For group leaders
Fill your group, and keep it full
A practical toolkit built on research about why people join groups, why they don't show up, and why they leave early. A launch plan, scripts, and templates to copy, plus printable worksheets. Free for every group leader.
What the research says
There is little research on marketing groups as such. There is good research on what gets people in the door, what keeps them coming, and what makes them leave early, and filling a group comes down to those three things.
Group works as well as individual therapy.
In 67 studies that compared the two formats directly, outcomes were statistically the same when the treatment, the clients, and the number of sessions matched.
Burlingame et al., 2016
What to do: Say it plainly to clients and to referral sources. Many still assume group is second best.
Not knowing enough keeps people away.
In interviews with 67 people offered community treatment groups, not getting enough information was a main reason for not going. Having a choice, such as trying a session first, helped people attend.
Dilgul et al., 2018
What to do: Spell out who it's for, what happens, the cost, and what the first time is like. Offer a no-commitment first visit if your model allows it.
Fear of being judged is the big barrier.
Worry about being judged and about meeting new people came up again and again in the same interviews. Clinicians who write about group describe shame and fear of humiliation as central.
Dilgul et al., 2018; Shay, 2021
What to do: Name the fear in your listing and on the phone. Tell people they can listen the first time.
Preparation lowers dropout.
Reviews find that preparing people before they start (explaining how group works, what members do, and what to expect) reduces early dropout. Practice guidelines from the American Group Psychotherapy Association recommend it.
Walitzer et al., 1999; Ogrodniczuk et al., 2005; AGPA Practice Guidelines
What to do: Hold a short pre-group call or meeting with every new member.
Speed matters more than the handoff.
In 2,690 behavioral health referrals at one hospital, only 40% of people came to their first visit. Being scheduled within 30 days made attending more likely, and same-day scheduling did better still. A warm handoff on its own made no difference.
Pace et al., 2018
What to do: Answer inquiries within one business day and book the screening call within days, not weeks.
Reminders raise attendance.
Across 8 trials, attendance was about 68% with no reminder and 79% with a text reminder, close to the 80% seen with phone calls.
Gurol-Urganci et al., 2013 (Cochrane)
What to do: Send a reminder the day before, at least for the first month.
Belonging keeps people coming back.
Cohesion, the sense of belonging to the group, is linked to better outcomes across approaches. The link is stronger when leaders encourage members to talk with each other, not only with the leader.
Burlingame et al., 2018
What to do: Help members connect early: names, shared goals, and member-to-member responses from the first session.
Size is part of the pitch.
Members described about six to eight people as comfortable, and small or constantly changing groups as a reason to stop coming. Yalom recommends about seven or eight for interactive groups.
Dilgul et al., 2018; Yalom and Leszcz, 2020
What to do: Set a minimum to start and a cap, and fill toward seven or eight.
Six-week launch plan
Groups take time to fill. Start asking six weeks before your first session, and ask more than once.
Decide the basics
- Who it's for, and who it's not for right now.
- Format, day, time, length, and number of sessions (or rolling).
- Cost, sliding scale, and insurance.
- A minimum to start and a cap.
- Write the description and the "your first time" note.
Go public
- List the group on The Group Guide and print the flyer.
- Tell colleagues in your practice, with your criteria on one page.
- Think through your own caseload for people who fit.
Ask your referral sources
- Send the referral email to 10 to 20 people who see your audience.
- Leave flyers or refer cards where your audience already goes.
- Post once in a professional group or newsletter.
Screen and prepare
- Reply to every inquiry within one business day.
- Book screening calls within a few days.
- Hold a pre-group call with everyone who fits.
Ask again
- Send the "few spots left" note to referral sources.
- Confirm each member's start date in writing.
Welcome and remind
- Send the welcome email with what to expect.
- Go or wait: check enrollment against your minimum.
- Send a reminder the day before.
Keep them
- Reminder before each session.
