Hello!

I am 3 years post concussion number 5 and lookingbto start a face to face peer support group for others with tbi.

I am looking for advice, tips or insight you may have on getting a group started and facilitating.

Thanks a bunch!! And much love to all of you in your journey of recovery '

Hello Jlabow: Welcome to NeuroTalk! I don't have any particular advice for you here. I simply wanted to welcome you to NT. There is a book I'd like to heartily recommend to you with regard to the "group process" concept. It's a bit non-traditional. But I think it would give you some serious "food for thought" as you contemplate the nuts-&-bolts of how your group might function. The book is: A Hidden Wholeness- The Journey Toward An Undivided Life by Parker J. Palmer, Jossey-Bass, 2004. (Wiley: Jossey-Bass). It's a whole different take on how these sorts of groups ought to function.

Jlabow,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Local TBI support groups can be very helpful if they set up with a patient centric culture.

There are many established support groups across the country. Many can be found through the BIAA.org that directs you to the state BIA and local support groups.

Mine is facilitated by 2 hospital based neurorehab programs. They provide meeting facilities and social workers who work with TBI and mTBI. The social workers just facilitate but do not lead any discussions. We try to have a guest speaker at each meeting who can address some of the common issues. After the speakers, we split into injured and caregiver groups for 45 minutes to an hour.

It can be tough to get a critical mass core group together. Many participants are just observers until they finally feel comfortable. They are not ready for face to face. Some start with a Facebook page that feeds to a closed Facebook group that can be used to schedule face to face meetings.

How are you doing ? What do you see as needs that a face to face group will help you with ?

For many of us, they are best at helping family and caregivers understand that they are not alone and that we are not just being disagreeable. People who are injured often get the sense that nobody believes their struggles are real. This help them not feel isolated.

My best to you.