When You Feel Like You Don’t Belong

A 12-Week Live Online Therapeutic Group

For people who feel disconnected from others, from the world around them, or from the expectations and values of modern life.

There are times when loneliness is not simply about being alone.

You may have people around you and still feel unseen. You may have relationships, work, responsibilities and a full life on the outside, yet carry a persistent sense that you do not quite fit — that the pace, values or expectations of the world around you no longer feel like your own.

When You Feel Like You Don’t Belong is a therapeutic group for people who want to explore what connection, identity and belonging truly mean to them.

The aim is not to teach you how to fit in. It is to help you understand where you feel disconnected, what you need in order to feel genuinely connected, and how to build relationships and a life that do not require you to become someone you are not.

When Belonging Feels Difficult

Feeling that you do not belong can appear in many different ways.

You may:

  • feel lonely even when surrounded by other people

  • struggle to find relationships that feel meaningful or emotionally real

  • feel different from the people around you

  • find yourself adapting your personality in order to be accepted

  • feel uncomfortable with the expectations of modern life

  • experience a gap between your personal values and the values you see around you

  • wonder where you fit socially, professionally or emotionally

  • feel that you are living according to expectations that are not truly yours

  • long for deeper connection but fear being fully seen

  • withdraw because superficial connection feels exhausting

  • feel that life is moving in a direction that does not reflect who you are

Belonging is not only about being included.

It is also about being able to remain connected to your own identity, values and emotional truth while being in relationship with others.

What We Will Explore

Across the 12-week therapeutic cycle, we will explore:

What belonging means to you
Understanding the difference between being accepted, fitting in and genuinely feeling that you belong.

Loneliness in the presence of others
Exploring why someone can be socially connected and still feel emotionally alone.

The fear of being truly seen
Understanding what may make vulnerability, authenticity or emotional closeness feel difficult.

Identity & authenticity
Exploring the parts of yourself you express freely and the parts you may hide, soften or change in order to feel accepted.

Values & the world around you
Recognising where your own values differ from social expectations, cultural pressures or contemporary ways of living.

Connection without self-abandonment
Learning how to build relationships without constantly adapting yourself to keep others close.

The need for meaningful relationships
Exploring what makes a relationship feel nourishing, mutual and emotionally significant.

Finding your place without forcing yourself to fit
Developing a more personal understanding of community, connection and belonging.

In Positive Psychotherapy

Positive Psychotherapy understands people not only through their difficulties, but also through their capacities, values, relationships and search for meaning.

A sense of not belonging may sometimes reflect painful experiences of rejection or disconnection. At other times, it may point to an important inner conflict between the life you are living and the life that feels more aligned with who you are.

Therapeutic work creates space to explore both.

Rather than asking only “Why don’t I fit in?”, we can begin asking:

Where do I feel most like myself?
What kind of relationships allow me to feel seen without performing?
Which values do I want my life to reflect?
What does belonging mean when I define it for myself?

The aim is not conformity.

It is to create more space for authenticity, connection and a sense of belonging that does not require the loss of self.

What This Group Can Help You Develop

The group can support you in developing:

  • a clearer understanding of your own values and identity

  • greater awareness of patterns of withdrawal or over-adaptation

  • increased confidence in showing more of your authentic self

  • a deeper understanding of loneliness and emotional connection

  • healthier expectations of relationships

  • greater tolerance for being different without automatically feeling excluded

  • stronger connection with people who reflect your values and needs

  • a more personal sense of where and how you belong

Group Details

12 Weekly Sessions

Mondays 18.00-19.30 | 90 minutes per session

Live Online

12 October 2026 – 11 January 2027

New participants join at the beginning of the 12-week therapeutic cycle, allowing the group to develop continuity, trust and a consistent therapeutic space.

Session Dates

October 2026


12 October
19 October
26 October

November 2026

2 November
9 November
16 November
23 November
30 November

December 2026

7 December
14 December
21 December

January 2027

11 January

Christmas Break:
No sessions on 28 December 2026 and 4 January 2027.

Fees & Payment Options

Fees & Payment Options

Pay Per Session
€30 per 90-minute session

Monthly Prepayment
€25 per session when all scheduled sessions for that month are paid in advance.

The monthly prepayment option applies only when all sessions scheduled within that calendar month are paid together in advance.

Joining the Group

If you would like to participate, complete the registration form below.