Ready for Therapy: An 8-Week Psychoeducation Group

Helping You Get the Most Out of Your Therapy Experience

Starting therapy can feel overwhelming. You might wonder what to expect, how to prepare, or whether you’ll be able to make the most of it. That’s why we’ve created Ready for Therapy—an 8-week group designed to help you feel confident, grounded, and prepared before you begin individual psychotherapy.

Spaces are limited. Click below to register. Questions? Contact us at info@thinkrecovery.ca

Click HERE to Sign Up

Why Join Ready for Therapy?

When you arrive in therapy with skills for regulation, reflection, and self-observation, you’ll find an increased tolerance to talk about difficult experiences, stay present with strong feelings, and maintain connection with your therapist. Ready for Therapy helps you build a more effective partnership with your therapist and to get more out of your time with them.

What You’ll Learn

Over 8 weeks, you’ll build essential skills and insights to support your therapy experience:

  • Therapy 101: What therapy is (and isn’t), what makes a good working relationship, and how to handle conflict or disappointment in the process.
  • Emotional Regulation: How to manage stress and stay within your “window of tolerance.”
  • Self-Observation: Skills for pausing, noticing, and naming thoughts and feelings without acting on them.
  • Attachment Styles: Understanding patterns of closeness, trust, and safety in relationships.
  • Relational Patterns: How old stories and repeating dynamics show up in the present—and in therapy.
  • Reflective Thinking: Learning to step back and make sense of your experiences.
  • Tolerating What Hurts: The centrality of working through feelings of shame, guilt, anger, fear, disappointment, and grief in psychotherapy.
  • Finding Your Focus: Identifying personal goals and themes to bring into individual therapy.

How It Works

  • 🗓 8 weekly sessions (90 minutes each) on Friday afternoons (1:00-2:30 PM MT)
  • 💻 Virtual format — join from home
  • 👥 Professionally facilitated for a supportive, welcoming environment
  • 📘 Each session includes teaching, reflection, and optional skills practice
  • ✅ No prior therapy experience required
  • 🚩 This is a psychoeducation group and not a trauma processing group
  • 🚩 Participation in this group does not imply, nor guarantee access to individual therapy services at Think Recovery

Who This Group Is For

This group is designed for people who:

  • Are new to therapy or unsure what to expect
  • Want to build emotional skills and confidence before starting individual sessions
  • Are looking for a program to attend while or before starting individual therapy elsewhere
  • Are curious about how therapy works and how to get the most benefit from it
  • Want to learn how to build a more effective partnership with their therapist

Sign Up Today

Spaces are limited. No referral required.

👉 Click the button to register.

Join the Next Cohort

How to Join

Click on the link above to create your own Jane App account. From within this system you will need to then complete the mandatory consent form and sign off on it. Once this is done, you will receive an email to the email address you provide that will prompt you to create your own Hushmail secure e-mail login. This is the secure messaging service through which all clinic communication will occur and where you will find access to the links to join the weekly sessions via Zoom. You will need to install Zoom on the device you use to attend the sessions.

For those who are only attending psychoeducational group sessions and not in individual therapy at Think Recovery, no credit card is required to be kept on file, nor are there any charges for non-attendance.

Attendees who are self-motivated will benefit from the program and it is the individual responsibility of each person in attendance to input the session dates into their own personal calendar, to check their email for the weekly session links and to join on time from a private, secure, location without distraction and to be an engaged participant. Attendees who are disruptive or who otherwise exhibit behaviour that is detrimental to the group process will be removed. Sessions will start on time and so those who are late to arrive may not be admitted.

