How to start a self help group for people with social phobia

Amelita

New member
Hello--

I'm wanting to start a self help group for people with social phobia.Has anyone here started one or been to one? I need suggestions. :idea:



Thanks,

Amy :)
 

Hope

Well-known member
Amy,

Unless you want to start and facilitate it completely on your own - which would be more of a challenge than I'd want - I suggest you try what I did:

Contact a local self-help or mental health support group (which are usually government-funded) and first talk to them and ask if you can write a proposal for such a group. It helps to have some statistics (i.e. percentage of population affected by SP/SA) which you can easily print off the internet or this group. (Obviously before you go to all this trouble, be sure your area doesn't already have such a group.)

While I was successful (though it took a year) in getting a group going, it unfortunately didn't run well. YMMV. Promotion was poor and facilitation was worse IMHO. The faciltator didn't know the subject matter and discussion was too far off-topic.

Nevertheless, I encourage you to try this. Best not to let the group get too large (e.g. not over 10 or so) as members with SA aren't usually thrilled at having to bare their souls to crowds. This is a problem with 2 other support groups I occasionally attend - they bring in 20-40 people - arrrggghh.
H
 
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