EP# 276: Beyond Individual Therapy: Sarah Simpson's Journey into Group Healing

What makes Sarah Simpson a good neighbor?

Ever wondered what happens when strangers gather in a room and agree to speak their truth? Meet Sarah Simpson, a psychotherapist who's revolutionizing how we think about human connection through group therapy.

Sarah joins us to share her fascinating journey from individual counseling to becoming passionate about interpersonal process groups. After nearly a decade in private practice, she's discovered the transformative power of creating spaces where people voice their feelings directly to others as they arise. "We're missing out on profound connection by staying quiet and avoiding harder conversations," Sarah explains, challenging our cultural conditioning to suppress emotions and avoid conflict.

One of the biggest misconceptions about group therapy? That it's just people complaining. Sarah quickly dispels this myth, revealing how these brave conversations actually create deeper intimacy. "Conflict is often a way to become more intimate with people," she shares, describing how the practice helps participants feel more alive, integrated, and empowered. Even for those who don't consider themselves "joiners," Sarah gently encourages openness to the possibility of growth through this unique therapeutic approach.

Beyond her counseling practice, Sarah hosts her own podcast, "Time & Other Thieves," where she explores books with spiritual and philosophical themes. Her candid reflection on the challenges of facilitating groups reveals her commitment to continuous learning and growth alongside her clients. For anyone curious about discovering deeper connections with others and themselves, Sarah's approach offers a refreshing alternative to our often superficial social interactions.

Ready to explore how group therapy might transform your relationships with others and yourself? Visit sarahsimpsoncounseling.com to learn more, and don't forget to check out her podcast for additional insights into the human experience. Have you ever considered group therapy? Perhaps it's time to challenge your assumptions and discover what happens when we truly allow ourselves to be seen.

To learn more about Sarah Simpson Counseling go to:

https://www.sarahsimpsoncounseling.com/

Sarah Simpson

[phone]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, hello everyone, Happy summer and welcome to the
Good Neighbor Podcast.
So today I'm thrilled to have areally interesting guest with
us and excited to hear all aboutthem and their enterprise.
And excited to hear all aboutthem and their enterprise, and
I'm sure you will be too,because today I have the
pleasure of introducing yourgood neighbor, Ms Sarah Simpson,
who is the owner operator ofSarah Simpson Counseling.

(00:34):
Sarah, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Thank you, Skip.
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, we're thrilled to have you and, like I said,
very excited to learn what youdo.
So if you don't mind, why don'tyou kick us off by telling us
about your business?

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah, well, I'm in private practice as a
psychotherapist and have beendoing that since 2016.
So I'm coming up on my 10 yearanniversary next January and,
more recently, have startedfocusing on group therapy.
For many years, I was justdoing individual sessions with

(01:11):
clients and then I became verypassionate about running
interpersonal process groups, sothat has become more of a focus
.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Interpersonal.
Say that again, yeahinterpersonal process groups
groups.
Tell me about that.
What is?
What is that exactly?

Speaker 3 (01:30):
yeah, so it's a group of strangers who meet in the
same room every week, either inperson, or there's a lot of
virtual groups these days aswell.
That might even be more commonthan in person, but mine are in
person, which I I really value,and the agreement is that they
talk about feelings as theyarise and they preferably voice

(01:53):
those feelings towards someoneelse in the room, and that's how
we deepen connection andimmediacy and aliveness
connection and immediacy andaliveness Wow, fascinating.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
I've never heard of that.
That's awesome.
Well, how did you end up inthis business?
How'd you get here?

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, well, I was always interested in psychology
and human behavior and humannature, very interested in
spirituality, so this was just akind of no brainer field for me
to go into.
And then, with the group workin particular, I had a
supervisor who is really intorunning groups, has five groups

(02:39):
of her own and I joined one ofher groups a couple of years
back and just became obsessedwith that approach.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Wow, wow, very interesting.
Well, what are some myths ormisconceptions in the
psychotherapy world?

