Voice without Apology
You’re tired of walking on eggshells.
Online Group therapy that helps you unhook from people-pleasing, speak your truth without spiraling, and feel connected without abandoning yourself.
What if connection didn’t require self-abandonment?
You’ve spent so long tending to other people’s comfort, you’ve lost sight of your own.
You hold back to avoid upsetting anyone. You rewrite texts three times. You apologize when you haven’t done anything wrong, just in case.
You’re the one who smooths it over. Keeps it steady. Tries not to need too much.
And now? You’re tired. Resentful. And wondering if it’s even possible to speak up without wrecking the relationship—or yourself.
This group is for those who feel invisible and too much. Who long to be honest without unraveling. Who want connection that doesn’t cost them their voice.
Group therapy that helps you unhook from people-pleasing, speak your truth without spiraling, and feel connected without abandoning yourself.
Because the longer you stay in this cycle—the more you disappear. The more guilt calcifies. The more burnout bleeds into your closest relationships. And the harder it becomes to recognize your own voice through all the noise.
This group is where you start to reclaim that voice—gently, honestly, with others who know exactly how heavy it’s been to carry so much alone.
You’ll practice setting boundaries without guilt, naming what you need without overexplaining, and building relationships that don’t require you to perform, fix, or apologize for existing.
Online Group Therapy for Communication, Boundaries, and People Pleasing
Voice Without Apology
You rehearse every word. You over-explain, avoid conflict, or say yes when you meant no. Deep down, you want connection, but you’re stuck in patterns that leave you resentful, misunderstood, or emotionally exhausted.
This group is for people who are ready to stop shrinking in relationships. Through ACT-based tools and guided group support, you’ll learn how to name your needs, set boundaries without guilt, and stay present, even when conversations get hard.
Group therapy offers something individual work can’t: real-time connection, shared courage, and the chance to practice saying the hard things out loud in a safe, supportive space.
Led by Emily MacNiven, LPC
Your voice matters—even when it’s messy, uncertain, or takes up space.
Join when you’re ready—this group has flexible, ongoing enrollment. Covered by most insurance plans.
Day & Time
Mondays:
1:00-2:30pm MST
2:00-3:30pm CDT
3:00-4:30pm EST
This Group Is for You If…
✔️You say yes when you mean no—and feel resentful after
✔️You agonize over how you came across in a conversation
✔️You feel responsible for everyone’s emotions while minimizing your own
✔️You keep shrinking to stay connected, and it’s exhausting
✔️You’re craving connection that doesn’t cost you your voice
What if connection didn’t require self-abandonment?
You’ve spent years trying to keep the peace, earn approval, and avoid conflict. You know how to anticipate moods, tiptoe around tension, and keep everyone else comfortable. But maybe what you really need… isn’t another way to shrink yourself to stay close.
Maybe healing doesn’t mean doing more, trying harder, or perfecting your responses. Maybe it means allowing yourself to be supported in ways that feel safe, steady, and real.
What if the connection you long for starts by being seen, not when you’ve figured it all out, but exactly as you are?
That’s what this group is here for: not to fix you, but to walk with you as you reclaim the parts you’ve hidden to survive.
What if you could speak with clarity, hold boundaries without guilt, and bring your full self to relationships?
You can learn to use your voice without apology…
If you second-guess your words, overthink your texts, or carry the weight of everyone else’s feelings—you’re not broken. You’ve just been coping the best way you know how.
You don’t have to keep choosing between honesty and harmony. This group is a space to practice being human, messy, and clear—and still held.
Through ACT-based tools and supportive group reflection, you’ll explore what it means to:
Say no without spiraling
Express what you need without overexplaining
Stay present when someone’s disappointed
Show up without performing your worth
*Participant
“For the first time, I feel like someone really gets how my brain works. I can talk about things I used to shut down around, and that’s a huge shift for me.”
*Participant
“You make space for me to show up as a full person, not just a mess to fix. That means more than I can say.”
*Participant
“I’m grateful for how you balance softness with honesty. You don’t sugarcoat, but you don’t shame, and that helps me stay with the hard stuff.”
How This Group Can Support What You’re Really Needing
What if connection didn’t require self-abandonment?
You’ve spent years trying to keep the peace, earn approval, and avoid conflict. You know how to anticipate moods, tiptoe around tension, and keep everyone else comfortable. But maybe what you really need… isn’t another way to shrink yourself to stay close.
🖤 Maybe healing doesn’t mean doing more, trying harder, or perfecting your responses. Maybe it means allowing yourself to be supported in ways that feel safe, steady, and real.
