How to Lead a Support Group

Description

By the end of this course, you’ll leave with the confidence and practical tools to create safe, well-structured support groups, handle challenging moments with sensitivity, adapt your approach to different settings, and sustain your own wellbeing while supporting others.

What You’ll Learn:

 Recognise the unique value and purpose of support groups
 Create inclusive spaces that honour individual experiences
 Apply key psychological models to guide group understanding
 Facilitate sessions with confidence from opening to closing
 Manage group dynamics and challenging moments sensitively
 Adapt facilitation techniques for both online and in-person groups
 Maintain your own resilience and wellbeing as a facilitator

Course Breakdown:

🔹 Chapter 1:Chapter 1. Welcome – A warm welcome to the course, setting the tone for what you can expect and how the training will support you.
🔹 Chapter 2: Introduction and Outline – An overview of the course structure, key themes, and how the sessions will guide your learning journey.
🔹 Chapter 3: Purpose of groups and different group structures – Understand the purpose and power of support groups. Recognise the unique value of group support for those navigating challenging times.
🔹 Chapter 4: Honouring Individuality in Groups – Appreciate individuality, and learn how to create inclusive spaces that honour this.
🔹 Chapter 5: Key Facilitator Skills and Presence – Learn practical group facilitation skills.
🔹 Chapter 6: Opening Group Sessions– Develop confidence in opening and structuring group sessions thoughtfully and intentionally.
🔹 Chapter 7: Managing group dynamics & difficult moments – Anticipate and respond to challenges in group dynamics – Understand how to manage silence, overwhelm, emotional expression, or interpersonal tension in a sensitive and boundaried way.
🔹 Chapter 8: Closing Group Sessions – Learn how to bring sessions to a thoughtful and supportive close. Provide opportunities for reflection and integration of discussion themes. Leave participants with a sense of emotional safety.
🔹 Chapter 9: Looking After Ourselves: Self-Care – Recognise the emotional impact of facilitation. Understand the importance of self-care and resilience for facilitators, and identify strategies to stay well while doing emotionally meaningful work.
🔹 Chapter 10: Signposting: More Support – Identify when additional support may be needed beyond the group. Build a toolkit of trusted local and national resources. Confidently refer participants to appropriate professional or community help.
🔹 Chapter 11: Thank you – Feedback welcome – A round up from Dr Erin.
🔹 Chapter 12: Closing – How to Run and Manage a Support Group

Why Take This Course?

 Expert-led insights into what makes an effective support space
 Flexible, self-paced learning with one year online access
 Practical knowledge for real-world impact

 Enroll today and enhance your understanding of grief support