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