Malachi Gillihan is a Trauma Specialist and Certified Spiritual Counselor, offering Group Trauma Therapy in Berkeley, the East Bay, and virtually, nationwide and internationally. For many people, group work turns out to be some of the most impactful recovery work they ever do, not a lesser or supplementary version of individual therapy, but its own powerful path.
Malachi is also a survivor-practitioner, and that lived understanding shapes how he runs every group, not just his clinical training. He hears often from people already doing other work, individual therapy of their own, sometimes for years, who add a group and find something shifts that individual sessions alone hadn't reached. Many people who join tell him they wish they'd started sooner.
Group Trauma Therapy is available in several formats, so you can find what actually fits: gender-specific groups, mixed-gender groups, time-limited groups that meet for a set number of sessions, and open-ended groups. Many participants arrive by referral from their own therapist or another healing professional, a common, well-supported path, not an unusual one.
What you can expect:
Guidance from a survivor-practitioner with deep experience running trauma-focused groups
A group format that actually fits: gender-specific, mixed-gender, time-limited, or open-ended
Sessions in person in Berkeley or virtual, wherever you are
Room for real connection, and yes, even humor, alongside the hard parts
A starting point that asks nothing of you but a conversation
Group Trauma Therapy in Berkeley, California and Virtually
How Is Group Work Different From Individual Therapy?
Individual therapy is one-on-one, focused entirely on your own history and pace. Group work adds something individual sessions can't fully replicate: the experience of being witnessed by, and witnessing, other people who understand what you're carrying because they're carrying something similar. Both have real value, and for many people, they work best together.
Is This a Replacement for Your Individual Therapist?
Not necessarily, and often not at all. Many people in Malachi's groups have their own individual therapist elsewhere and are specifically looking for a group to add to that work, not replace it. If you're already in individual therapy, a group can be a genuine complement to it.
What if Group Work Hasn't Helped You Before?
A group that didn't work in the past doesn't mean group work itself isn't for you. It may mean the group, the format, or the timing wasn't the right fit. Finding a group that's actually shaped around trauma, led by someone with real depth in this work, often changes that.
Why Group Work Can Be the Most Impactful Part of Recovery
For a lot of people, group work becomes some of the most powerful recovery work they ever do, more than they expected going in. There's something in being in a room, in person or virtual, with people who understand what you're describing without you having to explain it from scratch. It can shift a sense of isolation that individual work, on its own, sometimes can't fully reach.
Malachi hears this often enough that it's become one of the clearest patterns in his practice: people who join a group frequently say they wish they'd started sooner. Not because individual work wasn't valuable, but because being with others who share this history reaches parts of recovery that one-on-one sessions alone don't always reach.
Find the Group That Fits You
Gender-Specific Groups
For those who want to work alongside people of the same gender, which can matter a great deal depending on the nature of what you're carrying and who you feel safest processing it with.
Mixed-Gender Groups
For those who want a broader range of perspectives and experiences in the room, and who feel most supported working alongside people of any gender.
Time-Limited Groups
Groups that meet for a defined, agreed-upon number of sessions, with a clear beginning and end, useful if you want a contained commitment to start with.
Open-Ended Groups
Groups without a fixed end date, for people who want ongoing group support without deciding upfront how long that will last.
Sessions Designed Around You
In-Person and Virtual Groups
You can choose what fits your life. Groups meet in person in Berkeley, California, or virtually if you're anywhere else in the country, or the world.
Group Length and Format
Starting With a Consultation Call
There's no assessment to pass and nothing to prepare beforehand. A consultation call is simply a conversation, so you and Malachi can figure out together which format, if any, is the right fit.
Why People Wish They'd Started Sooner
Being in a room with people who understand what you're carrying, without having to explain it from the beginning, is hard to describe until you've experienced it. Here's what a few people have said about that experience.
"Impressive synthesis and integration of the science"
Workshop Attendee
"Malachi presented the complex information very clearly. His passion for the subject came through and I found it very motivating to learn more."
Workshop Attendee
"Malachi was a skilled facilitator and the training was well-organized, well-paced, and engaging."
Workshop Attendee
"All the information given in the workshop was not only relevant, but well documented, which made the workshop very valuable."
Workshop Attendee
"Absolutely blew my mind in the best way. I feel empowered, seen, and am excited to try out so many of these tools and strategies!!!!! Thank you Malachi"
Workshop Attendee
"The class was excellent - I wouldn’t change a thing"
Workshop Attendee
More Ways to Heal and Grow
If you're looking for a different format or focus, one of these may be a better starting point.
Individual Trauma Recovery
For one-on-one work, with group support as something to consider adding later or as an alternative.
Complex PTSD Recovery
For a trauma history that's chronic and long-standing, as the primary individual focus.
Couples & Family Trauma Support
For trauma's impact on a relationship or family, addressed together rather than in a group setting.
Sexual Trauma Recovery
For sexual trauma specifically, as the primary individual focus.
Trauma & Addiction Recovery
For trauma and addiction addressed together, including specialized groups built specifically around that intersection.
Somatic & Mind-Body Therapy
For body-based work to lead the sessions, somatic approaches are also woven into group work when it fits.
Begin With a Consultation Call
You don't have to know which group format is right before you reach out. Group Trauma Therapy starts with one conversation: a short, low-pressure consultation call with Malachi, a Trauma Specialist based in Berkeley, to figure out together what fits.
Sessions are available in person in Berkeley, California, or virtually, wherever you are.
Common Questions About Group Trauma Therapy
For many people, yes, often more than they expect going in. Being with others who understand what you're carrying, without having to explain it from the beginning, reaches something individual work alone sometimes doesn't. Every person's experience is different, but this is one of the clearest patterns Malachi sees in his practice.
Is Group Therapy Actually Effective for Trauma?
1
Yes. Standard confidentiality applies to everyone in the group, and group agreements about privacy are established at the start, before anyone shares anything.
Is What I Share in the Group Confidential?
2
That's normal, and there's no requirement to share before you're ready. Many people start by listening. Feeling nervous about it isn't a sign that you're not suited to group work; it's a common part of starting out.
What if I'm Nervous About Sharing in Front of Others?
3
No. Many people join without ever having done group work before. It isn't a prerequisite, and the format is built to work whether this is your first group or your fifth.