Group Therapy Icebreakers

Looking for mental health icebreaker questions? These group therapy icebreakers include group therapy icebreakers for adults and adolescents.

Despite its many benefits, group therapy can present a few challenges for both counselors and clients.

Counselors have a brief period of time to link members who may have different personalities and backgrounds, with the goal of unifying them to address a pervasive and common problem.

Simultaneously, clients who participate in group therapy are faced with the need to let down their guards with strangers in order to successfully overcome their struggles.

(Note: For therapists and counselors who see groups clients in-person or virtually via telehealth, SimplePractice makes it easy to book group therapy sessions, document notes for group appointments, and bill clients for therapy sessions with up to 15 clients.)

Group therapy icebreaker questions, often called simply “icebreakers,” are prompts that help people open up in conversations. Group therapy icebreakers can quickly diffuse the awkwardness and tension that frequently manifest during this type of therapy.

Selecting questions to use as icebreakers

Generally used during the first 10-15 minutes of a group therapy session, mental health icebreaker questions help clients get comfortable for the deeper discussions ahead. However, counselors can also bring icebreakers into the focus of conversation for that session, skillfully using them to aid groups in expressing empathy and forming camaraderie.

While group therapy icebreakers do not always have to relate to the counseling topic at hand, they should maintain their purpose of unifying the group.

Mental health icebreaker questions for group therapy should be open-ended, requiring more explanation than just a “yes” or “no,” and be relevant to all members.

Consider your purpose in asking the icebreaker questions.

Is it for members to learn more about each other, increasing their familiarity?

Or, is it to lead the group into a more serious discussion, lowering members’ resistance?

Your answers will help you decide when and how to use an icebreaker question.

Focus heavily on your audience when you develop group therapy icebreakers.

As the group leader, you may know answers to certain questions ahead of time for certain clients or members of the group. This may occur if you have received and reviewed particular group members’ intake paperwork or already conducted an individual interview.

Keep personal information in mind as you plan group therapy icebreakers so you do not put members in uncomfortable positions that could result in their emotional or physical withdrawal from the group. For instance, if you know that some adolescents in your group live with foster parents, refrain from using icebreakers that involve housing or family status.

Some questions are simple and lighthearted. Therefore, they can be asked of many different demographics and combinations of group members without triggering sensitivities. These include questions like, “What is your favorite snack?” or “What kind of movies do you enjoy?”

For the most part, you can expect all your group members to answer questions like these with an easy and confident air.

Lighthearted group therapy icebreakers of this nature are best utilized in the first two to three group sessions, while everyone is getting to know each other and initial bonds are forming.

On the other hand, some mental health icebreaker questions are more thought-provoking and can elicit strong emotions or bring suppressed memories to the surface.

These types of questions have their place in later group sessions since they require more vulnerability and respect from members. Examples of deeper questions include, “Who has made the biggest impression on your life?” and “When was a time you felt loved?”

While some members may respond with positive answers to these questions, others may be triggered due to their association with painful experiences.

Assess the strength of your group before asking these questions, and be ready to intervene if someone becomes highly agitated as a result. Some useful group therapy icebreakers for adults are listed below.

Basic questions to ask in early sessions

• Where did you grow up?
• What is your favorite sport to watch?
• Who is a celebrity you like?
• When is the most productive time of your day?
• As a child, what was your dream job?
• Where do you want to travel?

Deep questions to ask in later sessions

• What has been the best experience of your life?
• What advice would you give to your younger self?
• What do you want to change about yourself?
• What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
• When was the worst (or best) part of your teenage years?
• What impact has this group had on you?

Special considerations for telehealth icebreaker questions

It is easier for group members to disengage during virtual video sessions due to diverse stimuli in their separate environments. Thus, if you are facilitating telehealth group therapy, take extra care with choosing and using your group therapy icebreakers on Zoom or whichever HIPAA-compliant telehealth video system you use.

For starters, give group members a time limit for their answers and stick with it.

You can use phrases like, “Answer this question in one minute or less,” or, “Share your answer in two to three sentences.”

This time constraint will help members to stay concise and on-topic, and they may even present more thoughtful answers.

Also, be prepared to interrupt members when they speak tangentially.

To help prevent lengthy monologues and the discomfort that follows, consider different ways for members to answer icebreaker questions.

For example, you can direct members to type their answers into a chat box, then share them aloud when you call out their name. Refrain from using non-directive openers, such as, “Who would like to share first?” to limit awkward silences on your virtual platform.

Adolescent group therapy icebreakers 

While adults tend to expound in their answers to icebreaker questions, adolescents require more directiveness. When working with children and teens, phrase your icebreaker questions with the added instruction to “explain why or why not,” or to “share more about why you answered the way you did.”

In addition, contemplate your ability to include hands-on activities during adolescent group therapy icebreakers to maintain their interest. Playdough or clay come in handy for these occasions; simply direct your clients to sculpt their answers to your prompts.

Some handy icebreaker questions for adolescent group therapy include:

• How do you see yourself the same (or different) in 5 years?
• What is your favorite part of the school year (i.e., Homecoming, Prom, Field Day)?
• What animal would you like for a pet?
• What is the best present you’ve ever received?
• Where is your favorite place to be outside of your home?
• Who do you respect?

Icebreakers for child therapy groups

Child clients present a wonderful opportunity for us to become playful with icebreakers.

Echo or fake prop microphones can be used to pretend that you and the children are meeting for an interview.

Pass the microphone in a circle as you ask the icebreaker questions for a fun way to open the session. You can also give the children crayons and paper to draw their answers to your prompts.

I’ve appreciated the following icebreakers for child therapy:

• What is your favorite toy?
• Who makes you smile?
• Where do you feel safe?
• When have you felt sad?
• Who do you eat dinner with?
• Why do you come to therapy?

Closing thoughts

Group therapy icebreakers present a fantastic way for therapists to engage with clients.

Icebreakers can be basic and surface-level, intended to help make initial connections. Or, they can be intimate and complex, purposed to bring forth hidden hurts or struggles. Unbound to one demographic or presenting problem, you can use mental health icebreaker questions to start many of your group therapy sessions.

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