Groups & Events
We love therapy groups! Check this page for our active events and groups and to see past events. Please feel free to reach out to us to inquire about bringing back a past group or to inquire bout a new one!
Events
Pause and Practice: A Community Workshop for Coping with Stress
in-person at green door therapy
We’re back for a second round of Pause and Practice!
As the holidays approach, take 90 minutes to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and refresh your toolkit for managing stress.
This in-person workshop is designed to help you better understand stress—what it is, how it shows up in your body, and how you can respond with greater intention and care. Together, we’ll explore the stress response cycle, the window of tolerance, grounding techniques, and nervous system regulation in a way that is practical, accessible, and rooted in self-compassion.
Through somatic practices and breathwork, you’ll have an opportunity to reconnect with your body’s natural capacity to regulate and restore. Bridget, a trained breathwork facilitator and Green Door Co-Founder, will guide participants through brief breathing practices that support stress relief and nervous system balance. You’ll learn specific breathing and grounding techniques that you can use in everyday life when you’re feeling overwhelmed, activated, or simply in need of a reset.
Whether you’re navigating a particularly stressful season or looking for new ways to care for yourself, this workshop offers a supportive space to pause, learn, practice, and connect in community. Come for a refresher before the holidays and leave with practical tools you can begin using right away.
You’ll leave with:
Specific breathwork skills to help regulate your nervous system
A better understanding of stress and the stress response cycle
An approach to stress management that normalizes stress rather than pathologizing it
An understanding of the window of tolerance and how to apply it to everyday coping
Practical grounding and nervous system regulation techniques
A refreshed toolkit for navigating stress during the holiday season and beyond
Dates: Thursday, November 5th
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: In-Person at Green Door Therapy – Elmhurst
Group Size: Limited to 20 participants
Cost: $20 (If ticket cost is a barrier, contact Bridget directly for payment plan options at bridget@greendoortherapy.com)
Workshop will be led by Therapist Megan Cisowski, LPC and Green Door Co-Founder and Therapist Bridget Caragher, LCSW, CDWF.
Breathwork for Grief Group (Virtual)
Join us for a gentle, guided group breathwork experience created specifically for those moving through grief and loss. Whether your loss is recent or something you’ve been carrying for years, this supportive space offers an opportunity to slow down, connect with your body, make room for what you’re feeling, and spend time honoring your own unique experience of grief.
Grief can live not only in our thoughts and emotions, but also in our bodies. Through intentional breath, music, reflection, and grounding practices, we’ll create space to be with whatever is present — without needing to fix, explain, or rush through it.
You’re welcome to keep your camera on or off throughout the session. No prior experience with breathwork or meditation is necessary. Come exactly as you are, with no expectation of how you should feel or what your experience should look like.
A recording will be provided for all registered participants, including those who are unable to attend live.
What to Expect:
An introduction to breathwork and gentle intention-setting around grief and loss
A guided conversation about breath, the body, and the grieving process
A 30-minute facilitated breathwork journey set to music
Space to allow emotions, memories, sensations, or stillness to arise without judgment
Time for reflection, journaling, and integration
A grounding close to help you reconnect with yourself and transition gently back into your day
Before You Register:
Grief is deeply personal, and breathwork can bring emotions, memories, and physical sensations to the surface. This experience is intended as a supportive space for exploring grief, but it is not a substitute for individual psychotherapy, medical care, or crisis support.
Breathwork is a powerful practice and may not be appropriate for individuals with certain health conditions, including uncontrolled high blood pressure, epilepsy, recent surgeries, cardiovascular conditions, or pregnancy (unless cleared by a healthcare provider). A full list of contraindications will be shared upon registration.
Please honor your own needs and boundaries throughout the experience. You are always welcome to slow down, pause, return to a natural breath, or simply rest.
What Is Breathwork?
Breathwork is a somatic practice that uses intentional breathing patterns to bring greater awareness to the body, emotions, and present moment. In the context of grief, breathwork can offer a gentle way to connect with what may be difficult to put into words.
Rather than trying to make grief disappear, we use the breath as an anchor… creating space to notice, feel, express, and be with our experience at our own pace.
