Welcome to the Glass Half Full Blog & Podcast. I’ve been a support group facilitator for adults with neuromuscular disease since 1998. In 2009 I began blogging about support groups. I spent five years researching the role support group facilitators can play in cultivating both social support and positive health behaviors in a support group. I spent four years as an Outreach Director for a patient advocacy organization launching and training support group facilitators throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. And two years ago I took my experience further by starting a podcast series.
The podcast episode on this page includes advice from a variety of support group facilitators — most are peers and have either multiple sclerosis, a neuromuscular disease, or bipolar disorder — and one person is the director of a patient advocacy organization.
If you have any questions about starting a support group, feel free to reach out to me in our Facebook group. Additional blog posts and podcast episodes related to social support networks can be found here.