People living with chronic health challenges rarely receive the type of emotional and psychological support they need. Friends and family, and health care providers too, often feel frustrated because they want to help, yet all too often, nothing seems to help. Behind their frustration is the fact that they usually have not learned how to listen to the ill person without treating him or her with either pity or sympathy; neither is what the person needs.
Most of us find it very validating to share our troubles and receive empathy and understanding. The need to be seen, heard, and understood is what drives us to talk about our struggles, but it has a dark side: without incorporating skill-building techniques, support groups can devolve into an orgy of victimhood. Much of what goes on in many of these groups is a festival of complaints: about pain, fatigue, malaise, disability, and limitation of life activities, a kind of self-pity party.
Support groups are healthy when the facilitator guides participants in how to empathize with each other’s feelings rather than with the facts about their situations. Another feature of a healthy support group is that it incorporates skill building into every session. The lives of the group members improve when there is a focus on building self-efficacy and mastery, leading to a sense that we can make a difference in our lives and in the lives around us through our actions.
I started this group so that it would be a healthy and uplifting oasis of empathy, health and wellness :)
This is a group where individuals and family/friends of those with chronic illness can come to find support and learn coping skills to increase their quality of life, and to have fun along the way!
Various topics that may be discussed:
-A focus on health and wellness
-Connection of body, mind, and spirit
-Stress management
-Communication strategies to express your feelings to loved ones
-Setting reasonable goals
-Restructuring thoughts to remain balanced
-Redefining your new identity
-Loss, grief and growth
•Come and share your experiences with others while creating new relationships
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