OCD Action

thinkingincodes
Member

In January I will be running an IOW OCD support group for people affected by OCD. If you care for someone with OCD, you're more than welcome to come along.

The group will be held once a month in the evenings.

If you would like to attend, please contact me via email or message me on here. Before I can book a venue for the group, I need to know how many would like to come.

Once you have contacted me expressing your intrest I will get back to you with the venue/date/time details.

Thank you,

Codes

Thu Dec 8 2011 17:41:42 #
Stephen
Member

Hi Codes

Just wishing you all the best with the new group, from just over the water in Portsmouth / Eastleigh (well actually in London where I live at the moment but visit family in Hampshire once a month and do the groups there).

Hope it goes well!

Stephen

Sun Jan 1 2012 21:45:28 #
thinkingincodes
Member

Hi Stephen,

Thanks

Do you have any ideas on what I can do for the first session?

Codes

Thu Jan 5 2012 21:25:30 #
Tess
Member

Hi codes
I wouldn't worry about arranging anything for the first session, suggest you just use it as an opportunity for people to meet and start to get to know each other and it will take it's own course. There can be a tendency for some members to hog the entire session and for others not to be able to get a word in so you need to be aware of this and steer the discussions to prevent it from happening. If conversation doesn't flow easily then you could ask the group what sort of structure they would like the meetings to take in future and whether there is anything specific they would like to do.

Fri Jan 6 2012 10:30:49 #
Stephen
Member

Hi Codes and thanks Tess

(sorry for the delayed reply)

Well, I have a tried and tested format which works well, although it does work best with at least 4 or more attendees so it also depends on how many come. From past experience numbers can fluctuate from 1 (just me!) to 25 (that was a one-off at the group I run in London!). Let me know if you would like a copy of the email I send to people who contact me about the group, which describes a typical meeting (PM me your email address).

Tess is right about the need to steer the discussion and facilitate it so everyone has a chance to speak - some people are more vocal than others (and in some cases that is understandable due to the effect of OCD on sufferers and their families).

You will also find that attendance will fluctuate with some people coming every time and some people just once, so it is important that each meeting is self-contained (with limited 'continuity' between meetings) so that everyone at every meeting gets something out of it and doesn't feel left out.

If just a few people turn up (say 3 or 4) Tess is right that you could just talk informally about OCD, and let the meeting take its own course, with maybe a slightly more formal format for future meetings.

On a practical level I have had someone contact me very keen indeed to find support on the Island. If you could PM me I will put you in touch with her.

Do you know when your meeting is likely to be? It's always best to fix a date and a public location (don't use your own house), and announce it, and people will come (or not, as the case may be - you do have to be very patient!). There's definitely a need, but people have a variety of reasons for not coming to a group - with patience they will come though.

All the best

Stephen

Sat Jan 14 2012 23:25:14 #
Stephen
Member

Hello

Any progress on the Isle of Wight group?

Sat Jan 28 2012 23:26:12 #
thinkingincodes
Member

Hi Stephen,

Sorry I took so long to reply, been so busy.
Its going really well! Had our second meeting tonight, most people from the first meeting came and everyone seems to be enjoying it and benefiting from it

Wed Feb 22 2012 21:24:37 #
Soxon
Key Master

Hi Codes,

Congratulations on starting up a group and arranging two successful meetings.

If you contact the office they can display the details of your group in the Support Group Lists on the OCD Action website.

Once again congratulations.

Soxon

Thu Feb 23 2012 12:20:24 #
Stephen
Member

Hi Codes

That's really good, well done!

Could you let me know more details about the group as I have a contact on the Island who was very interested to hear about it - PM me if you prefer.

Thanks!

Stephen

Thu Mar 1 2012 1:08:57 #