Support groups help people deal with change, traumatic experiences, and the grief of everyday emotions. The apparent goal is treatment; however, people also recognize that the intense feelings they are experiencing are normal.
However, as in all projects, challenges, and obstacles are always presented. Participants may already feel uncomfortable with opening up within a group. Therefore, a familiar face may be helpful in those situations. Emotional outbursts, discomfort, participation, mood swings, and disrespect are common adjustment factors in support groups. It is also widespread for people to become dissuaded by the group setting or structure instead of individual therapy. However, people shouldn’t become discouraged because, typically, breakthroughs for anyone could "typically take weeks, months," or even a year to manifest. Suppor"shouldn't groups, cure-all"re not the "person's" interventions; therefore, effectiveness is measured by a person’s commitment, reflection, and willingness to embrace the support.
There are many factors the group facilitator should consider to run a successful group, such as an appropriate safe space to meet, meeting frequency, rules, boundaries, and consistency. Consistency is critical in implementing counseling techniques. When a constant structure is presented with topics and standard activities, the people involved will feel more enthusiastic about participating. The fact that support groups are strictly voluntary makes committed group members value their time and prioritize it instead of considering it an obligation.
Whether results are positive or negative, keeping a good “flow” in the group is also essential. Sometimes when a person comes to a meeting to hear others talk, the lecturer could be engaging or boring. In support groups, the leader encourages people to express their thoughts and emotions. Empowering a person to talk about a traumatic experience can be very difficult, but a simple approach would be to employ the strategy of active listening. Active listening allows the group leader to listen to everyone's thoughts, observe body language, develop an understanding of the issues then use the information to build a connection. Each topic of every meeting should be considered a lesson and another step towards treatment. The participant should feel relieved after every meeting through crying, laughter, anger, or dramatizations (role-playing). Group activities also allow the participants to review what was discussed, focus on critical points, identify coping strategies, and find people of similar ordeals to lean on. Bringing guest speakers with expertise on specific topics from personal experience or education can add significance to the group.
The goal of a support group is for the participants to become part of a collective voice and should be constructed as non-judgmental. In a safe environment, people conform to the group's purpose and learn to make better decisions; better decision-making reduces anxiety and stress. Supports groups to build confidence, teaches people how to manage pain, and allows every member to see that they are not alone in their struggles.
