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Social Support Groups:Do They Still Have a
Role in 2013?
Are Groups Still Relevant?
Definitely!
Are Groups Still Relevant?Groups are a site of information gathering, social
connection, exposure to diversity of ideas and lived experiences, and a positive determinant of
health.
Are Groups Still Relevant?• Being heard• Develop confidence• Validate identity and worth• Reason to leave the house• Anti-oppressive influence• Intellectual stimulation
Are Groups Still Relevant?• Access to trusted figures- facilitators,
community leaders, peers• Access to experts that may not be financially
or socially accessible for participants otherwise
Are Groups Still Relevant?
Many participants graduate to facilitating, supporting, becoming community leaders
Are Groups Still Relevant?• Groups are especially important for socially
disconnected men• Community connection is important in different
ways to different cohorts
Are Groups Still Relevant?• Groups empower older men who may be losing
power in their lives• Chosen family: Queer men more likely to age
alone, be re-closeted, face cohort oppression• Not many queer-safe youth or seniors’ spaces
in the city
Are Groups Still Relevant?• Groups VS online/bars/sports: A false dichotomy• Other environments can complement groups• Group participation can be a step toward other
environments• People move on when they’ve got what they
needed
Are Groups Still Relevant?
Many environments• Invisibilise seniors and diversely abled folk• Are not accessible in terms of hours, addictions,
mobility…
Are Groups Still Relevant?• Face to face engagement is important for
social and mental health• Tech-based interactions can facilitate but also
impede interactions• Meeting offline may depend on social or sexual
capital; Groups aim to be open to all
Are Groups Still Relevant?• Groups aim to be a structured, safer facilitated
space• Groups may be an easier space to discuss
health and relationship topics than bars for many
Are Groups Still Relevant?There is clear value (feedback and demand) and challenges (numbers)
Groups and Information Access
Groups vary from information-centred groups to groups where information is packaged in with social activities or support circles
Groups and Information Access
• Expert human guest speakers offer dynamic responses, trust, authority, safer space for people to open up with questions
• Low barrier access to experts eg medical, legal, HIV disclosure
Groups and Information Access
• Referrals, information on community resources• Information from trusted sources and peers is
shown to be effective• Discussion boosts information retention
Groups and Information Access
• Opportunity to SHARE knowledge, lived experience
• Intergenerational knowledge and skill sharing• Exposure to different perspectives, lived
experiences, ways of processing information boosts critical thought
Groups and Information Access
• Not everyone is online, and not everyone reads• Not everyone actively seeks new information• Confidentiality- no browser history, people
walking past in the library
Groups and Social Access• Bars are less and less dominant
in facilitating social health in the computer age, but technology may not meet all social needs
• Technology and bars require money
Groups and Social Access• Friendships, mentorships formed• Less sexual pressure and
requirement for sexual capital• Trust, sharing• Source of “resilience”• Opportunities for chosen family
development
Groups and Social Access• Concern for well-being: absences
noticed• Queers more likely to age alone,
be alienated from biological families
• Skill sharing and teaching such as transport, tech skills to facilitate online dating
Groups and Social Access• Socialising before and after• Cliques to some degree• Facilitation can help avoid
exclusion• Not everyone will make friends
from a group- set realistic expectations
Groups and Health OutcomesNot a panacea, but a piece
Groups and Health Outcomes• Participants check-in reporting a bad day or
week, and check-out reporting feeling good• Groups can be an escape, positive social
experience, a place to laugh, and way to de-stress
Groups and Health Outcomes• Works against internalized homophobia and
minority stress, leading to better holistic health• Relief of talking to peers who get your
experiences
Groups and Health Outcomes• Connection to community health
resources• Didactic information, discussion• Physical health focused groups such as
Chronically Queer, Gen Yoga
Groups and Health Outcomes• Sounding board and availability of trusted
facilitators• Healthy routine
Groups and DiversityMore exposure than might happen
organically
Groups and Diversity• Intergenerational• Multicultural• Religious• Gender identities• Gender expression• Ability• Newcomers and refugees• Education• Sexual orientations• Ideas• +++
Groups and Diversity• Understanding of diverse
cultural norms and competencies
• Self-advocacy• “Curriculum” diversity-
openness, resistance, and water on stone
• Mostly able to interact positively
Who’s There… and Who’s Missing?
