To me, the philosophy behind mental health support groups aligns with Platonic wisdom: inquiry, dialogue, and collective reasoning leads to knowledge, truth, and justice. Struggling alone can be much more difficult than sharing lived experience with peers in a mutually beneficial atmosphere, according to Melanie Little, director of Training and Peer Education at the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County.

Team members at the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County

“We have a lot to learn from each other,” said Little. “Your lived experience is expertise, and that is mutually beneficial. It’s really empowering because we can help other people.”

Peer support groups are commonly facilitated by people who themselves have lived experience with mental health conditions and are trained to assist others. They are known as certified peer specialists. Group therapy, on the other hand, is more often provided by licensed therapists with specific therapeutic interventions.

As a peer specialist, bi-weekly facilitator, and group therapy veteran, I strongly believe that group support particularly and significantly builds confidence in attendees. Knowing that others go through similar experiences confirms our struggles as real, validates that we matter, and promotes greater peace with a society that may rarely seem to understand. Peer interaction cultivates a mutual emotional safety net, enabling participants to see past the stigma, to reclaim their lives.

Group programs vary tremendously in material, style, and message. Most fit into one of several categories. Psychoeducational groups educate people about their condition, offering effective coping skills. Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy helps people to recognize patterns of thought that negatively influence emotions and behaviors. Skills development is meant to increase overall function in the world. Support groups entail people converging on similar problems, assisting each other through feedback. Interpersonal groups focus on social skills.

According to the American Psychological Association, group therapy is at least as effective as individual therapy. Cited research suggests that expanding group therapy initiatives in the US would save more than $5.6 billion, and free the schedules of about 34,500 therapists for individual therapy. The research found group therapy effective for a myriad of mental illnesses, including those marked by anxiety, depression, mood cycling, psychosis, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Robust effects on alliance and cohesion were highlighted.

Overall, group therapy is an excellent option for those who want to surpass the limits of individual therapy, or those who would stand to benefit from a peer experience. Little said that it’s particularly valuable because “we can feel so much shame, so much isolation.”

Many support group options are available in Tompkins County.

The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County offers several free group programs. Psychosocial Support, for adults with mental health challenges, promotes rehabilitation within the community, helping people forge strong bonds with peers. Peer Support/Advocacy also serves adults, consisting of casual and structured activities, both in individual and group form work. The focus is on mental health recovery, goal planning, learning skills, progress monitoring, self-help and self-advocacy, hope, and community participation. Family Peer Support Services assists the guardians of children and adolescents who have mental health challenges. Goals include empowering caregivers to make informed decisions, reducing familial stress, educating about mental health, and helping navigate child-serving systems. Emotional support, advocacy, service coordination, and recreation events are furthermore offered. The Mental Health Association also maintains a social drop-in program at its offices in Center Ithaca. Staffed by peer specialists, the program is a welcoming environment for peers to come together, converse about shared experiences, learn about resources, enjoy snacks and a hot beverage, and do collective activities like games and crafts. For more information, go to www.mhaedu.org.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Finger Lakes chapter offers a program called the NAMI Family Support Group, free peer groups for those adults who seek to help loved ones with mental illness, facilitated by people who have gone through this experience themselves. Other free peer support services offered by NAMI Finger Lakes include the Partner and Spouse Group and Psychosis Support Group. For more information, go to www.namifingerlakes.org.

Tompkins County Whole Health operates Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS), a group option serving adults with “severe and persistent mental illness” including those with substance use disorders. Groups are led by peers or professional clinicians. The program seeks to provide greater quality of life, reduced hospitalization, and personal goal attainment. Some groups are discussion-based, others self-focused. PROS services include Community Rehabilitation, Intensive Rehabilitation, and Ongoing Rehabilitation and Support. Services are covered by Medicaid or otherwise are a maximum of $60 per month. For more information, go to www.tompkinscountyny.gov/health/pros.

Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca provides mental health and related social services. Groups include Caregiver Support Group, Kinship Caregivers Support Group, Grandparents Support Group, and more, depending on the time of year. Family & Children’s accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurance. It offers additional discounts based on family and income, and its services are free to those unable to pay. For more information, go to www.fcsith.org.

The Advocacy Center of Tompkins County provides support, advocacy and education for survivors, friends, and families of domestic violence, and sexual assault. Peer support services include Knowledge is Power, Survivor Empowerment Group, and Survivor Support for College Students. For more information, go to www.actompkins.org.

—By Ben Komor

Ben Komor has been a certified peer specialist for over eight years and, among other functions in the mental health realm, served as an advisor to the Tompkins County Crisis Negotiation Team. He is a graduate of Ithaca High School, and holds a BA in Human Development and an MS in Health.