Health

Tips for Starting Rural Peer Support Groups

Each rural community is unique and therefore, each has its own particular needs and interests when it comes to setting up and developing peer support groups. However, they do share some key commonalities and PeerNetBC has put together a list of six important tips to help rural peer support groups thrive.

Peer and Professional Roles in Peer Support

What do we mean by a “peer-led” group? What roles and responsibilities do peers take on when leading peer support groups, and what roles can professionals play in peer-led support groups?

Six Steps to Starting Peer Support Groups

If you are thinking about starting a peer support group but are wondering where to begin, this article provides you with useful information to help get your group up and running smoothly. Key questions and points for consideration are presented in a logical six step framework that covers how to move your idea for a peer support group from the conceptual stage into reality.

Principles of Peer Support

Successful peer support and peer-led groups are more than just gatherings of people with shared interests, concerns or illness. In order to succeed, it is essential for these groups to be securely grounded in the principles of peer support: sharing equal status; giving and receiving; and knowing from experience.

Conflict Strategies: What Are You Like?

We all have our own strategies for how we function in conflict situations. Often, we employ these strategies automatically and without awareness of our learned behaviours. Our thoughts and actions in times of conflict may seem to come to us naturally; however, in reality they are patterns learned in childhood. For this reason, by becoming aware of our patterns and habits, we can learn more effective ways for managing conflict.

Group Problem Solving

Just as problems undoubtedly arise for individuals, groups also find themselves faced with a myriad of problems that need to be solved. Some problems are complex while others are straightforward. However, regardless of the level of complexity, groups need to take extra care when problem solving. For groups, the process of problem solving is as important as finding the solution; to strengthen the cohesiveness of the group, it is essential to balance efficiency while also providing everyone with the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the problem solving process.

Roles in Stages of Group Development

Groups, like people, go through stages of development. People’s lives evolve from birth, through the “terrible twos”, adolescence, adulthood, to old age and, finally, to death. For groups, these similar developmental stages are commonly called, forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Unlike people, however, groups do not always progress through these stages in a linear fashion; rather, they move in and out of the five stages over the course of their existence.

Group Guidelines and Goals

Group guidelines and group goals are fundamental elements of any successful peer support or peer-led group. They provide a strong foundation of shared learning and a common understanding of the group’s purpose. As the group evolves over time and goes through the various stages of group development, the group guidelines and goals will be the glue that holds that group together through the difficult times and then, as the group becomes stronger, they will provide the means for the group to flourish and function at a very high level of cooperation, respect and learning.

Participatory Group Decision-Making

There are many different ways for groups to make decisions and depending on the circumstances, there are pros and cons to all decision-making styles. However, in the context of peer support or peer-led groups, the“participatory group decision-making” model is most closely aligned with the values of peer support.

Setting Healthy Boundaries

Many people take on the role of facilitator because they are enthusiastic and truly want to help make a difference in the lives of others. Unfortunately, without setting healthy boundaries for themselves, many of these same people quickly become exhausted and burned out. In order to make the role of facilitator sustainable, it is essential for people to understand the importance of making and setting healthy boundaries.