must be a student who has experienced a major loss. Nothing is required in advance. New members accepted every week. Email [email protected] or [email protected] if you have questions.

Living with Chronic Pain & Illness

Join us to connect with others and share compassion as we discuss the challenges of living with and managing chronic illness and pain.

When & where: Tuesdays 3 to 4:30 p.m.
To join: Must be a student identify as living with chronic pain or illness. Nothing is required in advance. New members accepted each week. Email [email protected] if you have questions.

Rally Point: A Veterans Support Space

A place for current and prior service members to process the challenges of the college experience as a non-traditional student.

When & where: Wednesdays 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Snell 150
To join: Nothing is required in advance. Email [email protected] if you have questions.

Serenity Without Substances

Sharing Experience, Strength, and Hope. This group is designed to offer a safe space for students seeking support and strategies to maintain a substance-free lifestyle. Whether you're committed to sobriety, facing challenges, or just curious about sober living, this space is for you. There’s no requirement for a specific length of abstinence—just a desire to recover and find serenity in all areas of life.

When & where: Fridays 12 to 1pm at CAPS
To join: Nothing is required in advance. Email [email protected] if you have questions.

Student Autism Community Meetings

This group offers a space for students with Autism to connect, get support, and discuss their OSU experience. Hosted and facilitaed by DAS.

When & where:
- In person group meets April 9 2025
- Virtual group meets May 14, 2025 times TBD
To join: Email [email protected] to request location or Zoom information

TransForm! A Gender Spectrum Support Group

Open to students who identify as transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, intersex, and gender questioning.

When & where: Mondays 3 to 4:30pm at CAPS.
To join: Nothing is required in advance. Email [email protected] if you have questions.

Women of Color Support Group

This drop-in group offers a supportive space for OSU students who identify as women of color.

When & where: TBD Coming Spring Term at the Hattie Redmond Women & Gender Center
To join: Nothing is required to join. Email [email protected] or [email protected] if you have questions.

Therapy & Skill Building Groups

These groups are small, guided spaces where you can work alongside other students on personal growth and develop tools to feel better and navigate life’s challenges. Build skills, gain insight, and connect with peers in a supportive environment led by mental health professionals.

Creating Calm

Create art together as a way to self-soothe, calm your nervous system, discover yourself, express emotions, and identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It’s therapeutic and fun! No need to be “good at art”— everyone is an artist, and the process matters more than the product. Supplies will be provided.

When & where: Wednesdays 12:30 to 2 p.m. at CAPS
To join: Nothing is required to join. Please arrive on time. Group is open to new members each week. Email [email protected] if you have questions.

Finding Peace from Family Chaos

A therapy group for students who have faced significant distress or challenging family dynamics, impacting their core beliefs about themselves and others. Examples include emotionally immature parents, abuse, substance use, mental illness, narcissism, or generational trauma. This group offers a safe, nonjudgmental space to increase self-awareness, explore family dynamics, and connect with peers who share similar experiences.

When & where: Thursdays 2 to 3:30pm
To join: Email [email protected] or [email protected] to schedule an individual pre-group meeting.

Mindful Self-compassion & Support

Self-compassion is offering ourselves warmth and understanding when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than ignoring our pain or self-criticizing. This 6-week therapy group helps students practice self-compassion to boost mental well-being. It includes brief education, mindful meditations, and processing in a confidential, interactive setting.

When & where: Wednesdays 3 to 4:30pm at CAPS
To join: Email [email protected] to schedule an individual pre-group meeting.

Understanding Self & Others for Undergrads and Graduate Students

In a safe and energizing group of peers, learn more about yourself and work on interpersonal goals to help you have more effective and more intimate relationships with others.

When & where: Wednesdays 3 to 4:30pm at CAPS, tentatively starting Week 2 of Spring Term
To join: Email [email protected] or [email protected] to schedule an individual pre-group meeting and to join.

Future Offerings

Those Who Serve: LGBTQ+ Veteran and Military Support

This group is a safe and incisive space for LGBTQ+ veterans, active-duty service members, and reservists to come together, share experiences, and build lasting connections. We understand the unique challenges that come with navigating both military service and queer identity, and together we're building a community of support, understanding and solidarity.

When & where: TBD
To join or inquire: email [email protected]

Information for winter 2025 is listed. Check here for any new groups being offered spring term.