When You’re a Support Group Facilitator

Following is an excerpt from Willowgreen Publishing’s book Effective Support Groups: How to Plan, Design, Facilitate, and Enjoy Them by James E. Miller.

Is a support group a therapy group?

     No. A therapy group is led by a trained psychotherapist who focuses on the psychological growth of each individual. While some support groups may be led by therapists, either as volunteers or in their professional capacities, most groups are not. And even when a support group is facilitated by a therapist, it follows a different format than strict psychotherapy.
     A support group can still be therapeutic, of course. All good ones are. But that does not make it a therapy group.
     Neither is a support group a discussion group. It’s not a “bull session” during which people air their thoughts or argue their beliefs about a subject. A support group requires more personal investment on the part of its members; it expects more self-disclosure.
     Nor is a support group a study group. While people can learn a great deal there, while structured learning experiences may be a part of the process, and while group members might read an article or view a video together, that is not all a support group does. Education cannot be its chief purpose.
     Nor can a support group be primarily a social group. Light, surface conversation, however congenial, cannot produce the results a support group strives for. Members may choose on their own to have a social time apart from the group meeting, but those are two entirely separate events.

Which approach is better: using a facilitator or going without one?

     Each approach has its advantages.
     It helps to have an acknowledged facilitator in place if yours is a short-term group with a specific goal to be accomplished. This person can help the group concentrate on its work, rather than expend its energy dealing with leadership issues. Similarly, it's often advisable for a support group to have a named facilitator if every member is struggling with a current major personal issue or life crisis. These participants will appreciate the objective yet assuring presence such a person can provide. A trained facilitator can also monitor such groups for any problems or potential complications, either within individuals or within the group itself. If a support group is sponsored by an organization, this person can help maintain a line of communication and accountability with that sponsor.
     A group without a facilitator works well if there has been a tradition of using this style group and it's been proven it works. The AA movement is a prime example. Groups like these depend upon veterans to provide some of the group culture and to make themselves available to speak with newer members. This approach can also work with colleagues who organize a group around their professional needs and interests, as well as with those groups in which everyone has had experience in other support groups and enjoys the idea of joint facilitation.
     Either style support group can be quite effective.

     Many more questions about starting and facilitating support groups are answered in the book, Effective Support Groups: How to Plan, Design, Facilitate, and Enjoy Them. More information about this and other Willowgreen resources for caregivers is available here.

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