Guidelines for Support Groups
Objectives – our meetings will have two objectives. First, to support one another by giving the time and effort to listen to each other's experiences in our work. We will attempt to understand what each person has encountered and what they have been feeling. Second, to help one another explore in a little greater depth the way we have approached our work and what aspects of ourselves we wish to develop or change in the job.
The group experience – the group is an experience for you to enjoy in which you can relax as your real self. At the same time it is a place to experiment with sharing personal feelings and both giving and receiving honest personal feedback.
Make the effort to 'own' feelings – in this group our attention is also directed to ourselves as a set of people relating to one another. We aim to share with each other our immediate and actual thoughts and feelings and not displace these by superficiality. Own your feelings and try to be direct, using the pronoun 'I' rather than 'we' or 'you' when you talk about feelings. The often defensive and secretive conventions of 'normal' conversation are replaced in this group by an alternative code of behavior towards one another. We value:
self-discovery – make a constant effort to pause and search out your inner feelings in relation to whatever is the focus of attention at a particular time, speak caringly but openly about this.
self-disclosure – be open about your genuine feelings and thoughts and make the effort to disclose these.
Listening – make the effort to listen carefully to others in the group. Seek to discover what exactly they are experiencing rather than being preoccupied with an immediate reply or giving advice.
Support – when other members talk about personal issues and feelings, give them complete support, full attention and plenty of time.
Confronting and responding to confrontation – because of our supportive concern and involvement with one another, it can be uniquely helpful if we are direct and honest with each other. If you experience a member as avoiding an issue or failing to see something important, gently confront them with this. Those receiving such communications should pause and explore the feelings involved before rushing to reply.
The leader – the leader's role is to guide the group in the development of these ways of relating and at the same time look after the well-being of individual members. The leader is not an authority figure and will not control the group, but may at times offer suggestions to help members learn more from the experience, to help keep the group on track or to assist an individual member.
Confidentiality – our group will only succeed if we feel safe and trust each other. The specific content of the meetings and the personal details of members must be kept genuinely confidential. This is vital.
Nichols, K., & Jenkinson, J. (2006). Leading a support group: A practical guide. New York: Open University Press.
