There are people in this room who...

Therapy group leaders have an obligation to tell their members what kind of people they are in the group with.

"There are people in this room who are insensitive and who can't see the real issues in a subject and who play head games to avoid people's feelings and some who have committed murder for their own entertainment..."
A statement like this from a leader might keep some groups from getting out of hand.

I think leaders have a responsibility to keep their group safe. And constructive. But I don't know if the way the statement is phrased would be a positive help. It seems to me like it might be passive aggressive. And since it doesn't name names, the more oblivious people in the group will ignore it. While the more paranoid and sensitive people will assume it means them. When it really doesn't.

It's hard to think of an alternative from outside. I'd hope the leader would tackle behaviour that showed insensitivity or head games. Rather than needing to label people directly or indirectly.

One thing I wonder about group therapy is that by keeping the group safe some members are effectively excluded from sharing their own issues and working on them as part of the group, because more sensitive members get upset.

I think I know what you mean, katana. I don't believe group therapy is right for everyone. And that might be the sensitive person who needs more support sharing. Or the insensitive person who needs more support in reading other people's reactions and feelings. Not to mention that some leaders aren't right for the group they're with. [A few aren't right for any group ever.]

I don't think "safe" has to be "neutral", "only positive" or anything like that. It's possible for a group to be safe AND challenging. Just, difficult to find that balance.

The last I went to a group therapy session this happened:

I walked in the door and saw all the seats in the circle full of people talking with one seat left. I walked up to it. The woman who was clearly the host said "F*** off yer b****** before I cut you ***b off!". So I left still smiling. And a few days later I got my revenge by stealing all the petrol in her car. And taking off the wheels. And everything else. Leaving nothing more than an empty frame and those inner parts of the wheel. When she came out of that community centre to see what had happened was the best, oh the look on her face.

That'll teach her to swear at me. Don't worry I sold off all the parts and gave all the money to charity. So in a way I lost money but I won in a way because I got my revenge in passive-aggressive way which didn't involve the French shooting me or expelling me from the region.

So I scared everyone away from this thread? wow

The last posts were from 2013. I think people have moved onto other discussions, no scaring involved.

really?
OK then, explains a few things and maybe why I never will be accepted into group therapy.

Group therapy for people with depression can devolve into complaining about how miserable life is.