Support Groups
Some
groups provide support group meetings as part of their services. To
follow is information about support groups and attending support group
meetings:
Benefits of
support groups
If
you are feeling overwhelmed by a crisis then a support group may be
able to help you work through it.
A
support group lets you know that you are not alone, that there are
others who understand what you are going through.
It
also gives you hope that you can cope and start working through your
emotions and feelings. It helps you to discuss your feelings and develop
coping skills. It can be easier to express exactly how you feel in
a group than with family and/or friends.
How
long a person remains in a support group depends on the person and
the problem. This is very individual and there are no set rules stating
how long you need to attend. Many people who have benefited from a
group go on to help others within the group. Maybe even becoming facilitators
or counsellors themselves. By sharing their own experiences they can
help calm the fears of people new to the group.
Groups
exist that help with very specific problems/issues, ie; bereaved by
suicide, while other groups are more general in nature ie; depression.
Some groups deal with helping people change their behaviors ie; eating
disorders, drug abuse and focuses on strategies and sustaining positive
change. Other groups focus on providing people with coping skills
and emotional support, ie; cancer, murder. They help people to understand
the phases they need to work through; ie bereavement, sexual abuse,
drug dependency.
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