Meeting Guidelines:

• Confidentiality: It is recommended that whatever is shared within the group remains confidential. Please be discrete outside this setting. It is not enough to conceal names; situations can be recognized as well.
• Participants are welcome to ask questions, make suggestions, or just listen.
• There are no right or wrong comments or feelings to express about one's own situation. The atmosphere is a safe haven for sharing.
• Make every effort not to compare the importance or intensity of your struggles with those of someone else.
• Consider others. Please be non-judgmental and non-prying. Respect must be shown for life circumstances such as religion, sexual orientation, ethnic background, etc. Will will all try to be careful with our language.
• Respect must also be shown for the person speaking by giving him or here the group's undivided attention. Side conversations are discouraged.
• Try to make comments concise and to the point; the facilitator will limit each person's input when necessary, especially if the group is large and there are many wishing to speak.
• Try to attend more than one meeting. The first experience often feels somewhat disorganizing; group cohesiveness and value take time to build.
• Every effort will be made for meetings to start and end on time.
• Support groups offer a unique opportunity for shading ideas and feelings. However, they are not always the best format for every person and every situation. The facilitators and managers of the program reserve the right to speak with participants about whether or not the group is working well for both the individual and the other members of a particular group and make suggestions for other venues as necessary.