Attending ARCVic Support Groups
Information & Guidelines
Support Groups: Aims, Structure, Rules
The Support Group is a gathering of people with an anxiety disorder, and their family and friends, who share their experiences, feelings and knowledge with each other, and through mutual support and understanding, gain strength and hope for their individual pathways of recovery.
Aims of Support Groups
- to establish settings in which people with anxiety disorders, family members and carers, can meet in comfort and safety;
- to provide an opportunity for participants to share their feelings, experiences and needs to others, and give and receive support;
- to assist group members in setting goals, applying self-help strategies and understanding their disorder and the recovery process, and to support their treatment programs;
- to facilitate opportunities for social networks and social activities;
- to provide hope and motivation to group members.
Structure of Meetings
- Welcome and introduction
- Review and affirm group rules - confidentiality and time limits
- Announcements
- Support and Sharing
- Activity (some groups) eg. Work sheet, discussion on a topic, speaker
- Close of group meeting
- Supper and chat
Support Group Rules
- Group members may choose to remain anonymous or share first name only.
- Everything that is shared during a meeting is confidential to the group. All group members are expected to honour the confidential nature of the discussion, and should not raise any of the issues, ideas or experiences which are shared in the meeting, with any person outside of the meeting in a way which identifies any group member.
- Every person in the group has the opportunity to participate in discussion and to share their own problems, issues and ideas.
- People attending a group will seek to act and interact in ways which are consistent with the rights and responsibilities of all group members.
- The group's aims and rules are supported by participants.
Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Support Group Participant
Your rights include
- To expect that anything that is shared in a group will remain confidential to the group.
- To expect that facilitators will seek to establish and maintain a group setting and climate of safety, acceptance and comfort for all group members.
- The right to dignity, respect and self-determination.
- The right to be treated with respect and consideration of your gender, culture, spirituality and individuality.
- To sit in a group without obligation to speak, or to leave the group at any time.
- To maintain your privacy with regard to your personal information, such as surname, telephone number and address.
Your responsibilities include
- To respect the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of other group members and ARCVic volunteers and staff.
- To behave in a manner which is consistent with the safety and comfort of other participants.
- To not disrupt the group by frequently leaving and returning.
- To not engage in side conversations during the group meeting.
- To be free from alcohol and illicit drugs when attending any ARCVic group or service.
- To abide by the support group's rules.
Group Facilitator's Role and Duty of Care
The group facilitator's role is to guide discussion so that each person can participate, and benefit from mutual sharing and support with others in the group. It is not the facilitator's role to provide advice, answers and solutions to problems - rather to assist group members to explore their experiences, feelings and issues with the group, and discuss alternative ways of dealing with them.
Group facilitators are volunteers of ARCVic and participate in training and supervision. The role of a facilitator is not as a mental health or medical professional. Therefore a facilitator cannot provide direct advice to individuals regarding their treatment.
Group facilitators are accountable to the ARCVic Director and Committee of Management for all aspects of their voluntary work, and are bound by the policies and standards under which ARCVic operates.
Group facilitators will treat all private and personal information shared by group participants in the strictest confidence. However, under the terms of their position at ARCVic, facilitators have an ethical and legal obligation to report to the Group Coordinator, and if deemed necessary, the Director, if a group participant demonstrates intent to harm themselves or others. This duty of care obligation can override confidentiality provisions. The Group Coordinator may take immediate action to ensure the safety of the group participant or other participants.
Concerns or Complaints
Any concerns or complaints regarding your involvement with an ARCVic support group should be directed in the first instance to the Group Coordinator. The Group Coordinator will seek to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible. If immediate resolution is not possible, or if the problem requires further intervention, the matter shall be referred to the Director of ARCVic and Committee of Management. Complaints concerning the behaviour of another group participant, or volunteer or staff of ARCVic must be put in writing, and resolution will be sought through the involvement of all parties involved, under the terms of ARCVic's grievance policies and procedures. Independent advice or mediation will be arranged if necessary.
Other Important Information
Costs, Membership and Donations
Support Group costs: Support Groups are free to all members and the community - however a donation towards the cost of meeting expenses is greatly appreciated.
Membership: Membership application forms will generally be available at group meetings or can be obtained from the ARCVic office (phone 9886 9377 or 9886 9233). Membership includes a subscription to the newsletter, reduced entrance fees at ARCVic educational seminars and conferences, and entitles you to vote at the Annual General Meetings and be nominated for a Committee of Management position.
Donations: Many of ARCVic's services are provided free of charge - and we try to keep our services as cost free as possible, as we believe all people have the right to access support, counselling and information whatever their circumstances. In order to keep our services accessible to all, we ask for donations from those who can afford it, and feel that they would like to contribute to supporting services for others living with anxiety disorders. Donations received by ARCVic are placed in a separate donation/gift account and all these funds are used to support services that directly assist people with anxiety disorders and their families. If you are able to offer a donation, we offer you our sincere thanks and appreciation. Donation forms are available at group meetings or through the ARCVic office.
ARCVic Social Group / Informal Social Get-togethers
Contact between group participants outside the group
The opportunity to extend social networks is an important and valuable part of participating in a support group. ARCVic Social Group events are held monthly, and are open to all group participants. On occasion, support group members organise their own social get-togethers following group meetings or at other times. It is important for participants to know that any informal social outings, organised by group members, are not official ARCVic functions and therefore are not subject to ARCVic policies, standards or insurance.
Some people who attend support groups do not wish to be involved in social activities with other members, and are more comfortable connecting to others in the formal support group setting. It is important that no person who attends a support group feels pressured in any way, either to participate in social activities organised by group members or to interact with another group member outside of the formal support group meeting. It is appropriate to offer your telephone number to another group member if you desire, but ARCVic requests that you do not ask any other person attending a support group to divulge their phone number - allow the other person to offer their number if they wish to. ARCVic would also request that group members do not seek to make contact with any person attending a group - outside of the group setting - without their express invitation to do so.