If no support group exists in your area, or if the groups that are available don’t meet your specific needs, you may need to start your own support group.
- The first step is identifying the specific concerns your support group should address.
- Do you want to focus on a specific health condition?
- Or age population?
- Or perhaps the purpose of your support group is to create change in your community surrounding a specific issue such as accessibility?
- Where will the group meet? And how often?
- Who will facilitate the support group? Will each participant take turns moderating? In order to create an atmosphere that will be productive and inclusive, it’s important to have someone who can help guide the conversations and pull others “out of the weeds” if the conversation takes a particularly heated turn.
- The first step is identifying the specific concerns your support group should address.
Here are a few websites that can help get you started:
ADAA.org -Start a Support Group
Wiki How-Start a Support Group
Endurance.org -Start a Support Group