I’m a big fan of support groups and there are a zillion of them to help you with just about any type of personal challenge you may be facing. In one of my most popular posts, I discussed “9 Benefits of Support Groups.” To recap, these benefits of support groups include:
- Realizing that you are not alone
- Expressing your feelings
- Learning helpful information
- Improved social skills
- Gaining hope
- Reducing distress
- Increased self-understanding
- Helping others
- Affordability
I thought it might be interesting to revisit this topic and talk a little about how to get the most out of participating in a support group. Here are a few guidelines for effectively engaging in a support group. I’d like to give credit to Dr. Marsha Linehan, the noted psychologist who created Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), as many of these guidelines are adapted from the DBT skills training manual.
Don’t discuss group information or members in public
Most groups will have formal or informal guidelines about how confidentiality and privacy are maintained. Usually, this means group members are not to reveal information from group meetings or names of group members when outside the group. This is because it’s important to keep the group a safe place where members can feel free to open up about their personal thoughts and feelings.
Be on time and stay for the whole group
Show respect for the group and its members by being punctual and by not leaving early. If you know you are going to be late, need to leave early or will miss an entire session, find out who the contact person for the group is and send them a message as soon as possible.
Give feedback that is non-critical and helpful
When giving feedback to other group members, remember to keep a tone that isn’t too critical. Offer helpful comments or just validate the other person’s struggles (“I can see this is really tough for you right now.”).
Practice homework or skills between group sessions
Many groups will include homework assignments or suggests new skills to practice before the next group session. It’s important to try these out a few times and see how well they work for you. Practice may not make perfect, but it will certainly help you get better at learning new skills or establishing new habits.
Support other group members
This should be an obvious suggestion, but do adopt a mindset where you can support other members who may be going through a difficult time. You can show your support through your affirming comments, facial expressions, or by a pat on the back or hug.
Be alert and attentive
Listen carefully during the group. Soak up useful information that can be of help to you. Jot down notes of important points to remember. By listening carefully to other members’ comments, you can not only learn more yourself but you can contribute more fully to the overall group process.
Be careful about outside relationships
Depending on the type of group, some groups may discourage outside relationships among members or others may have no limitations on such interactions. Just keep in mind your own needs and boundaries if you are considering seeing other members outside the group setting.
As I’ve noted before, support groups can be very beneficial. Check them out, participate fully, and see if they are helpful for you.
Here’s a question: What has been your experience with support groups? Please leave a comment. Also, please subscribe to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Finally, if you enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend.