Remember, The support group is:

1. NOT therapy or treatment

Group discussion is not led by or directed by anyone in a professional capacity.
Groups are peer-led.

2. NOT a place to diagnose or a substitute for professional care

Most people attending a support group meeting use the group as a supplement to their professional care, whether that care includes medication, therapy or other treatment methods. Group participants do not seek to diagnose, and support groups do not endorse or recommend the use of any specific treatment or medication.

3. NOT a 12-step group

The 12-step formula, although valuable, is not the basis for support groups. We believe that each person’s path to wellness is uniquely his or her own. There is no “one way.”

4. NOT a “pity party”

While acknowledging the difficulty of life with a mood disorder, support group meetings are focused on mutual aid and strategies for living the fullest lives possible. Participants continuously seek to provide hope, reassurance and encouragement.

5. NOT an expert giving a lecture

The group may periodically invite a professional or other expert to speak, but a support group’s main focus is on peers helping one another. No one participant is regarded as knowing more than another or as the person with “all the answers.”