- A short, no-pressure check-in with anyone who misses.
- Ask members what's working around session 3 or 4.
- Keep the listing current: "Now accepting" or the next start date.
Prefer paper? The Group Launch Plan worksheet has the same steps as a checklist.
Already running? Keep it full
An ongoing group needs a steady trickle of new members, and newcomers are most likely to leave in their first few sessions.
- Keep the listing honest about openings. Set Enrollment status to Accepting New Members, Currently Full, or Waitlist, and add the next opening if you know it. When you switch back to Accepting, everyone on the waitlist gets an email automatically.
- Ask before you're short. Send referral sources a short note every month or two, not only when a seat opens. When one does open, send the "spot open" note the same week.
- Add newcomers in pairs when you can. Yalom recommends adding two new members at a time so no one is the only new person in a group that has already bonded.
- Prepare both sides. Hold a pre-group call with each newcomer, and tell current members the week before that someone is joining.
- Watch the first few sessions. Dropout is most likely early. Remind newcomers before each session for the first month, and check in after any miss.
- Ask instead of guessing. Clinicians are poor at spotting who is about to leave, and routine feedback lowers dropout. A two-question check-out card every few weeks is enough to start.
- Track where members come from. A simple log shows which referral sources are worth your time.
- Let members share, but don't ask them to recruit. Members can pass along your public listing. Asking them to recruit, or offering anything for referrals, puts pressure on them and on confidentiality.
Templates for this: a spot just opened and telling the group someone is joining. Printable: Keep Your Group Full.
No date yet? Build interest first
You don't need a start date to start building a group. Gather interest, set a date when you have enough people, and move quickly once you do.
- Check demand first. Ask five referral sources, "Who would you send to this?" Look at your own caseload, and at search demand for your topic and state.
- Pick a go number and a target season. For example, "Starting when six people sign up, aiming for spring." Small groups are a common reason members stop coming, so don't start below your number.
- List it now, with Waitlist status. On The Group Guide, set Enrollment status to Waitlist and leave the start date blank. People can join the waitlist from your listing, and the site keeps sign-ups for up to 90 days. You won't see their names; the site emails them for you.
- Keep your own interest list too. For people who contact you directly, keep initials, how they heard, and when you last updated them.
- Stay in touch. A short update every few weeks keeps people from drifting away.
- Offer a first look. A free information session or a no-commitment first visit. Having a choice helped people attend.
- Move fast at go. Once you hit your number, set a date two to four weeks out, switch the listing to Accepting New Members, and tell your interest list the same day. Long waits between referral and first visit lose people.
Templates for this: update to your interest list and we have a date. Printable: Before You Set a Date.
Write a listing that fills
People skip groups they don't understand. A listing that answers their questions before they ask does a lot of the screening for you.
- A title that says who and what. "Grief Group for Adults Who Lost a Parent" tells a searcher more than "Healing Circle."
- Who it's for, and who it's not for. For example, "not a fit during an active crisis." Clear limits build trust.
- What happens in a session. Two or three plain sentences: check-in, a skill or topic, open sharing.
- What the first time is like. Can they just listen? Do they need to arrive early?
- When. Day, time, length, and start date, or "join any week."
- Cost. Fee, sliding scale, which insurance, or "free."
- Where. Neighborhood and parking, or online and which states you can serve.
- Who leads it. Name, credentials or lived experience, and training.
- How to join. Phone, email, or form, and how fast you reply.
- Access. Transit, step-free entry, captions, childcare, language.
Who refers to groups
Tell referral sources who is a good fit and who isn't yet. Clear criteria make it easy to say yes to you.
Templates to copy
Fill in the brackets and make them sound like you. Nothing you copy is sent anywhere.
