How to Start a Support Group

If you want to start a support group, you will have to focus on mutual efforts. You can’t do all the duties and responsibilities but with collective effort, the support group can help many people who are in need.

Start with a home-based support group and later on, you can find a suitable facility that is easily accessible by the community.

How to Start a Support Group with a Mutual Focus

It would impossible for only one person to start a support group. Carrying the problems of other people can be hard and it’s better to have a support group that is made up of people with different experiences, insights, skills, and knowledge. Some say that as you grow older, you also become wiser because of the experiences you’ve encountered in life. Whether it’s positive or negative experience, you can share your views to others who haven’t been in that certain situation. Focus on mutual help and before starting a support group, you have to find other people who want to help you out.

You can invite others who share the same views by sending out letters or flyers within the locality. Anyone who is interested can easily contact you. Place the flyers near clinics, community centers, post office, and other areas where there is plenty of traffic. You can also ask help from local newspaper publishers and even the local church. If you can find a local support group, try to talk to their founders and you can gain a lot of knowledge. You can consult with the clergy, workers in social services, physicians, and other professionals who can help you out.

How to Start a Support Group – Meeting with Other Members

When others have already volunteered to join, you can now set for a meeting. Inform others of the time and place where you are supposed to meet. It would be best to conduct the meeting with the chairs arranged in a circular pattern rather that holding the meeting like you’re doing a lecture. Ask others to participate to determine the goals, objectives, or the mission of the support group. Generate ideas or feedback from the other founders of the support group. Once you’ve organized the group, you can now inform the public. A public meeting can be held with the goal of sharing views and ideas.

Since you are working mutually with the co-founders, you also have to delegate the responsibilities and work of the support group. Someone should serve as the contact person and the officers should also have separate duties or responsibilities. If you don’t have extra money to maintain an office, you can start with a home-based support group. You can conduct fund raising activities that can help the group in setting up a facility to help those who are in need of assistance. Starting a support group will be very easy as long as you know what to do. Helping others can give you a sense of satisfaction that can never be bought by money.

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