I have been in recovery from an eating disorder for almost nine years, will graduate with a Bachelors degree in December and then plan to pursue my Masters degree. I am wondering how to start a support group for individuals struggling with eating disorders? I currently work at a drug and alcohol recovery center so I know about group interactions, but I am not sure how to actually start a group. Thank you for any information that you can provide me with.
Congratulations to you for your ongoing recovery. Perhaps you would like to run a group in your drug and alcohol recovery center where you work. Comorbidity of eating disorders and addictions is a real problem that often gets neglected or split in the healing process. This way you could also receive supervision in your agency to help you explore the complicated interpersonal dynamics that play out in group work. It may be valuable to look into various guidelines that exist for running support groups. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders (ANAD), www.anad.org, is an example of an organization that offers eating disorders support group guidelines. In terms of recruiting group members, you might spread the word through other therapists and distribute flyers. If you offer the group as a free service to the public, please don’t forget to post that information on NEDA’s website in the free support group section!
There are many decisions that you will need to make, such as group size, whether the group is closed or open to new members, the duration of the group if it is not open-ended, the criteria for joining, and whether or not group members will interact outside of the group. In the first session, confidentiality must be thoroughly addressed. One way to start groups is to ask members to review safety issues and then to take a few moments to briefly check in with each member about how she is feeling in that moment and how she is feeling in her body.