Email to referral sources
Send 4 weeks out to 10 to 20 people who see your audience.+
Subject: New [group type] group starting [month], referrals welcome Hi [Name], I'm starting a [weekly] [group type] group for [who it's for], and I thought of you because you work with [population]. When: [day, time], starting [date], [number] sessions Where: [address, or online for people in (states)] Cost: [fee, sliding scale, insurance] A good fit: [2 or 3 criteria] Not a fit right now: [for example, current crisis or active psychosis] Every member has a short call with me before the first session, so you can send anyone who might fit and I'll take it from there. Group can sit alongside their work with you, and with a signed release I'm glad to keep you posted. Details and a printable flyer: [link to your listing] Thank you, [Name, credentials] [Phone] · [Email]
A few spots left
Send 2 weeks out to the same list.+
Subject: [Group name]: [number] spots left before [date] Hi [Name], A quick update: [group name] starts [date] and has [number] spots left. Same details as before: [one-line summary]. If someone comes to mind, they can reach me at [contact] or see [link]. Thank you for the referrals so far. [Name]
Note to a referring clinician
Only with a signed release. Share the minimum needed.+
Hi [Name], Thank you for referring [first name or initials, per the release]. We met on [date], and they're starting group on [date]. I'll be in touch if anything comes up that affects your work together. [Name, credentials]
When a client is unsure about group
A script for your own clients or a screening call.+
"A lot of people feel nervous about group at first. The most common worry is being judged. What usually happens is that everyone in the room is there for a similar reason, and people tell me hearing 'me too' was the biggest surprise. You don't have to share anything you're not ready to share. You can just listen the first time. Studies that compare group and individual therapy find they work about equally well for many concerns, and group adds something individual therapy can't: other people who get it. Would you be willing to try three sessions as an experiment, and then decide?"
Pre-group call outline
15 to 30 minutes with each new member.+
- What brings them to group, and what they hope will be different. - Fit: anything that would make group hard right now (a current crisis, the schedule, knowing another member). - How a session runs, how feedback works, and how people usually feel the first few times. - Common worries: being judged, not getting enough time, the idea that group is second best. - Harm and repair: say plainly that misunderstandings can happen, how they'll be handled, and ask what helps them feel safe. - Who they are: identities that matter to them in a group, and access needs (captions, breaks, health). - Agreements: confidentiality and its limits, attendance, letting you know about lateness, contact between members. - If they want to quit: come one more time and say so in group. - Ask them to commit to a set number of sessions, such as the first four. - Logistics: date, place or link, parking, what to bring, cost, and payment. - Their questions, and how to reach you before the first session.
Welcome email
Send about a week before the first session.+
Subject: Welcome to [group name], here's what to expect Hi [first name], I'm glad you're joining [group name]. Here are the details for your first session. When: [date, time]. Please arrive or log in 5 minutes early. Where: [address and parking, or video link] Bring: [anything they need] Cost: [fee and how to pay] What to expect the first time: we'll start with introductions and go over our group agreements together. Share as much or as little as you like. Most people feel a little nervous the first time, and that's normal. If something comes up and you can't make it, let me know at [contact]. See you [day], [Name]
Reminder texts
Ask permission to text first. Keep the topic out of the message.+
Day before: Hi [first name], a reminder that group is tomorrow at [time]. Reply if you can't make it. [Name] First session, day of: Looking forward to seeing you tonight at [time]. [Parking or link tip]. [Name]
After a missed session
Within a day or two. Warm, short, no pressure.+
Hi [first name], we missed you at group this week. No pressure, just checking in. We meet again [day, time]. If something about group isn't working for you, I'd like to hear about it. [Name]
A spot just opened
For a group that is already running. Send the same week.+
Subject: An opening in [group name] Hi [Name], A spot just opened in [group name], [day, time], [in person in (neighborhood) or online in (state)]. Same criteria as before: [one line on who it's for]. New members have a short call with me first. If someone comes to mind, they can reach me at [contact] or see [link]. Thank you, [Name]
Telling the group someone is joining
Say it the week before, in group.+
"Before we close, a heads-up: someone new will be joining us next week. I've met with them, and I think they'll fit well here. You may remember what your own first time felt like. A little welcome goes a long way. Is there anything you'd like to say or ask about that before next week?"
