National Self Help and Support Groups Awareness Week 6Th 12Th September 2010
National Self Help and Support Groups Awareness Week
6th – 12th September 2010
Under two large marquees on a bright sunny day as you would expect at this time of year in Brisbane, fifty seven Self Help and Support Groups were represented at the inaugural assembly of support facilities as an adjunct tomedical health care in Qld.
With little advance warning or time to prepare and establish the exposition, Self Help Queensland co-ordinated by Trish Fallon, supported with funding from Qld Health produced a demonstration of the strength and magnitude support groups can provide here in this great state.
Nothing to this scale has ever been provided to assist the public in terms of insight as to the ongoing pulsation of energy, through mostly volunteering individuals who care to make a difference in helping maintain some sort of normality in the lives of other people.Every one representing their respective self help / support group began the day with little or no knowledge of what to expect and ended the day by putting on a professional effort doing all they could to do all they could.
This being the first exposition has established the foundation for bigger and better representation in the future.
Congratulations must go to Trish Fallon and all who helped and supported her to bring September 9 to fruition.
About Self Help and Support Groups:
Support groups have become an important adjunct to medical practice by providing services that traditionally have been poorly catered for within the health care system.
Extensive and specificallydesigned resource material is made available to support group co ordinatorsto have on hand as a guideand referance library of points to interest andinspiretopical discussion.
The supportstructure thatis built is entirely up to the support co ordinators.Meaning that the existence ofthe group belongs to the group.Once realises it is there for everybody attending and not for any one individual the group has every chance of becoming self supportive, aka a “Self Help or Support Group.
A Support Group Is:Asupport group is aplace where people can come to improve the quality of their life, by being with others in a simular situationand learning to understand more about their own existence with in a comfortable environment. Caring and sharing is the core of a self help group.
Support groups can:
- Provide individual care and support to people.
- Collect practical information with regard to the availability and quality of medical and government services.
- Lobby government agencies to improve funding for patient services.
- Promote service delivery and research by raising funds
- Increase community awareness of the plight of sufferers.
Experience has shown:Support groups give people the chance to benefit from and to discuss their thoughts and feelings. When people want to get together and discuss what's happening in their lives this is the best way to do it.
A self help / support group is not:*An Uncontrolled Group Therapy Session: *An Excuse for a Counselling Session: *A place To Air Your Dirty Washing: *A place to practice medicine: *A place to practice alternative medicine: *An opportunity to get a mailing list to expand a franchise or business: * A place to be insensitive to other peoples feelings and presence within the group.
Please be cautious of self help / support groups where:
Members of some groups tend to include those that may inadvertently reinforce stereotypes of chronicity and instability. With respect, depending on the nature of the groups, may serve to increase alienation from medical and government agencies and encourage forms of treatment that lack scientific evaluation.
"let us do all we can …………… to do all we can"
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DISCLAIMER - All materials supplied by Thyroid Australia (Brisbane)are for information purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please see a Doctor.