Adult Group Therapy Ideas for Families During the Holidays

Learn more about Family Counseling, Couples Counseling and Individual Counseling.

In This Blog, You’ll Learn:

• Simple, therapist-recommended activities to strengthen family bonds during the holidays
• How to foster communication, emotional connection, and teamwork at home
• Practical techniques to repair family relationships and reduce holiday tension
• Ways to incorporate mindfulness and creativity to promote harmony
• How Mountains Therapy NJ can support your family in navigating challenges and building meaningful connections

Therapist Designed Holiday Activities to Strengthen Family Connection

Below are seven therapy informed activities used by psychologists, counselors, and therapists offering Montclair therapy, counseling in Montclair, and online therapist support throughout New Jersey. Each includes:

 • Goal for activity
• Therapy modality connection
• Therapist explanation
• How to try it at home

1. Gratitude Circle

Goal: Strengthen emotional attunement and increase positive communication.
Therapy Connection: Attachment Based Therapy

Why It Works:
Attachment work emphasizes safety, warmth, and emotional responsiveness. Gratitude naming helps shift family dynamics away from criticism or tension and toward acknowledgment, trust, and connection. This is especially helpful for families who already attend family counseling or meet with a family counselor and want to practice skills between therapy sessions.

At-Home Activity:
Sit together around a table or living room. Pass an ornament or small object as a talking piece.
Each person shares:
• One thing they appreciate about someone else
• One small moment of kindness they noticed
• One positive memory from the year

This brings in warmth and emotional repair, particularly for families with past hurt or distance.

2. Holiday Storytelling Exchange

Goal: Build shared meaning, empathy, and emotional understanding.
Therapy Connection: Narrative Therapy

Why It Works:
Storytelling helps people reshape how they see each other, explore shared values, and soften rigid family roles. It can reduce the belief of "they never listen to me" and create more curiosity instead. Many psychotherapy approaches, including narrative therapy and psychodynamic therapy, use stories to understand how our experiences shape us.

At-Home Activity:
Fill a jar with prompts like:
• “Share a holiday moment that shaped you.”
• “Talk about a time you felt supported.”
• “What’s a tradition you want to start?”

Take turns drawing and sharing stories.
Families often end up laughing, reflecting, and connecting in deeper ways than expected, which can be an important part of trauma healing and relationship help.

3. Emotional Check In with Holiday Metaphors

Goal: Normalize emotional expression and reduce misunderstandings.
Therapy Connection: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT therapy)

Why It Works:
EFT therapy helps families and couples express emotions without triggering defensiveness. Metaphors make emotional vulnerability feel safer and less direct. This can be especially powerful for couples who are already in marriage counseling or couples therapy and want gentle ways to talk about hard feelings at home.

At-Home Activity:
Invite each person to choose a metaphor:
• “I feel like a snow globe that’s been shaken.”
• “I feel like a cozy candle, calm but tired.”
• “I feel like a wrapped gift, holding a lot inside.”

This opens the door to supportive conversation rather than reactive conflict and can prevent arguments from escalating.

4. Collaborative Holiday Art Project

Goal: Support teamwork, regulation, and shared creativity.
Therapy Connection: Mindfulness Based Therapy

Why It Works:
Mindfulness slows down stress responses, and art gives people a way to express what words cannot. It is especially helpful for families with emotional bottlenecking, anxiety, or communication fatigue. Many people who seek anxiety therapy, depression support, or ADHD therapy benefit from hands-on, sensory activities like this.

At-Home Activity:
Create a:
• Gratitude Tree
• Holiday Collage
• Family Mood Board
• Peace and Calm Mandala

Encourage each person to add images or words representing their emotions, hopes, or favorite parts of the season.
It brings people together without pressure and supports a sense of wellness therapy and holistic therapy at home.

5. Connection Through Compliments

Goal: Improve emotional repair, soften tension, and increase positive bonding.
Therapy Connection: Solution Focused Therapy (SFT)

Why It Works:
Solution focused work emphasizes strengths, effort, and what is going well. Compliments shift the emotional climate and help family members feel seen. This is a simple but powerful tool that many professional therapists, community therapists, and counseling providers use in sessions.

