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Healing Connections Peer Support Group

Welcome to Healing Connections a support group for and by people who experience emotional distress, voices and visions, extreme and altered states of consciousness, labels of psychiatry, substance use, and trauma/trauma responses.

Our Healing Connections Peer Support Group is offered online or by calling in on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 3:30pm to 4:30pm EST.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81294587841

Meeting ID: 81294587841
One tap mobile +19292056099,,81294587841#US (New York)
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kcT9mNwqSy


Healing Connections Peer Support Group Agreement

Etiquette

We agree to be respectful toward all group members in order to maintain the safety of our group. We honor that group members will share aspects of their personal identity that are meaningful to them and we are expected to be supportive of this sharing. Aspects of identity that might be discussed include race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, size, socioeconomic status, and more.

Confidentiality

Each of our privacy is important and respected. The recording feature has been restricted from any of our offered Peer Support Services. We ask that each of us uphold privacy and anything that is shared in our support group, stay within that group. We ask that we do not take what is shared in one group into any other group. Our group decides the limits to maintaining privacy, and there is transparency at all times around any limits that are identified.

Check-in: Introductions, talk time, comfort agreement, confidentiality

We will all say our name and share if we would like to talk. As stated in our Guiding Principles talking is completely voluntary, if one chooses to only listen that is more than okay, just let us know during this check-in. We respect that we each have the right to change our mind to talk at any point. We will review comfort agreement and confidentiality.

Sharing

Be sure everyone has a chance to talk. Some people are naturally more talkative than others. We can ask questions to offer opportunity for quiet group members to share. It’s also crucial if we are more vocal to be mindful that everyone has a chance to contribute.

Chat Feature

Due to expressed safety concerns the chat feature is off. If anyone would like to exchange contact information, please let us know. If you would like to connect with us offline with questions, suggestions, or comments, email healingconnections@mhaw.org


GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Our Guiding Principles are adapted from the following resources: Western Massachusetts Peer Network’s Declaration of Peer Roles and Shery Mead’s Intentional Peer Support (IPS)

Healing Connections Peer Support Groups were created for and by people who experience emotional distress, voices and visions, extreme and altered states of consciousness, labels of psychiatric diagnosis, substance use, and trauma/trauma responses. We come together to share information, hope, joys, fears, successes, and hardships in the most safe space we co-create to mutually support, heal, and grow together. We all are collectively responsible for the comfort of our group!

Healing Connections facilitators are trained Peer Specialist, who have their own experience with emotional distress. The facilitators are there to guide the support group and offer peer support.

  • We are based in self-help and mutual support.
  • We believe that healing is possible and probable for all.
  • We value human language that is non-clinical. This allows each person a space to explore and find their own meaning in their life and their experiences (worldview).
  • We believe in the healing power of choice. Attendance and participation are completely voluntary. Its okay to just listen.
  • We are not here to fix each other or give advice, but rather be with one another, creating a culture of reciprocal respect and support.
  • We refrain from universalizing our experience and our worldview. Difference is expected, welcomed, and honored.
  • We refrain from judgment!? We challenge ourselves to intentionally come from a place of genuine curiosity when people share their experience and worldview.

Healing Connections Peer Support Group
healingconnections@mhaw.org
631-471-7242 ext. 1390 (Voicemail box only. Please leave a message.)

For information on our Peer Support Line click here or call us at 631-471-7242 ext. 1217 Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm for one-to-one telephone mutual support.

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