Thanks. Those are good points. Another benefit of a support group is the value of any women’s or other collective, when you pool your experiences and learn how others have used different coping strategies and problem-solving techniques that, in your despair, had never occurred to you.
I think that one way that women find that sense of meaning in participating in those mutual help groups, is that the groups offer us an opportunity to help others, in a way that no one else can, by virtue of our “having been there.” At a time that your sense of self esteem and self worth may be at its lowest, you suddenly find that you can actually help others “in the same boat”, whether it be by just nodding your head in understanding when another is telling their similar story, or offering insight into a technique you have found helpful in better coping with one aspect of your situation.
For those women who want to give a “support group a chance,” there are some local non-profit self-help group clearinghouses that can aid them in finding or start a group. If interested, see the listing at the American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse website: www.selfhelpgroups.org
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Thanks. Those are good points. Another benefit of a support group is the value of any women’s or other collective, when you pool your experiences and learn how others have used different coping strategies and problem-solving techniques that, in your despair, had never occurred to you.
I think that one way that women find that sense of meaning in participating in those mutual help groups, is that the groups offer us an opportunity to help others, in a way that no one else can, by virtue of our “having been there.” At a time that your sense of self esteem and self worth may be at its lowest, you suddenly find that you can actually help others “in the same boat”, whether it be by just nodding your head in understanding when another is telling their similar story, or offering insight into a technique you have found helpful in better coping with one aspect of your situation.
For those women who want to give a “support group a chance,” there are some local non-profit self-help group clearinghouses that can aid them in finding or start a group. If interested, see the listing at the American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse website: www.selfhelpgroups.org
August 21, 2009 - 9:22amThis Comment
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