Theme of Discussion Zoom Meeting: Support Group

Last updated 1/10/2023 Email: rgordon118@tampabay.rr.com

For several questions, I have provided links that will take you to related online information. Try coming up with your own thoughts first – then investigate the links or ignore them – whatever you wish. If the links don’t work with just clicking your mouse arrow, hold down your Ctrl key as you click. Any problem with a link, please let me know: rgordon118@tampabay.rr.com

In all our discussions, remember there is no need to attempt to respond to all the questions -- or even most of the questions. Feel free to choose for your discussion only those questions that appeal to you. Those who try to cover the most ground may well slip right over the questions that may prove to be the best seeds for germinating their own thoughts.

Questions:

1. What is a support group?

2. What are examples of support groups?

3. What are advantages of a support group?

4. What kind of person should lead a support group?

5. If you don’t mind sharing, what was a support group that was very helpful to you or to someone else you know?

6. Consider an organization you belong to – perhaps a religious congregation or a political group, or a minority group often the victim of prejudice, what role might a support group fill for members in this group?

7. Has there been a growing need for support groups for students, especially those of college age? Why?

8. How has zoom made support groups more available?

9. Are there any negatives involved in being in a support group?

10.What are some mental health support groups available in your community? How about online?

11.What might be the biggest problem a support group faces?

12.How has the internet made support groups more available?

13.What kinds of support groups are available in your community – or on the internet?

14.Has modern technology increased the need for support groups?

15.If you were the leader of a support group, what guidelines might you follow to make sure your group functions well?

16.Consider an organization you belong to. Does it already have a support group? Could you recommend a new support group for this organization?

Quotations:

1. “We are all healers of each other. Look at David Spiegel's fascinating study of putting people together in a support group and seeking that some people in it live twice as long as other people who are not in a support group. I asked David what went on in those groups and he said that people just cared about each other. Nothing big, no deep psychological stuff-people just cared about each other. The reality is that healing happens between people.”-- Rachel Naomi Remen

2. “Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar.” -- Drew Carey

3. “I try to support groups that are about educating people about different races, different religions, different cultures and different situations so that we can break down the barriers of prejudice and bigotry”-- Loretta Sanchez

4. “While in principle groups for survivors are a good idea, in practice it soon becomes apparent that to organize a successful group is no simple matter. Groups that start out with hope and promise can dissolve acrimoniously, causing pain and disappointment to all involved. The destructive potential of groups is equal to their therapeutic promise.” -- Judith Lewis Herman

5. “Effort and pain may not be avoided. Physical and psychological breakdowns occur. The support of a like-minded group, dedicated to The Art of Suffering, provides a safety net. An individual will push harder and risk more in the company of trustworthy peers.” --Mark Twight

6. “Building community for its own sake is like attending a cancer support group without having cancer.” -- Alan Hirsch

7. “When an individual wishes to stand in opposition to authority, he does best to find support for his position from others in his group. The mutual support provided by men for each other is the strongest bulwark we have against the excesses of authority.” --Stanley Milgram

8. “Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”— Margaret Mead

9. “ In a typical mental health catch-22, the alienating nature of depression tends to keep its sufferers from finding their way to the very support groups that might help them.” - Elizabeth Wurtzel

10."Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." – Patrick Lencioni [Does every successful support group need teamwork?]

The End