How Breathwork May Support the Grieving Process
Grief does not follow a predictable path, and there is no single way to grieve. A breathwork practice may offer support by helping you:
Create space for emotions that may feel difficult to express
Connect more deeply with your body and present-moment experience
Allow tears, emotion, or other forms of expression without judgment
Release some of the physical tension that can accompany stress and grief
Develop greater awareness of how grief is being experienced in your body
Make space for memories, reflection, and remembrance
Cultivate moments of grounding and calm during an emotionally difficult time
Explore meaning, connection, and the continuing relationship you may hold with someone or something you have lost
Breathwork is not about letting go of someone you love or “moving on.” It is an invitation to make room for your experience and to meet yourself with compassion as you navigate loss.
Possible Experiences During Breathwork
Every person and every experience of grief is unique. During the practice, you may notice:
Tears or other emotional release
Memories, images, or thoughts of the person, relationship, or experience you are grieving
Feelings of sadness, anger, longing, love, relief, gratitude, or tenderness
Tingling or tightness in the hands, feet, or face
Shifts in body temperature
Changes in breathing, energy, or bodily sensations
A sense of stillness, connection, or presence
A deep sense of calm or relief
Whatever arises is welcome, and you will be guided to move at a pace that feels appropriate for you. No prior experience with breathwork or meditation is needed.
A Space to Grieve, Together
Grief can be isolating. This group offers an opportunity to step out of the demands of everyday life and spend intentional time with your grief in the presence of others who understand that loss can take many forms.
You do not have to have the right words.
You do not have to be “doing grief” correctly.
You simply have to show up as you are.
Tickets are $15. In support of accessibility and making breathwork more available to our community, you can contact Bridget directly to create a payment plan for ticket fees at bridget@greendoortherapy.com.
Learn more about Bridget' Caragher’s breathwork offerings and stay informed of future breathwork workshops by subscribing to Green Door Therapy’s newsletter, HERE.
Vision Board Workshop
in-person at green door therapy ***DECEMBER WORKSHOP COMPLETED FOR 2025!
Join us for an evening of reflection and creative intention-setting as we close out the year and look ahead to what’s next. Together, we’ll pause to honor the past year, clarify what matters most, and craft a personalized vision board collage to capture your hopes and values for the year ahead.
This experience isn’t about predicting the future or controlling outcomes — it’s about tapping into your desires, reconnecting with your values, and exploring ways to feel grounded and find meaning amidst life’s natural ebb and flow.
All materials are provided. No artistic experience needed — just bring your curiosity and openness to reflect, create, and envision what’s to come.
Dates: WORKSHOP COMPLETED FOR 2025
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: In-Person at Green Door Therapy – Elmhurst
Group Size: Limited to 20 participants
Cost: $30 and a portion of the amount collected will be donated to Elmhurst-Yorkfield food pantry.
Workshop will be led by Therapist Amanda Shafer and Green Door Co-Founder and Therapist Bridget Caragher.
Group Breathwork Workshops (Virtual or In-Person)
Join us for a guided group breathwork experience designed to help you release stress, cultivate clarity, and reconnect with yourself — all from the comfort of your own home. This supportive virtual space is open to both beginners and those familiar with breathwork.
You’re welcome to keep your camera on or off throughout the session. No prior experience is necessary — just bring an open mind and a willingness to breathe. A recording will be provided for all registered participants including those who are unable to attend live.
What to Expect:
An overview of breathwork and guided intention-setting
A 30-minute facilitated breathwork journey set to music
Time for reflection and integration
A grounding close to help you transition back into your day with ease and presence
Before You Register:
Breathwork is a powerful practice and may not be appropriate for individuals with certain health conditions, including uncontrolled high blood pressure, epilepsy, recent surgeries, cardiovascular conditions, or pregnancy (unless cleared by a healthcare provider). A full list of contraindications will be shared upon registration.
What Is Breathwork?
Breathwork is a somatic practice that uses intentional breathing patterns to help regulate the nervous system, release stored stress, and support emotional well-being. By working consciously with the breath, we can shift out of survival mode and into a more grounded, restorative state.