FAQ

List of Agreements for Participants Attending the 8-Week Online Psychoeducation Group

This group is designed to help you prepare for individual psychotherapy by providing psychoeducation, reflection exercises, and basic skills practice. It is not individual therapy, nor is it a trauma processing group. To ensure a safe, respectful, and effective group environment, participants are required to agree to the following:

  1. Show up on time to all scheduled group sessions on Fridays from 1:00–2:30 PM via Zoom, ready to engage with the material, discussions, and exercises.
  2. Attend from a private, quiet, and well-lit location within your home using a laptop or desktop computer, with a reliable internet connection, and without interruption or disturbance from others.
  3. Stay present for the full duration of each 90-minute session, avoiding distractions such as eating, multitasking, texting, or stepping away unnecessarily.
  4. Be an active participant by listening respectfully, engaging with the reflective prompts, joining group discussions when comfortable, and practicing the optional experiential exercises.
  5. Use Hushmail secure email to communicate absences (planned or unplanned) as far in advance as possible. Attendance will be recorded each session, and space in the group is limited. Those with a pattern of inconsistent attendance or repeated absences may be removed from the program.
  6. Complete optional between-session practice (homework) such as journaling, reflective writing, or simple exercises, as this will deepen your learning and readiness for therapy.
  7. Maintain group safety by refraining from inappropriate, aggressive, or disruptive behavior. Respect others’ confidentiality and contributions at all times. Participants who arrive intoxicated or who use substances during the session will be removed from the group to preserve the integrity of the program and group safety.
  8. Keep your video on throughout sessions to foster a sense of connection, engagement and to contribute to the community building process. Keep your microphone muted unless when invited to contribute to the group discussion. Use your virtual ‘Zoom hand’ under the ‘Reaction’ tab of Zoom to indicate that you would like to share a comment or ask a question.
  9. Understand the limits of the group:
    • 🚩 This is a psychoeducation group, not a trauma processing group.
    • 🚩 Participation in this group does not guarantee access to individual therapy at Think Recovery. A separate referral and intake process is required for individual therapy.
  10. Financial policies: There is no requirement for a credit card on file if you are only attending the psychoeducation group. There are no fees for late cancellation, partial attendance, or no-shows to the psychoeducation group.

Failure to adhere to these expectations may result in being removed from the group, as space is limited and a safe learning environment must be preserved.

Video and Audio Recording of Sessions

Psychoeducation group sessions may be recorded for internal quality improvement and supervision purposes. The recordings will be viewed only with mental health professionals who are bound by law, professional obligation, and agreement to maintain patient confidentiality. Only Dr. Sharma will have access to the recordings, which will be securely stored and only retained for as long as required for the purposes of internal quality improvement and supervision purposes. The recordings and transcriptions are the property of the Think Recovery clinic and may be erased or destroyed by Dr. Sharma at any time.

By deciding to attend the psychoeducation group, The Patient consents to the videotaping and transcribing of psychoeducation group sessions subject to the terms, conditions and limitations set forth above.

The Patient understands that his or her consent is completely voluntary and may be withdrawn at any time, which would require they withdraw from the group at that time as well.

How Do I Attend a Psychoeducation Group Session?

Please keep in mind that ALL psychoeducation group sessions occur via ZOOM. You will receive the link to your virtual psychoeducation group session via Hushmail secure email the day prior to your scheduled session. Please install ZOOM on your device and familiarize yourself with the program prior to your first appointment.

Live attendance is required for this program and recordings of sessions will not be sent out to participants. Upon receiving written receipt of a request (via Hushmail) from the patient to attend a missed session in the next cohort, this can be arranged subject to availability.

Psychoeducation groups will NOT take place via Jane.

When Does the Next 8-Week Psychoeducation Group Take Place?

This program runs multiple times throughout the calendar year.

The dates for the next cohort are as follows (all Fridays from 1:00-2:30 PM MT):

2026

  • April 10
  • April 17
  • April 24
  • May 1
  • May 8
  • May 15
  • May 22
  • May 29

Questions?

Have questions? Contact us at info@thinkrecovery.ca

Please note that while psychoeducation group services are self-referral based, a separate e-referral is required to be considered for individual therapy services at Think Recovery and a different set of policies and fees apply for individual therapy. Attendance at the psychoeducation group does not imply a treating relationship, nor does it guarantee or provide access to individual therapy services at Think Recovery. Sessions are co-facilitated by interdisciplinary licensed professionals.