Support Group Archives - Christel Maritz

A support group is a small group of people with a particular condition, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, who meet regularly to discuss their their experiences, their problems and their strategies for coping. Some support groups meet online.

What are the benefits?

Research shows that hearing from and sharing with others with similar experiences can be very helpful. A support group can provide the following gains:

show you that you are not alone
help develop new skills in relating to others
permit you to ‘open up’ and discuss your situation and feelings
give practical skills and advice – such as how to draw up and stick to a treatment plan
provide new coping strategies – share your solutions and learn from others’ experience
offer a safe place to sound off about frustrations of living with a disorder
supply strategies for managing any stigma associated with your disorder
strengthen motivation to stick with a treatment plan.

Support groups for family and friends

Family members/friends can also benefit from their own support group:

they learn more about the disorder and become more constructively involved in recovery
they hear of new strategies for coping, reducing stress and getting community resources
they gain increased appreciation of the importance of sticking with a treatment plan.

The next step is the hardest – going the first time. Everyone has a hard time going to a support group the first time. Sometimes, it’s hard to make yourself go, even if you enjoy the group and have been attending for some time. Excuses like the following may keep you from going:

I’m too tired when I get home in the evening
I’m fearful of meeting new people
I’m afraid I won’t be liked
I’m afraid I won’t be welcomed
It feels very risky
Transportation is difficult
I can’t find a group that seems to fit me
I don’t like to tell others what’s going on with me

Try to get past those issues, figure out how to do it, and go.

A support group can be one part of your plan for wellness, but it does not replace the need to maintain close connections with your family and friends, nor does it substitute for having people available with whom you can share the details of your daily life.

Sources:

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/public/gettinghelp/othersupportgroups.cfm

Support Groups: A Powerful Wellness Tool

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Support groups are organizations of people who share a common disorder, like depression or anxiety, and who meet together to discuss their experiences, share ideas, and provide emotional support for one another. Usually a support group is led by a member who has had some training in facilitating group discussions and if you lucky formal training as a Psychologist. For some types of problems, such as bereavement after the death of a loved one, or coping with a chronic medical condition like cancer, hospitals or community agencies often provide support groups led by a social worker or other counselor. Are you part of a formal or informal support group?

Probably the biggest advantage of support groups is helping a patient realize that he or she is not alone — that there are other people who have the same problems. This is often a revelation and a huge relief to the person.

Being part of support groups can also help you develop new skills to relate to others. In addition, the members of the group who have the same problems can support each other and may suggest new ways of dealing with a particular problem.

Finding support is the first step towards healing. Join my support group and together we can work towards your emotional well being.