Update to your interest list
Every few weeks while you are still gathering interest.+
Hi [first name], A quick update on the [group type] group you asked about. I'm still gathering interest and plan to start once [go number] people are ready, aiming for [season]. You don't need to do anything right now. I'll reach out as soon as there's a date. If anything changes for you, just let me know. [Name]
We have a date
To your interest list the day you set the date.+
Subject: [Group name] starts [date] Hi [first name], Good news: [group name] is starting on [date], [day, time], [place or online]. Before the first session, I'd like to set up a short call so you know what to expect and can ask anything. Would any of these times work? [two or three options] [Name]
Social posts
One for the public, one for colleagues.+
For the public: Starting [month]: a [weekly] group for [who it's for]. [Day, time], [in person in (neighborhood) or online in (state)]. A small group of up to 8. Your first time, you can just listen. Details and how to join: [link] For colleagues: Colleagues: I'm starting a [group type] group for [who] on [day]s. Every member has a screening call first, and I coordinate with individual therapists when there's a release. Criteria and flyer: [link]
Keep it ethical
Good group marketing is honest, private, and careful with the people it reaches.
General guidance, not legal advice. Your licensing board, your professional code, and your state's laws come first.
Printables
Fill them in on screen or print them blank. Answers stay on your device.
Tools on The Group Guide
Most of these work with a free listing. Your dashboard shows which ones are part of paid plans.
Ready to list your group?
Your first listing is free. It takes about two minutes if you have a flyer.
Sources
- American Group Psychotherapy Association. Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy, updated edition (builds on Bernard et al., 2008). Link
- Bernard H, Burlingame G, Flores P, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy. 2008;58(4):455-542. Link
- Burlingame GM, Seebeck JD, Janis RA, et al. Outcome differences between individual and group formats when identical and nonidentical treatments, patients, and doses are compared: a 25-year meta-analytic perspective. Psychotherapy. 2016;53(4):446-461. Link
- Burlingame GM, McClendon DT, Yang C. Cohesion in group therapy: a meta-analysis. Psychotherapy. 2018;55(4):384-398. Link
- Dilgul M, McNamee P, Orfanos S, Carr CE, Priebe S. Why do psychiatric patients attend or not attend treatment groups in the community: a qualitative study. PLOS ONE. 2018;13(12):e0208448. Link
- Gurol-Urganci I, de Jongh T, Vodopivec-Jamsek V, Atun R, Car J. Mobile phone messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013;(12):CD007458. Link
- Ogrodniczuk JS, Joyce AS, Piper WE. Strategies for reducing patient-initiated premature termination of psychotherapy. Harvard Review of Psychiatry. 2005;13(2):57-70. Link
- Lambert MJ, Shimokawa K. Collecting client feedback. Psychotherapy. 2011;48(1):72-79. Link
- Pace CA, Gergen-Barnett K, Veidis A, et al. Warm handoffs and attendance at initial integrated behavioral health appointments. Annals of Family Medicine. 2018;16(4):346-348. Link
- Shay JJ. Terrified of group therapy: investigating obstacles to entering or leading groups. American Journal of Psychotherapy. 2021;74(2):71-75. Link
- Walitzer KS, Dermen KH, Connors GJ. Strategies for preparing clients for treatment: a review. Behavior Modification. 1999;23(1):129-151. Link
- Yalom ID, Leszcz M. The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. 6th ed. Basic Books; 2020.
- American Psychological Association. Keys to great group therapy. Monitor on Psychology. April 2019. Link
- American Psychological Association, Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (5.01, 5.05); American Counseling Association, 2014 ACA Code of Ethics (C.3.b); National Association of Social Workers, Code of Ethics (4.06).
Prepared by The Group Guide for group leaders. Reviewed October 2026.