At-Home Activity:
Go around in a circle saying:
• “One thing I appreciate about you is…”
• “One strength I see in you is…”
• “Something you did this week that made a difference is…”

Or write affirmations on sticky notes and place them on a mirror, fridge, or tree.
This is deeply grounding for families with tension, conflict, or emotional distance and can support ongoing trauma therapy or PTSD therapy work.

6. Family Vision Board for the New Year

Goal: Create shared goals and hope for the future.
Therapy Connection: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Why It Works:
CBT reframes negative or limiting beliefs and helps families practice more flexible thinking. Vision boards anchor families in possibility rather than stress. This exercise can complement anxiety therapy, OCD therapy, or depression support by focusing on values, goals, and small, achievable changes.

At-Home Activity:
Invite your family to gather magazines, markers, or digital tools.
Include:
• Family goals
• Individual dreams
• New traditions
• Emotional intentions

This brings a sense of unity and direction into the new year, especially when paired with ongoing therapy in Montclair or telehealth therapy.

7. Guided Holiday Mindfulness Meditation

Goal: Reduce stress, soothe the nervous system, and prevent conflict.
Therapy Connection: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Why It Works:
DBT teaches emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and grounding. Mindfulness helps families respond instead of react. It is often used for behavioral health concerns, BPD, intense emotions, and high stress levels.

At-Home Activity:
Sit in a circle with dim lights.
Try a 3 minute grounding exercise:
• Slow breathing
• Visualize snowfall or warm candlelight
• Use a calming mantra like “I am present, I am safe, I am supported”

This helps each person reset during stressful moments and is a supportive practice alongside psychotherapy with a therapist local to you or an online therapist near me.

Why Holidays Bring Out Stress Even in Loving Families

The holiday season can be a beautiful time. Warm lights, shared meals, traditions, and time together often bring comfort. Yet for many families, the holidays also highlight stress, old patterns, unresolved tension, and emotional exhaustion. As a therapist in Montclair offering adult therapy, couples counseling, and family therapy sessions, I see common themes during the holidays:

 • Feeling overwhelmed by expectations and emotional labor
• Emotional exhaustion from hosting or planning
• Tension with in-laws or extended family
• Past hurts resurfacing during gatherings
• Communication that feels strained or reactive
• Grief, loneliness, or the pain of unmet needs
• Struggles with boundaries or family roles

If you have ever typed "therapist Montclair NJ," "therapy Montclair," or "counseling Montclair NJ" into a search bar, you are not alone. Many people look for mental health support around this time of year because they want concrete tools, not just survival. Family therapy, group therapy, and structured activities give people tools to reconnect, repair emotional ruptures, and create more harmony. These activities work beautifully for:

 • Adults in therapy groups
• Couples navigating holiday stress
• Families trying to reconnect
• Blended families
• Individuals wanting more peace with relatives

They are simple, grounding, and gentle, and they can prevent conflict before it escalates. If you are searching for a therapist near me or Montclair therapist who understands complex family dynamics, this guide can be a helpful starting point.

How Mountains Therapy Supports Families During the Holidays

At Mountains Therapy, we support adults, couples, and families with in person therapy in Montclair NJ and online therapy in several states. Whether you are looking for a Montclair NJ therapist, counseling in Montclair, or a supportive queer therapy space, our team is here to help.

Our therapists provide trauma therapy, anxiety therapy, and relationship help and support people navigating various things. We provide culturally responsive, LGBTQIA2S+ affirming care and queer therapy.

Learn more about our counseling specialties:

 • Anxiety Therapy
• Trauma Therapy
• Relationship therapy
• Grief Counseling
• Women’s Therapy
• ADHD Therapy for Adults

Start Therapy Today

If you are looking for a counseling clinic or therapy provider that feels warm, grounded, and human, Mountains Therapy offers a supportive space for Montclair health and Montclair wellness. You deserve grounding, clarity, and emotional support during the holidays.Start therapy today with a therapist who understands complex family dynamics. Contact us to find the best therapist near me in NJ and the best therapist near me in Montclair, NJ.