Speaker 3 (02:59):
Yeah Well, certainly around groups.
I think a big misconception isthat oh, that's just people
complaining, belly aching, youknow, and that is Could not be
further from the truth.
I mean, there certainly is somecomplaining.
There's a lot to complain aboutbeing human.
It's really hard to be alive inthese bodies and especially in

(03:21):
this point in history otherpeople and being surprised by
them and surprised by your ownreactions, and being brave and
courageous and putting yourexperience into words, which

(03:42):
we're so often conditioned tonot do.
We're taught to keep that stuffto ourselves Want to be nice,
don't want to hurt people'sfeelings, don't want to get into
any kind of conflict.
But this kind of group workreally helps us exercise those
muscles and actually conflict isoften a way to become more

(04:05):
intimate with people.
So we're missing out on a lotof profound connection by
staying quiet in those ways andavoiding those harder
conversations.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
So it's not just people sitting around
complaining all the time.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
No, not at all.
People having a lot of feelingsand sometimes really strong
physical sensations and reallyreally knowing each other in
ways that we often are neverknown unless we do that kind of
work.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Wow, very interesting .
Well, outside of work, what doyou like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, I actually have a podcast.
Yeah, and that's really fun forme to put together.
It started as a radio show in2021 at the community radio
station here.
It's called Asheville FM, butnow it's just a podcast that I
do whenever I feel like it, asopposed to having to do it every
single week, and it's calledTime and Other Thieves, and I

(05:10):
explore a lot of different booksthat have a spiritual or
philosophical or sometimes evenreligious bent to them.
Uh, and I'll often interviewpeople as well.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
Fascinating.
Wow, got your own podcast.
So usually I ask have you everbeen on a podcast?
You have your own, sointeresting.
So, uh, let's switch gears forjust a second.
If, um, if you could describe ahardship or a life challenge
that you've overcome and cameout stronger on the other side,

(05:44):
what would that be?
Do you think of anything?

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah, again I'll have to reference the groups I run.
It's the most challenging thingI've ever done and every
session is full of challengesand missed opportunities and
regrets, and oh, I wish I'd saidthis instead of that and oh, I
hope I didn't, you know, neglectthat person or hurt their
feelings and oh, how could Ihave missed X Y, z?

(06:10):
So it's a constant humblingpractice to facilitate these
groups with all these complexhuman beings.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
I'm sure I am very challenging, I would think, but
rewarding from your perspective.
Well, if you could think of onething, sarah, that you would
like our listeners to remember,about Saracens and counseling,
what would that be?

Speaker 3 (06:45):
about Saracens and counseling.
What would that be?
These groups?
Just to at least be open tothis as an option for yourself,
listener, as a way to get toknow yourself better and feel
more alive and more integratedand empowered.
Some people, you know they'renot joiners, they're not group
people, and I would just want tochallenge them on that and wish

(07:07):
that they have an open mindabout it and give themselves a
chance to have this experience.

Speaker 2 (07:15):
I agree, I volunteer with a recovery ministry, I
guess you could say, foraddiction of any kind, and we do
small groups and so many peoplecome in and they're like you
know, the first time they'rethere pass, you know, like they
just don't want to say anything.

(07:37):
But then once they see everybodyelse open up and talk, then
eventually, as long as they keepcoming back, they end up saying
something, and pretty soon youcan't shut them up, which is
good yeah, that's a good thing,so, anyway.
So for those of us who areintrigued and would be
interested in investigatinggroup therapy or your group

(08:01):
practice, how can they learnmore?

Speaker 3 (08:04):
My website is sarahsimpsoncounselingcom and
there is an H at the end ofSarah.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
And that's, that's the best way to to learn more.
And my my podcast again is timeand other thieves.
And the and is the and symbolthe ampersand.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
And where can we find that it's on?

Speaker 3 (08:28):
various platforms.
You know I upload it ontoBuzzsprout and then that just
disseminates it so you can dothe Apple podcast, Spotify, I'm
not even sure Amazon Music.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
We use BuzzFrog too.
Cool, very cool.
Well, sarah, I can't tell youhow much I appreciate you taking
time out of your busy scheduleand spending some time with us
and telling us all about you andyour practice and wish you and
your business and your clientsand family all the best moving
forward.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Thank you, Skip Same to you.
I really appreciate you havingme on.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
Well, thank you, and maybe we can have you back
sometime.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
I'd love to.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
All right, sounds great.
Thanks so much.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-719-5873.