Is Joining a Support
Group Right For You? by Barby Ingle
There are many reasons support
groups are valuable to the individuals
who create and maintain
them. Support groups can be a
great experience if you find a
group that is positive and the leaders
are open to different philosophies
of managing your condition,
as we know not everything works
for every patient. In a good support
group individuals who share
like problems or situations work
42— iPain Living Magazine
together to understand and/ or improve
their situations.
These members own and operate
the group. This offers participants
experiential knowledge, information,
education, and emotional
support. Typically, the group leaders
are not paid and are members
or starters of the group. For the
members participation is free or
there might be a small charge for
special group activities. There are
support groups for most conditions,
as well as groups that encompass
multiple conditions, with
a focus on all pain or neuropathy
pain conditions. Many of the
groups grow to provide educational
materials and advocacy to the
community.
Many times a group's accomplishments
far exceed those of the