Can You Do Group Therapy and Individual Therapy at the Same Time?

Yes, you can attend group therapy and individual therapy at the same time. The American Psychological Association's group-therapy overview describes people participating in both, as well as people attending groups alone. Whether both fit your needs depends on your goals, the particular group, and how your care is coordinated.

If you already have an individual therapist, a useful starting question is: “What would I want a group to add?” You do not have to stop individual therapy simply because you are exploring a group. Nor does adding another appointment automatically mean better care.

This guide is for adults considering therapist-led group psychotherapy in the United States. It offers questions for conversations with your clinicians, not a personal treatment recommendation. Peer support, coaching, and workshops can serve other purposes; check what a group actually provides.

What could group therapy add to individual therapy?

A group brings other people's perspectives into the conversation. Depending on its approach, it may offer opportunities to learn skills together, notice how you relate to others, and give or receive feedback. Individual sessions offer time focused on your own concerns. Those differences can give the two settings distinct purposes.

The important question is what this particular group would contribute to the work you are already doing. A structured skills group and an ongoing relationship-focused group will not necessarily involve the same activities. Our guide to finding the right therapy group can help you compare formats and participation expectations.

A fictional example: Alex is exploring a habit of agreeing with people to avoid disappointing them. Alex asks their individual therapist whether a group could offer another setting to notice that pattern. In a consultation, Alex asks the facilitator how members practice expressing disagreement and what participation looks like when someone feels hesitant. Together, they discuss whether the group's purpose matches Alex's goal. This illustrates a conversation about fit, not a promised result or a treatment plan to copy.

The same therapist or different therapists?

Both arrangements exist. The American Group Psychotherapy Association's practice guidelines describe concurrent care with the same clinician and care involving different clinicians. They also note that much of the guidance on concurrent treatment comes from clinical literature and expert opinion, with limited formal research. That does not establish that adding a group will improve everyone's outcomes.

If one therapist provides both: Ask how they keep the purposes of the two settings clear and handle information learned in individual sessions. Do not assume that something discussed privately will automatically be brought into the group—or automatically remain separate without a conversation about boundaries.

If different therapists provide the care: Ask whether their approaches and goals can work together and how they will communicate. Two perspectives can be useful, but coordination takes deliberate attention. You should be able to ask how differing recommendations will be discussed rather than feeling responsible for resolving them alone.

Neither arrangement is automatically the better choice. The practical question is how it would work with these clinicians and this group.

How will your therapists coordinate?

Before starting, discuss what each setting is intended to address, what communication is needed, and how progress will be reviewed. AGPA's guidance on concurrent therapies emphasizes collaboration when different clinicians are involved.

Use these prompts to make the arrangement concrete:

• Purpose: What would you work on individually, and what would the group add? Where might those goals overlap?
• Communication: Who would initiate contact between clinicians, when would they check in, and what permissions or paperwork would they request?
• Different recommendations: How could you raise concerns if the approaches seem inconsistent or you feel pulled in different directions?
• Between sessions: Who should you contact about an individual concern, a group concern, or a scheduling issue? What response times and urgent-care arrangements does each practice explain?

If a group session leaves you confused or distressed, that is something to discuss. Ask how to bring it to the appropriate clinician while respecting the group's privacy agreements. Coordination need not mean repeating every conversation in both settings.

What information can your therapists share?

Have this conversation before assuming that your therapists either share everything or cannot speak at all. Ask what they intend to discuss, why it would help, and what consent process applies.

AGPA's ethics guidance calls for appropriate consent when sharing information, except where required by law, and specific permission to confer with an individual therapist. That professional guidance is distinct from what federal privacy law permits.

Under HIPAA, providers generally may share information in the medical record with other providers for treatment and care coordination without a separate patient authorization. Separately maintained psychotherapy notes receive additional protections and generally require authorization to disclose, subject to exceptions. These notes have a specific legal meaning; they are not the same as all session records or progress summaries. State laws and other applicable rules or professional standards may impose further limits. HHS explains these distinctions in its mental-health information-sharing guidance.

If a practice asks you to sign a release, ask who it covers, what information it permits them to share, its purpose and duration, and how to change or withdraw that permission. Ask what declining would mean for the proposed care arrangement. The answers depend on the practice and applicable rules.

Communication between clinicians is also different from privacy among group members. A therapist cannot guarantee that every member will keep the group's agreements. Before joining, review these group confidentiality questions, including how to discuss your own reactions outside the group without identifying other members or repeating their stories.

Can you manage the combined commitment?

Consider the whole commitment, not just whether another appointment fits on your calendar. Include travel or a private online space, time away from work or caregiving, any between-session activities, and room to reflect afterward.

There is no universal schedule to follow. Ask what attendance the group expects and discuss how both appointments would fit your current responsibilities and energy. If the workload feels difficult to sustain, bring that into the planning conversation rather than assuming you need to push through it.

For costs, ask both practices about:

• Session and intake fees, minimum commitments, and charges for missed appointments.
• Any separate charges for coordination calls, materials, or required individual meetings associated with the group.
• What each provider bills to insurance and what you would pay directly.
• Whether your insurer covers both services in the proposed arrangement, including any same-day rules, authorization requirements, or visit limits.

Check the specific services and providers with your insurer; coverage for one does not establish coverage for the other. Keep a note of the answer and any reference number. ZestLife's guide to fees, insurance, and sliding scales explains further questions to ask before making a financial commitment.

Eight questions to ask before starting

Bring these to your individual therapist and a consultation with the group facilitator. You do not need to have the answers yourself.

1. Purpose: What would this group add to my current therapy, and which of my goals would it address?
2. Compatibility: How would the group's approach and participation expectations fit the work I am already doing?
3. Communication: Will you communicate with each other, and who will arrange contact and any needed permissions?
4. Privacy: What information might move between settings, what would stay separate, and what choices or limits apply?
5. Different guidance: What should I do if recommendations seem inconsistent or I feel caught between approaches?
6. Commitment: What would both therapies require in time, attendance, energy, and total cost, including any extra fees?
7. Contact: Who should I contact between sessions for different concerns, and what are each practice's response arrangements?
8. Review: When will we discuss whether the combination is helping, and what could we reconsider if it is not a good fit?

The National Institute of Mental Health's psychotherapy guide recommends asking about treatment goals, the rationale for an approach, how progress will be assessed, and what happens if improvement is not occurring. Those questions are useful when adding a second setting, too.

Choose a next step with your therapist

You can start with one sentence: “I'm curious about adding a group. Can we talk about what it might add and how we would coordinate it?”

Then use a group consultation to clarify fit, expectations, privacy, and the commitment before deciding. If you want options to bring into that conversation, Explore therapy groups on ZestLife. Check each listing's format, facilitator, eligibility, and consultation process; a visible listing does not guarantee an available place.