How to Run a Support Group

If you have been chosen or elected as the leader for a local support group, you have quite a task in front of you. The mental and emotional health of the support group members is of vital importance, and how you conduct and run support group meetings will determine your success. The future of your support group rests on your shoulders, so consider these factors when determining how you will run it.

Relevance
It is important that every support group meeting is relevant to the needs of each of your members. For example, if none of your members have children, you don't need to discuss how their disease, disorder or affliction affects their offspring. Try to cater each discussion so that it benefits -- at least in some small way -- everyone who is present.

Location
As the leader of your support group, it will be up to you to establish meeting locations, which should be accessible to all members. Keep travel distance, peak traffic times, work schedules and other commitments in mind and ask each member if they have problems with where the meetings are held. It is your job to make sure that each member has what he or she needs.

Growth
Support groups, like any other organization, grow and evolve with time. Running a support group means allowing the group dynamic to change as necessary. Don't continually bring up new topics when they've already been done to death, and don't stifle the members' psychological and emotional growth as they learn to deal with the obstacles in their paths.

Rules
Although many support groups are informal in nature, you must still be willing to establish ground rules for the safety and convenience of your members. For example, how does everyone feel about bringing visitors to meetings? If people are opposed, you should make a rule that visitors are not allowed unless they are pre-approved. The same goes for maintaining confidentiality, respecting each speaker, showing patience and support and letting the meetings out on time.