Group therapy brings a small number of clients together with a licensed clinician to work through recovery related challenges as a group, building accountability and shared insight alongside individual care. At Silver Lining Recovery in Huntington Beach, groups stay capped at eight clients and run across every level of outpatient care, from PHP through standard outpatient.
60 to 90 minutes
4 to 8 clients
Led by a licensed clinician
PHP, IOP, virtual IOP and outpatient
Group therapy is a structured, clinician-led format in which a small number of clients meet regularly to work through recovery related challenges together. Sessions draw on the experiences of everyone in the room, building empathy, accountability and shared insight alongside evidence-based frameworks such as CBT, DBT and trauma-informed approaches.
Each session is led by a licensed clinician who sets the agenda, manages group dynamics and keeps the conversation therapeutic and focused. Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes and cover a specific topic, such as relapse prevention, shame resilience, healthy relationships, grief or emotional regulation.
Groups are kept between four and eight clients, smaller than most programs, so participation stays meaningful and the facilitator can respond to individual needs within the group. Group therapy runs across every level of care, from PHP through virtual IOP and standard outpatient.
Group sessions may incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and trauma-informed frameworks, adapted for the group setting rather than delivered one on one.
Group therapy complements, not replaces, individual therapy. Both are integrated into your overall treatment plan, pairing community and accountability with focused one on one clinical depth.
Process groups stay deliberately small, between 4 and 8 clients, so everyone has a voice in the room. When you are ready to step down a level, your team helps design an aftercare plan that keeps the community and accountability you have built rather than ending them abruptly.
A benefits check usually comes back within 24 hours and costs nothing, so you can find out what your plan covers before committing to anything.
Every group is facilitated by a licensed therapist, not a peer coach alone, so what emerges in the room is integrated into your care plan.
Groups stay between four and eight clients, intentionally smaller than most programs, so no one disappears into the background.
Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, TriWest/TRICARE, Aetna, Anthem, Health Net and more. Verification is free and takes about two minutes.
A clinician can walk you through what a session looks like in about fifteen minutes. Checking your coverage first costs nothing and carries no obligation to enroll.
Groups are both educational and process-oriented, matched to what the room is working through.
Practical, shared work on recognizing triggers and building alternative responses.
Space to process trauma responses and the belief that you are uniquely alone in your struggle.
Skills-based work on managing intense emotion without it running the day.
Working through relationship patterns and family dynamics with peer and clinical input.
Shared processing of loss and major change alongside people doing the same work.
Anxiety, depression and PTSD addressed within the group alongside substance use.
Most virtual outpatient programs are therapy only and send anything medical elsewhere. Ours is run by the same physicians, nurses and clinicians as the Huntington Beach program, over a secure HIPAA-compliant platform.
Which level of care your plan covers depends on your specific benefits and medical necessity. Verification is free, takes about two minutes, and carries no obligation to enroll.
Five steps from your first call to ongoing participation.
A confidential phone call where the admissions team asks about your situation, explains your options, verifies your insurance and answers questions. There is no pressure and no obligation.
Before joining a group, a licensed clinician completes a full biopsychosocial assessment, so you are placed in the right group format at the right level of care.
Before your first meeting, you are walked through group norms, confidentiality expectations and what a typical session looks like.
You are welcome to observe, listen and share only what feels right. Nobody is dropped into a room without context.
Your facilitator and care team regularly review how group therapy is working for you, adjust your participation, and integrate group insights into your broader treatment plan.
Call for a free, confidential assessment. A clinician will explain how group therapy fits your treatment plan and which level of care it sits inside.
No single approach or level suits everyone. Most people receive a combination, set at assessment and adjusted as treatment progresses.
Most people receive a combination rather than a single therapy. Your clinician matches approaches to what you are working on, and adjusts as treatment progresses.
| Approach | Format | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | Group and individual | Changing the thought patterns that keep symptoms going |
| Dialectical Behavior Therapy | Group and individual | Distress tolerance and emotion regulation when feelings overwhelm |
| EMDR | Individual, eight stages | Processing specific traumatic memories that still carry a charge |
| Trauma-Informed Therapy | The whole program | The framework every session operates in, so care does not re-traumatize |
| Internal Family Systems | Individual | Working with the conflicting parts of yourself that trauma created |
| TMS Therapy | In clinic, alongside your program | Depression that has not responded to medication and therapy |
| Individual Therapy | One-on-one, every level | The private work that group cannot do, with your own clinician |
| Group Therapy | Groups capped at eight | Practicing skills with people doing the same work, in a small room |
| Meditation Therapy | Alongside clinical sessions | Managing stress, cravings and the physical side of anxiety |
| Faith-Based Track | Optional, alongside the same program | Clients who want their faith included, with nothing lost by declining |
Every program here is run by licensed, credentialed clinicians. These are the people you will actually see.
William Sanchez
LMFT
SL
Sarah Litwiller
Primary Therapist, LCSW
CT
Christian Tiedge
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Kendra McCarthy
LVN
Most clients combine group sessions with one or more of these.
Focused one on one clinical depth alongside the community and accountability group therapy builds.
Structured, time-limited work on the thought patterns driving addiction, anxiety and depression.
Skills-based work on distress tolerance and emotion regulation, often used inside group sessions.
Where group therapy addresses substance use and a co-occurring condition together.
"Silver Lining is a great place for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. I’ve been here for both. Every single person from staff to clinicians to ownership all genuinely care and make the time to show they care. Programming is thoughtful, informative, and very engaging. There is much more thought into treating the root cause than the symptom."
"The support and real care they give is unmatched. I can say without any doubt that the people that make up this community have a calling to serve and support those of us trying to heal and find a new way of life. Today I’m over five months clean, I have a career that feeds my energy, and a community of people that help me stay accountable."
"Silver Lining Recovery is a fantastic program for anyone seeking treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse. Barmak and his staff were a delight to work with. Highly recommended."
Yes. All participants agree to confidentiality as a condition of group membership, and your therapist will explain the group agreement clearly before your first session.
Support groups like AA are peer-led. Group therapy at Silver Lining is clinician-facilitated, evidence-based and clinically integrated with your broader treatment plan. Many clients participate in both.
That is expected, and you are never required to share more than you are ready to. Comfort tends to build quickly in a small, facilitated group of four to eight clients.
Yes, and for most clients it is recommended. Group therapy builds community and shared accountability, individual therapy provides focused one on one clinical depth, and both are integrated into treatment here.
No referral is needed. Call directly and the admissions team will guide you through insurance verification and intake scheduling.
Silver Lining Recovery accepts most major insurance, including Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, TriWest/TRICARE, Aetna, Anthem and Health Net. Call 866-681-0927 and the admissions team will verify your specific benefits at no cost.
Medically Reviewed By
Last reviewed: September 24, 2026
Dr. Atul Grover, MD, is Medical Director at Silver Lining Recovery. He is board-certified in Addiction Medicine and Anesthesiology, trained at UCLA, and is affiliated with Hoag Hospital Newport Beach. He oversees medical care including medication-assisted treatment and co-occurring mental health conditions.
You do not have to know what to say to begin. Call for a free, confidential assessment, or verify your insurance online, and a clinician will explain how group therapy fits your treatment plan.
Medical disclaimer. This page is for general information only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It does not create a provider and patient relationship. Always speak with a qualified health professional about your own situation. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911.
Program hours, session counts and level of care recommendations described here are typical ranges. Your own plan is set by a licensed clinician during assessment. Insurance coverage varies by plan and by medical necessity.
