Deciding Who Your Chronic Illness Small Group Will Serve

As you begin to decide on the logistics of your support group, one of the first things to consider is who you would prefer to actually attend.

For example:

• Will this be a group for men as well as women, adults, and possibly teenagers?

• Will your group serve those have recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness, or those who have lived with illness for many years?

• Will seniors who live at home independently find it to be of value, as well as those who are currently living in assisted living facilities?

• Don't forget to include people who are single who live alone, as well as those who have families.

• Will your group be an encouragement to those people who have caregivers in a paid position, as well as those who have caregivers that are family members?

• Will your group serve people who are bedridden? And what about people who are still able to work full-time jobs? People's abilities may vary widely and change consistently.

• Do you plan to address parenting within your group and how it relates to chronic illness? And within this, will there be opportunities for parents of young children, as well as parents of adult children, to share?

• Do you feel comfortable serving both those who are very financially blessed, as well as those who are living day-to-day on minimum disability assistance?

• Will your groups seek to bring understanding to those who live with illness who are also a caregiver for someone else such as an elderly parent or a child with a mental disability?

• If your chronic illness support group has a Christian base, is anyone welcome?

• Will new members be able to join at any time, or will you have specific times of the year when they can come?

As you can see from the list above, there is no such thing as "typical" when it comes to describing the lifestyle of those with illness.

You may find yourself talking with a new mother who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and despite the fact that she looks fine and has a healthy baby, she is now struggling to take care of her new child while learning about all the demands of this illness and wondering if she will survive the toddler years.

And sitting in a chair next to her may be a man who was just diagnosed with a seizure disorder last week and he is confused and angry about not only his disease, but what is immediately being taken away, such as his ability to drive, coach his son's T-ball team, and sometimes even perform his job.

Another factor to note: If you do not feel comfortable facilitating some people, you do have the privilege of announcing who the group is actually for at the beginning, since you are the leader. Although you may not wish to exclude anyone, many women, for example, prefer to lead a group for women only. Since there can be a great deal of shared intimacy and vulnerabilities within a support group atmosphere, and the divorce rate among the chronically ill is already high, you may wish to have preventative maintenance and not set up any awkward moments. It is important to remain confident in where your strengths and comfort zones reside.

As you are leading your group you don't worry about specifically addressing every situation that has been mentioned above, however, it is vital to keep in mind the variety of backgrounds and experiences that those who are attending your group bring with them when they enter the room.

The more efficiently you are able to understand the personalities, the background, and the experiences of those attending your group, the easier it will be to facilitate the group. You will not only be able to just encourage the members who attend, but also point out their strengths, and in turn, help them pass that encouragement onto others.