PRELIMINARY DECISIONS AND PLANNING

ASSESSING THE NEED FOR YOUR A SUPPORT GROUP IN YOUR COMMUNITY
How do you know that there is a need for a support group in your community? Initially, you might check your local newspaper for meetings that may take place in your area.

Contact local mental health organizations to assess your community's need for a group.
The National Mental Health Association, The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse all maintain listings of local self-help groups.

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America can also provide a tremendous amount of information regarding support groups that meet in your area.

ASSESSING YOUR ABILITY AS A SUPPORT GROUP LEADER
Organizing and maintaining a strong support group takes a good amount of time and effort. Initially, you will have to decide how often your support group will meet, and how long meetings will last. If the purpose of your meeting is to help fellow sufferers take some control over their problems, meetings will have to be at least every other week. On the other hand but, if the sole purpose of your meetings is informational, i.e., so that there is a special speaker at each meeting, then monthly meetings are sufficient. In general, a meeting that includes both discussion and goal planning needs to be about two hours long. You will have to set aside time for the meetings themselves and there may also be some preparation time needed for meetings (e.g., arranging for a speaker, choosing a discussion topic), and don't forget travel time. In the beginning, there will be other time-consuming activities, including phone screening potential new members, developing materials for your group, and "marketing" your group.

A support group leader must be assertive. If you are not comfortable being assertive, it's OK. Look for this quality in a co-leader, or consider it a challenge and an area for your own growth. It may take time to acquire the skill of assertiveness and become comfortable using it, but will be effort well spent.
Leading a support group can be emotionally draining. It is important to remember that a self-help support group is not a replacement for needed professional help. As the leader, you may be even more emotionally distressed than many of the members because you will be the most involved in facilitating the sharing of their experiences.

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