Building Hope through Support Groups
By Caleb Scoville, LPC-S
We all, unfortunately, experience pain in this life due to a variety of different reasons. You may be struggling with the loss of a loved one. Or experiencing the suffering from a chronic illness. No matter the source of your pain, hope can be found even in the darkest of days. But on those days, it can be a friend who is holding onto hope with us that supports us through our darkness.
Emerson defines a friend as “… a person with whom I may be sincere; before who I may think aloud.” Another person says, “A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing the gentlest of hand will take it and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” Ecclesiastes 4:9 &10 says, “two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
We are not made to live this life alone and we are not equipped to handle life’s challenges alone. I believe this is the essence of support group. A support group is a place to find hope. Perhaps you are looking for hope or perhaps you are the one delivering that hope to another. In a support group it works both ways.
Hope is not mere wishful thinking; it's a vital psychological resource that propels us forward. As the renowned psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl once said, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." In essence, hope is that indomitable freedom, the choice to believe in a better tomorrow. I believe with a support group; we find hope from the connections made with others.
I have seen and heard hope expressed in several ways within the support groups I have either participated in or led over the years. And no matter whether I was a participant or a facilitator, it is always a gratifying experience to witness the beauty of hope building within a group of individuals. I have seen hope built through the connection of group members, finding of resources, and learning of coping skills. Through connection, resources, and coping skills motivation, empowerment, and understanding grow within individuals creating a pathway of hope. The stress reduction is sometimes readily apparent on faces. Finding out you are not alone, and you do not have to be is an incredible stress relief which breaks down barriers to hope.
So if you find yourself in a season of pain, seek connection with a friend, loved one, family member, mental health therapist or support group. Hope is just around the corner. We just may need help finding it in our darkness.
For more information about hope and support please contact one of our therapists at (405) 246-5433.
Author: Caleb Scoville, LPC. Caleb is a Licensed Professional Counselor and clinical member at Transforming Life Counseling Center