🖤 What if the connection you long for starts by being seen, not when you’ve figured it all out, but exactly as you are?
That’s what this group is here for: not to fix you, but to walk with you as you reclaim the parts you’ve hidden to survive.
That’s exactly the kind of support this group is built to offer—something that sees the whole of you, not just your symptoms.
This group isn’t about scripts or perfect communication. It’s about building a relationship with yourself and others that doesn’t hinge on being agreeable.
You’ll practice:
Speaking up without bracing for backlash
Holding boundaries that reflect your values
Feeling safe enough to stop fawning and start feeling
Naming your needs in real time
Relating without performance, pressure, or guilt
It’s a space where your voice matters—even when it trembles.
*Participant
“Our sessions help me name what I’ve been carrying underneath the surface. I didn’t realize how much was there until I felt safe enough to explore it.”
*Participant
“This is the first time I’ve had a therapist help me recognize my patterns and believe I can choose something different. It’s empowering.”
*Participant
“I’m learning how to have my own back instead of just pushing through all the time. That’s new for me.”
When you give yourself the chance to be seen, really seen, without judgment or fixing, something shifts.
What's Possible Through Group Therapy
It’s showing up without a mask, and realizing the connection doesn’t disappear.
✔️Safe to show up as your full self—messy, emotional, in-process, and still worthy.
✔️Connected without fear, because here, nobody expects you to shrink or perform.
✔️More trusting of your own voice, because you’re learning to hear it through the noise.
✔️Less alone in your struggles, because you realize, "Oh. It's not just me."
✔️Grounded in your truth—not perfection, not certainty, but presence.
🖤 Your voice without apology becomes a growing belief that says:
“I can be in connection without losing myself.”
And that connection? It starts to feel safe. You stop walking on eggshells and start walking with confidence. You begin to show up—fully, steadily, without shape-shifting to be liked.
“I can speak up and still be loved.”
Instead of spiraling after every boundary or question, you stay rooted. You learn that love doesn’t disappear just because you took up space.
“My needs don’t have to come last.”
You stop being the emotional sponge. You begin to recognize your needs as worthy, not selfish. And you start tending to them without apology.
This group offers you the courage to practice something new and the support to keep practicing when it feels hard. This group gives you the courage to practice something new.
*Participant
“The metaphors you use stay with me. I caught myself reacting differently this week, and it felt like real progress.”
*Participant
“I actually used what we talked about in real life, and I didn’t spiral. I didn’t think that was possible for me before.”
*Participant
“I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to slow down my thoughts, but the grounding exercise made it feel possible.”
“You reflect things back in a way that helps me see through the chaos. I leave feeling capable, not broken.”
*Participant
🖤 What You’ll Walk Away With
Language to ask for what you need without apology
Tools to self-regulate when conversations feel charged
A deeper trust in your own yes and no
Less guilt around boundaries and more clarity around connection
The experience of being seen, heard, and still loved
📅 Weekly Support, Your Way
75-minute telehealth sessions via Simple Practice with rolling enrollment.
📓 Optional Between-Session Support
Use of The Red Door ACT Toolbox + Therapy Companion Journal.
🧠 Real Tools, Real Growth
ACT-based tools and practical exercises to support change between sessions
🧾 Insurance-Friendly
Most plans cover the group. We’ll help verify during your consult.
👥 Intimate, Safe Community
7 people max—so you feel known, not lost in the crowd.
🔒 Private & Secure
Sessions are hosted on HIPAA-compliant Simple Practice with a private link each week
Group therapy and individual therapy serve different but equally important purposes. One is not better than the other, they simply meet different needs.
➕ Individual therapy offers space to focus deeply on your story, your past, and your inner world. You get undivided attention, personalized support, and the freedom to process at your own pace.
➕ Group therapy, on the other hand, brings healing through connection. It gives you a front-row seat to the experience of others—and that can shift something inside. You realize you’re not the only one thinking the way you do. You practice sharing vulnerably and receiving support in real time. You witness what courage looks like in someone else, and begin to embody it yourself.
Many people find that group therapy enriches the work they’re doing individually, giving them more real-life moments to apply their insights, tools, and awareness. You get to move from learning to living.
If you already have a therapist, a group can be a powerful complement. If you’re not in individual therapy, that’s okay too. This space can still be deeply transformative on its own.
➕Want to Learn More About How Group Therapy Works?
Explore this blog post from Emily: You Don’t Have to Hold It All Alone: Why Group Support Might Be Exactly What You Need
Why Group Therapy?
