Support groups; a space where people from different walks of life, who have experienced or are going through similar problems, come together to support each other, emotionally. They’re essentially safe spaces where people share their feelings,grievances, experiences and how they cope with their pain.
There are different kinds of support groups. Some of them include:
In cases of chronic illnesses such as cancer or diabetes, people live with a lot of uncertainty and physical discomfort. When living with these chronic conditions, support groups help form an important bridge between the need for emotional support and medical treatment.
For mental illnesses like PTSD, depression or anxiety, bereavement, and loss
For other concerns like divorce, unemployment, single parenting, losing a loved one to suicide
For minority groups such as lgbtqia+
And currently, we are offering a support group for individuals experiencing emotional difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic and everything that comes along with it.
Sometimes our friends and families don’t understand what we’re going through. By participating in support groups we get the opportunity to listen to stories of people who are going through problems similar to ours. We may feel better understood and heard in such spaces as we can relate more. It is different from group therapy and therapy in general because it may or may not be facilitated by a mental health professional and it is merely a space to share and be there for each other. Group therapy or therapy is facilitated by a psychologist or a psychotherapist, and has specific therapy goals.
Support groups can be led by a person who shares the group's concerns and/or experiences- social worker, mental health nurse, psychologist. Some support groups even offer educational learning by bringing in guest speakers or professionals to psycho-educate the group on specific concerns. In our opinion, support groups play a vital role in the society by providing us with safe spaces and by letting us know that we are not alone.
During this pandemic, support groups are paramount, given that we’re all isolated for most parts of our time and also that we are struggling to cope with our physical and mental health. Several support groups are being facilitated either telephonically or through video sessions that we can attend during these difficult times. Sometimes it may feel like we’re completely alone in what we’re experiencing. While that feeling is valid, participating in these support groups we may meet someone who is going through something similar and know that we are not alone in this. Support groups help us bring closer to each other in this time of isolation and instills hope within us by building a sense of community.
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Love & Light!
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