Pondering the future of Support Groups | By Jennifer Comes

One of CCSR's roles is to act as custodian of the state's self-help network, a database of self-help groups where people can find help for specific issues or just connect with other people who have the same medical, mental health, relationship, or other concerns. Finding a support group close to home can be a tremendous resource.

But people often ask us, what good is a database of support groups when a person can just go to a web site from the comfort of their home and find support online? Good question!

To us, the difference between face-to-face self-help and online self-help is like the difference between blowing a kiss and giving a kiss. While both are displays of affection, one is more real, more meaningful. That's how we feel about community support groups, and our research backs this up. Some emotions – anger, jealousy, anxiety, and depression, for example – are thought to be more easily expressed in a personal setting than online with a group of people one doesn't know.

But many organizations also keep databases that list online support groups; they, too, have something to offer. Online self-help groups can be a good option for individuals who find themselves too far from a community support group. Others who may want the help of a support group may not be able to relate well verbally to people – individuals with autism or social phobias, for example. Perhaps a physical handicap makes attending a support group meeting too difficult, or time constraints make attending a meeting impossible. Perhaps a situation is too unique to expect to find a support group locally. In those situations, online groups may be an appropriate option.

Research we've been conducting tells us that online self-help – e-mail, bulletin boards, and the like – can also supplement or reinforce the work of a real-world support group. Members of Alcoholics Anonymous, for example, can attend meetings face-to-face, but they also can participate in an online e-mail and bulletin board for AA members that reinforces and expands on what is offered in meetings, giving members a more enriching experience.  

We believe strongly that support groups empower individuals to help themselves, and we see a future for community self-help groups going forward. Our database of more than 2,000 support groups, national organizations and web sites can link people all over the state to support near and far. To find a support group, go to www.kansashealthsolution.org/selfhelpgroup or call us toll-free at 800-445-0116. If your group isn't in our database, please call to let us know you would like to be included.

Through the Eyes of a Professional | By Dr. Joyce Webb

Photo courtesy of Grzegorz Lobinski

Despite years as a psychologist treating people with many different kinds of problems, until my divorce many years ago, I had never really given much credence to the idea of referring my clients to self-help groups for assistance. My knowledge of self-help groups was limited, and possibly tainted by the movie stereotype of smoky meeting rooms filled with addicts who didn’t really want help. Little did I know then, how incredibly ignorant I was of the power and healing nature of these groups. Nor did I know that years later, I would be in need of one myself.

During a time of pain, when I was trying to manage an unwanted separation and impending divorce, I heard about a program at my church whose sole purpose was to speak to the hearts of those like me who needed healing and help with forgiveness. I, somewhat hesitantly, showed up in a church classroom over and over for about 3 months where my small group met and talked and cried and grew. It was better than any experience I could have had in therapy. These people ‘got it.’ They were patient, they talked to me about their experiences of growth, and they helped guide my processing. They truly understood what I was going through. They challenged my soured and burned perspective, and led me from a great heaviness in my life to a journey toward a new life of freedom. Suddenly I could live again and move on.

That experience opened my eyes. Soon I began hearing of other small groups in my church, in the community, and across the state where people embarked on other journeys toward greater understanding and healing from cancer, addictions, eating disorders, and grief. I was amazed that this world had existed for so many years, and my eyes hadn’t been opened previously. Years later, I was approached as a professional to help a faith-based leadership team launch and nurture a large community-based self-help group centered on recovery. I can’t express how heart-warming it was to watch people struggle with and conquer issues that had plagued them for years. I can only hope that other professionals, like myself, will open their eyes to the vast resources that can be found in self-help groups and step up to help build and expand these healing efforts in our communities.

As one person, I can’t meet every need of every client. Neither can any other professional. Self-help groups can be a great tool for many people seeking help and professionals who believe in them can assist in their success. Access to these groups and many other useful resources can obtained through the Self-Help group online database at www.kansashealthsolution.org/selfhelpgroups. This website is easy for clients (and professionals!) to navigate and can be searched by type of group or area of Kansas. For assistance, call 1-800-445-0116.

Connecting with SAMHSA online | By Amy Delamaide

CCSR Peer Educator Christine Young recently received an e-newsletter from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is the national government's behavioral health administration, that promoted its online outreach work.

Increasing Outreach, Feedback, and Virtual Communities

Facebook. YouTube. Twitter. Blogs. In response to President Obama's request for Open Government, SAMHSA has developed a robust “digital engagement” program with established presences on four major social media channels. At the center of it all, SAMHSA's blog serves as the hub for these behavioral-health-focused efforts and expands SAMHSA's connections across the Nation.

Christine notes, "This opens access to so many more people. There need to be responsible concerns about security and having personal information out there, but I think services that are being provided need to evolve with the times."

Lael Ewy adds, "As a way of hitting people where they are, SAMHSA is doing the right thing. The interactive blog is a great idea as well: open government becomes responsive government in that case, and that’s really what we want it to be, especially when the issues and policies are complex."

CCSR looks forward to following and liking SAMHSA.

To connect with SAMHSA, check out their social media page.

Thoughts on Our Nowegian Visitor

Senior researcher Johan Barstad of the Patient Education Research Center in Moere Og Romsdal, Norway, recently visited the Wichita State University Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR) on Thursday and Friday, June 24-25.  Barstad is interested in CCSR due to its 25+ year experience in promoting and researching self-help groups.

Barstad met with CCSR to discuss previous methods of research, methods of assisting self-help groups and how to integrate self-help groups into professional services.  More specifically, Barstad was gaining input on Norway’s national initiative to incorporate self-help groups into health and human services.  Barstad is a part of a research team in Norway who is trying to better understand the diversity of self-help groups in the country and the relation between self-help services and professional services. 

His two days included meetings with CCSR Director Scott Wituk, the CCSR Research & Evaluation Team and the CCSR Mental Health Consumer Initiatives Team.  Additionally, Barstad met with self-help group researchers and experts: Greg Meissen and Lou Medvene from Wichita State University.  Finally, he visited with three Kansas self-help organizations: Project Independence, Good Grief of Kansas and Victory in the Valley.

Scott Wituk commented on the recent visit.  “What Johan and others in Norway are doing is phenomenal.  They are attempting to bring together the very informal, grassroots self-help groups with the professional helping systems to create new forms of sustained, effective, and low-cost care.  They are attempting to create empowered patients who actively participate in their health care.  Self-help groups can play a role in that.  In many ways, the challenges in the U.S. health care system are not too different.  We thoroughly enjoyed the visit and learned a great deal.  I hope to be working with Johan in the future on a few international self-help projects.”   


Photo courtesy of ElBosco