Forming a self-help support group offers a chance for individuals facing common problems, conditions, or life circumstances to connect, sharing experiences, knowledge, strength, and hope. Run by and for members, self-help support groups are perhaps more accurately described as “mutual aid” groups. Hundreds of such groups are formed each week across the country by ordinary people with a little courage, commitment, and caring. The following guidelines are based on our experience assisting hundreds of individuals and organizations in forming groups. While there is no one formula for developing a group (different national groups offer varying models of approach), here is an overview of the basic steps and strategies.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel: If you are interested in starting a group around a particular concern or issue, find out if a group already exists for that issue. Search the internet to see if a national organization exists and look on their website for any guidance materials. Check with local hospitals or libraries to see if they offer or know of any appropriate support groups.
Think “Mutual Aid” from the Start: Find a few other people who share your interest in starting (not simply attending) a self-help support group. Starting a group should not rest on one person’s shoulders alone. Develop flyers or invitations stating your interest in hearing from people interested in helping to form the group. Include your name, phone number, and/or email address. Copy and post them in locations you feel are most appropriate (e.g., libraries, community centers, post offices, bulletin boards in churches). Email copies to key people you think might know others like you. Post information to groups or social media pages related to your issue.
When you get a call, message, or email, discuss with the caller their interests, share your vision of what you would like the group to accomplish, and finally ask if they would be available to work with you for a specific period to try and get the group going. Discuss sharing the workload. Delegate responsibilities, such as greeting people at the door, bringing refreshments, making coffee, co-leading the meeting, working with social media, etc. When you find a few people willing to help, you will have a “core” group or steering committee, you will not be working alone. It is far easier to start a group if the work is shared (but not impossible). If several people participate in the initial work at that first meeting (refreshments, greeting newcomers, etc.), you will model for those newly attending what your self-help support group is all about—not one person doing it all, but the combined effort and active participation of all members.
Find an Appropriate Meeting Place and Time: Try to secure free meeting space at a local church, synagogue, temple, mosque, library, community center, hospital, or social service agency. If you anticipate a small group and feel comfortable with the idea, you might even consider meeting in places like a local restaurant. Many restaurants have small private rooms and welcome the business. Many groups begin by meeting in public spaces.
To decide on a meeting time, think about your members. Would evening or daytime meetings work better for your members? Many people prefer weeknights. It is also easier for people to remember the meeting date if it is a fixed day of the week or month (e.g., the second Tuesday of the month, etc.) Find a meeting place that provides a sense of physical and emotional “safety.” If your members do not drive or are in a city environment, be sure to find a meeting location that is on a bus or train route. Consider holding your meetings online or “hybrid” (both online and in-person simultaneously).
Publicize Your Meeting: Reaching potential members is always a challenge. Depending on the concern the group will address, consider where potential members might go. Are they seen by a particular physician or agency? Contacting doctors, clergy, or other professionals might be an approach to try. Posting flyers in post offices, community calendars, and libraries is another. Information about your interest in starting a group can be submitted to your small local newspapers. Consider simply calling the newspaper and asking to speak to an editor to suggest an article about the group and the group’s purpose. Editors often welcome the idea. Post information about your group online in chat rooms, social service calendars, on various social media platforms, and places that allow personal postings.
Your First Meeting: The first meeting should be structured to allow ample time for you to describe your interests and work and also to allow others the opportunity to share their feelings and concerns. Do those attending agree that such a group is needed? Will they attend this meeting, helping out when needed? What common needs do those attending want the group to address? Based on group consensus, you can then plan your next meeting.
If your group plans to have guest speakers, another idea for the first meeting is to arrange a good speaker and topic, suited to the interests of potential members, and publicize it widely beforehand. At the event, after the question-and-answer session with the speaker, allow time for a group discussion so attendees can talk about the topic in light of their own experience. (If there are many attendees, break into smaller discussion groups and then reconvene as a full group.) Introduce the idea of continuing to meet as an ongoing self-help support group.
Identify and Meet the Expressed Needs of Your Members: If your group is new and does not follow a set program to help members help each other, always remember to plan the group’s activities and goals based on the expressed needs of your members. Share your vision. As early as the first meeting, go around the room, allowing each member a chance to voice what they want the group to accomplish. Then, discuss those needs and come to a consensus about which ones you will address first. Do not assume you know members’ needs without ever asking them. Remember to ask your newer members frequently about their needs and what they think the group could do to meet those needs. Avoid the pitfall of the core group members potentially becoming a clique. Welcoming new people into the group is an ongoing process that goes well beyond greeting them at the door.