Who comes and/or comes back?• Out guys• Gay-identified• Looking for something besides sex• Anticipates their needs being met• Positive previous experiences with groups
Who’s There… and Who’s Missing?
Who doesn’t come, or doesn’t come back?• 25-40• Worried about being outed- whether entering
the building or by fellow participants
Who’s There… and Who’s Missing?
• Embarrassment barrier to discussing topics such as risk or kink face to face. Good facilitation can help overcome this, but only if people show up!
• Stigma of support group• Don’t see self represented- age, cultural
background, ability…
Who’s There… and Who’s Missing?
• Not engaged with organizations• Men who feel alienated from gay community• Unable to access the space- mobility,
geography, outness, hours, food not provided…
• Classism
Who’s There… and Who’s Missing?
• Couples• First impression was on a slow night, or with a
speaker they didn’t identify with
Who’s There… and Who’s Missing?
• Do groups exclude or create space for introverts, socially anxious men?
• Perception of what the group is• Some like structure, some don’t- you can’t
please everyone!
Intentional Inclusiveness• Difficult!• Inclusive organizational cultures trickle down
to programs, groups• Outreach to marginalized groups
Intentional Inclusiveness• Diverse non-tokenized speakers• Scour your curriculum for oppression• Accessibility; Environment, geography, hours,
language, facilities…• Space for different communication and
learning styles
Intentional Inclusiveness• Space for all levels of English• Space for diverse knowledge, experiences,
ideas• Facilitators trained in anti-oppression• Look for oppression and exclusion in
discussions; it’s sneaky!• Male privilege
Intentional Inclusiveness• Safer space agreement:• Clear• Participant buy-in, contribution to• Pronoun checks• Safe to speak or pass; Space sharing• Empower group to address breaches of safer
space in an appropriate way
Intentional Inclusiveness• Facilitators must actively have the hard
conversations; challenge exclusion and oppression; create learning experiences; model behaviours
• Cliques are difficult to realistically avoid• Don’t get complacent- oppression will always
happen!
Sustainability• Participant ownership• Volunteers active in planning and management• Staff involved- attend at least at the beginning• Groups have agency and responsibility to
problem solve• Communication among all stakeholders
Sustainability• Facilitators have an opportunity to shadow,
train, be mentored• Support for facilitators: check-ins, multiple
facilitators, relief facilitators or breaks available• Facilitators don’t burn candle at both ends:
workload and commitments• Facilitators, not leaders
Sustainability• Well-selected facilitators with the ability to
compartmentalize• Make time to really recognize your incredible
volunteers!• Knowledge sharing between facilitators• Debriefing as a habit
Sustainability• Guest speakers, outings, movies, topics, open
discussion- mix things up!• Well-briefed speakers who gel with the group• Mix of structured and open time within a
session• Relationships focus
Sustainability• Assess needs before and during - why are we
doing this?• Don’t reinvent the wheel• What are the actual needs? Do men need a
coming out group, or are they finding barriers to accessing queer community?
Sustainability• Need may come in waves• Groups often have a natural shelf life• Try for a year before discontinuing a group• Promote, partner (more time commitment but
more reach and resources)• Niche VS numbers
Mind the Gap• Promoting privilege• Setting oneself up as the sole expert• Uninvolved staff
Mind the Gap• Underbriefed presenters• Underprepared, insufficiently trained facilitators• A lot of human variables are inherently
unpredictable!
Mind the Gap• Organizations can never know for sure if
facilitators are working ethically, inclusively• Trying to do everything, or prioritizing poorly• Ultimately: Insufficient organizational
investment, often as a result of trying to do too much