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8 boundaries activities to try in your next group therapy session

Here’s how to help your clients understand and express their preferences and needs.

May 22, 2025 • Updated on August 29, 2025

9 min read

Boundaries are essential for healthy relationships — but it can be difficult to set and enforce them. As a therapist, you play an important role in helping your clients understand and express their preferences and needs. Group therapy is a great setting to encourage clients to reflect on, create, and practice boundary-setting in a safe space, with support from other group members. 

Not sure where to start? Below, find eight simple but effective boundary-setting activities you can try in your next group therapy session. Also be sure to explore our other group therapy technique ideas and group therapy documentation best practices.

Values clarification exercises

Before a client can effectively set boundaries, it’s important for them to understand their own core values. Encourage group members to make a list of their own values (such as honesty, loyalty, friends and family, or hard work). Have members think about how their current boundaries do or do not help them live out these values. Areas that neglect someone’s core values may be a good starting place to adjust boundaries.

Safe space circle

For individuals who struggle with boundaries, group therapy can be a helpful “safe space” to practice. At the start of your group, have your participants create a list of boundaries they want to feel emotionally safe and respected in the group — for example, topics they may not want to discuss in the group. Encourage them to practice communicating these boundaries to other members.

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Explore types of boundaries

Have group members make a list of the various types of boundaries they can enact in their daily lives, such as physical, emotional, mental, and time boundaries. Go around the circle and have each participant share their current comfort level or difficulties with enforcing each type of boundary in their lives.

Role-playing scenarios

Role-playing is another useful way to teach your clients about boundaries, because you can provide feedback in real time. Set up imagined scenarios in small groups, and have your clients practice saying “no.” 

For example, if you have a client who struggles with time boundaries at work, you could have one group member ask them to stay late. After the role-playing, have clients give feedback on how they could have improved their communication. 

Use “No” and“I” statements

There are many ways to set boundaries, from simply saying “no” to using an “I” statement (for example, “I’m not comfortable with answering that question.”) In role-playing scenarios, teach your clients how to use these tools to express their needs with this language.

The broken record technique

For an extra challenge during a role-playing scenario, have the group member push back when the other client says “no.” Encourage them to respectfully but firmly communicate their boundary to the other person and then share with the group how it felt to say “no” when someone is disrespecting their boundary.

Personal rights exploration

Enforcing boundaries requires a shift in self talk. If your clients are struggling to believe they are worthy of respect or their boundaries are worth enforcing, have each person write a list of their personal rights. For example, they could write, “I have the right to decide what feels comfortable for me” or “I have the right to speak up about what I want.” Encourage clients to reflect on these rights or recite them to themselves outside of therapy.

Reflective writing and sharing

If someone’s boundaries have not been respected in the past, it may feel hard or even scary to enforce them now. On the other hand, positive experiences with boundaries can reinforce the drive to set new ones. Have your group members journal about experiences where they set a boundary that was respected by someone else. If people feel comfortable, open up the floor to have others share their responses.

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This content is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute clinical, legal, financial, or professional advice. All decisions should be made at the discretion of the individual or organization, in consultation with qualified clinical, legal, or other appropriate professionals.

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