Benefits of a Regular Breathwork Practice
A consistent breathwork practice can support healing and well-being on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Benefits may include:
• Increased creativity and inspiration
• Lowering blood pressure and supporting cardiovascular health
• Movement and release of anger and other strong emotions
• Releasing stuck or suppressed emotions
• Integration and processing of grief
• Improved sleep quality
• Improved digestion and digestive regularity
• Enhanced cognitive function, focus, and clarity
• Deeper spiritual connection and sense of meaning
• Greater embodiment and connection to the body
• Relief from anxiety and depressive symptoms
• Reduced chronic over-response to stress and improved nervous system regulation
Possible Experiences During Breathwork
Each person’s experience is unique. You may notice:
• Emotional release (crying, laughing, vocalizing)
• Tingling or tightness in the hands, feet, or face
• Shifts in body temperature
• Memories, imagery, or visuals surfacing
• Altered states of consciousness
• A deep sense of calm, clarity, or relief
No prior experience with breathwork or meditation is needed. All experiences are normal and welcome. You will be guided throughout the process and encouraged to move at your own pace.
Learn more about Bridget' Caragher’s breathwork offerings and stay informed of future breathwork workshops by subscribing to Green Door Therapy’s newsletter, HERE.
Black Women Exhale
ONGOING QUARTERLY GROUP
Black Women Exhale is a therapy group experience created specifically for Black women seeking a space to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and process life in community with other Black women who understand.
Too often, Black women are expected to carry everything silently while continuing to show up for everyone else. This space was created as an opportunity to release, reflect, and simply be—without pressure, performance, or judgment.
This summer’s series centers around the intention of reconnection and emotional exploration. Together, we will explore what it means to become more emotionally aware, emotionally honest, and emotionally intentional in our everyday lives.
The group will also incorporate reflection around the “3 Cs” as tools for understanding emotional experiences, strengthening self-awareness, and navigating life with greater clarity and compassion.
This is a nonjudgmental, empathic, and relatable space where members are encouraged to show up fully, share openly, and reconnect with joy, softness, truth, and community.
This Group Is For You If…
• You’re tired of holding everything in
• You want a space where you can show up honestly and be supported
• You’re seeking deeper connection with yourself and other Black women
• You want to better understand and navigate your emotions
• You miss feeling grounded, joyful, or emotionally connected
Important Details:
• Summer Series Dates: June 9 – July 28
• Virtual meetings every Tuesday at 7:00 PM
• Includes 1 in-person gathering at the end of the series
• Members are asked to commit to attending at least 6 of the 8 sessions
• Cost: $30 per session
• Payment plans available
Spots are intentionally limited to preserve the intimacy and care of the group experience.
To learn more about registration and whether this space is the right fit for you, contact Bre'Shey directly.
MomMe Group
A group for Moms of babies (newborn-3 y/o)
Motherhood is beautiful—but it's also complex, exhausting, and at times, isolating. If you're a mom navigating the early years of parenting, MomMe Group is for you.
This 6-week support and therapy group is designed exclusively for moms of children ages 0–3. Whether you're a first-time mom or further along in your journey, you're welcome here.
This is a moms-only space—created intentionally to focus on you, not just as a caregiver, but as a whole person. Your well-being matters, and your experience is central to your family’s story.
Led by therapist and fellow mom Briani Shorter, the group offers a supportive, nonjudgmental environment to reflect, share, and connect with others who understand the unique challenges and joys of early motherhood.
Why “MomMe”?
The name MomMe is a reflection of the dual identity so many mothers navigate—being a mom and being me. Your personal wellness, growth, and identity are not separate from your motherhood—they’re an essential part of it. This group is a space to honor that connection and explore how to care for both.
What to Expect
Each week features a mix of guided discussions, personal reflection, and community-building activities. Sessions include mindfulness practices, journaling, and other creative tools to support your emotional well-being and growth as a mother and as a person.
Weekly Topics Include:
The transition to motherhood
Managing the mental load
Shifting identity and redefining self
Building emotional resilience
Coping with stress, anxiety, and depression
Clarifying your values and defining your unique path in motherhood
Creating meaningful connection and support in early motherhood
Group Details
Dates: Saturday Ams (COMING SPRING 2026)
Time: 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Location: In-Person at Green Door Therapy – Elmhurst
Group Size: Limited to 10 participants
Cost: $210 total for full 6 sessions
Full payment required to reserve your spot. Payment plan options are available and contact Briani directly to discuss.
Attendance Requirement: Please plan to attend at least 4 of the 6 sessions to support group connection and continuity.
Come as you are.
Leave with tools, insight, and meaningful connections—to support both your motherhood journey and yourself within it.
