How Do I Know if I’m Recovered Enough to Lead a Support Group?

Leading a support group is a great way to give back to the eating disorder recovery community, but how do you know when you’re ready?

Be Honest With Yourself

When leading a support group, you are asking members, to be honest about where they stand in recovery. You need to do the same. Genuinely consider the following questions:

Do I dislike my body? Does food rule my life? Do I feel depressed? Would I describe my relationship with food/my body as unhealthy? Am I preoccupied with food and weight?

To lead a group, the answer to these questions, and others surrounding food, weight, and body image, should be a resounding “no.” If this isn’t the case, put leading a group on the back burner and continue to focus on your own recovery.

Just like a lighthouse, a group leader is a beacon of light intended to help others find their way in darkness. As such, your focus should be on helping others.

You may learn things about yourself and your recovery through your experience as a leader, but that should not be your main goal. Studies show that support groups are most successful when members find the leader warm, empathetic, and supportive [1]. If you are making yourself the focus of the group, you will not effectively embody these traits.

Steps to Take Before Leading a Support Group

If you haven’t before, you should absolutely become involved in a support group to understand, firsthand, the leader’s role, as well as the dynamic that is created between members. Make mental notes on the structure of the group, what you feel is working, and how the leader is behaving. Additionally, tune into your group experience. If you find you’re doing a lot of self-work, it may not be time for you to lead.

Find other support group leaders and absorb their personal stories as well as their knowledge on leading and counseling. Maintain these connections so that you have support along your journey as a leader.

A great way to determine if you are ready to lead a group is to consider what you will do when things get difficult. It may feel easy when things are going well but what will you do if you become triggered? Ask yourself,

Ask yourself, “Would I be prepared to step back from the group if I found my own struggles were getting in the way?”

Again, leading a group means putting the group and its members first. If you find yourself struggling, it is okay to take care of your own recovery, but you cannot lead while doing so.

Leading a group is challenging. You have to be empathetic and supportive while also creating structure and guidance and coping with any triggers that may occur. If you are not ready to lead and do so anyways, it could be damaging to you and others. Make sure to honestly examine your intentions and your recovery journey before helping others on their own.

 

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About the Author: Margot Rittenhouse is a therapist who is passionate about providing mental health support to all in need and has worked with clients with substance abuse issues, eating disorders, domestic violence victims and offenders, and severely mentally ill youth. As a freelance writer for Eating Disorder and Addiction Hope and a mentor with MentorConnect, Margot is a passionate eating disorder advocate, committed to de-stigmatizing these illnesses while showing support for those struggling through mentoring, writing, and volunteering. Margot has a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.

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References:

[1]:DeJarnett, L. E. (2000). Predictors of satisfaction with eating disorder support groups: a preliminary report. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Published May 2, 2017.
Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on May 1, 2017.
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com