What to Expect in Group
Every group session lasts 75 minutes and is intentionally structured to offer both safety and flexibility. Here’s a general flow so you know what to expect:
🔹 1. Settling In
⏱️ 5–10 min
Gentle check-in or grounding practice
→ No pressure to share
→ Just arrive as you are
🔹 2. Topic Exploration
⏱️ 20–25 min
Guided skill-building or themed discussion
→ ACT, ERP, mindfulness, or self-compassion
→ May include metaphors, reflections, or brief teachings
🔹 3. Group Discussion & Support
⏱️ 30–35 min
Open space to share or listen
→ Explore emotions, thoughts, relationships
→ Where insight and connection deepen
🔹 4. Closing & Integration
⏱️ 5–10 min
Wrap-up with reflection or grounding
→ Gently transition back into daily life
→ Takeaways or intentions to carry forward
💬 Always Your Choice
Speak up. Sit back. Take space. Just be.
Group is capped at 7 people to keep it safe and intimate.
Meet Your Guide
This isn’t just a group, it’s a space to exhale, connect, and grow at your own pace, with guidance that meets you where you are.
Emily MacNiven, LPC, is a therapist, educator, and founder of The Red Door. She brings warmth, wisdom, and realness to every group, not to fix you, but to walk with you. Emily believes that something powerful happens when people come together with honesty and care; group work can soften isolation, spark insight, and remind us we’re not alone in what we carry. Healing doesn’t happen under pressure. It happens in the presence of safety, clarity, compassion, and connection.
With deep experience supporting folks tangled in mental noise, relationship uncertainty, people-pleasing, and identity-level self-doubt, Emily leads with grounded skill and steady gentleness. Her approach blends structure with softness, offering clear tools, meaningful reflection, and space to show up exactly as you are. In her groups, you don’t just learn to manage life. You learn to reclaim it.
Questions?
Safety + FAQs
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Many people come into this with past experiences that made them feel ignored, judged, or like they had to perform to belong.
This group is different.
We take time to build trust, not rush it. You’ll never be forced to share more than you want to. You’ll never be “called out” or put on the spot. Everything we do is rooted in consent, gentleness, and honoring your pace.
The group is intentionally small—just seven people max—and everyone is carefully vetted through a 1:1 intake process to ensure the space stays emotionally safe and affirming. If something doesn’t feel right, we talk about it. If you need to pause or regroup, that’s welcome too.
You’re not entering a room full of strangers. You’re stepping into a space where real humans show up with softness, courage, and care.
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Yes. Most people haven’t. We ease in gently. No pressure, and no need to share until it feels right for you.
Many people find that even just listening, hearing others name what you’ve been feeling, can be powerful and healing. -
You don’t need a formal label. If you find yourself stuck in spirals of overthinking, reassurance-seeking, or relationship doubt—this is a space that understands.
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This group offers rolling enrollment, so you can start whenever you're ready. There’s no fixed end date, and you're welcome to attend as many sessions as feel helpful. Most folks attend weekly 75-minute sessions to build momentum, but we’ll work together to find a rhythm that honors your energy, schedule, and capacity. You can also schedule a free 20-minute consult to see if it’s a fit.
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We start with a free consultation and a one-on-one intake session to get to know you and your goals. If this group isn’t the best match, we’ll connect you with another offering that better meets your needs.
Getting Started Is Simple
✅ Step 1: Schedule Your Free Consult
Book a no-pressure, 20-minute video call to see if this group is the right fit for you.
🎧 Step 2: Join a Private Intake Session
Meet one-on-one for a 60-minute intake to talk through your goals, needs, and how group support can help.
💬 Step 3: Begin Group When You’re Ready
If it’s a good fit, you’ll join the group and start your journey. If not, we’ll help you connect with one of our other supportive offerings.
Everything’s online. All you need is a quiet-ish space and a willingness to show up. Pajamas welcome. 🧦💻
💸 Payment Details
Most insurance plans cover group therapy.
We’ll help verify your benefits during your consult and let you know your weekly co-pay.
*These reflections are representative of common themes shared in individual and group sessions and are not direct client testimonials.
Take the next step
Ready to Join—or Just Exploring?
Whether you’re all in or still figuring things out, the next step is the same: fill out the form below. I’ll reach out personally to answer your questions, help verify your insurance if needed, and guide you through what comes next, whether that’s scheduling your intake session or simply starting a conversation.
No pressure, no rush, just real support, at the pace that works best for you.