Support Group Agreements
All members of support groups with Rev. Connie L. Habash must understand and agree to the following in order to participate in the groups:
1) Support Groups are not psychotherapy or counseling groups. They are created to support one another, inclusive of the facilitator.
2) Should you need psychotherapy, for issues such as anxiety or depression, the facilitator will privately suggest you supplement the group with individual therapy.
3) Confidentiality
- Confidentiality is essential for group safety.
- Everything that you share in the group is confidential with the facilitator.
- All members are required to hold information about other group members as confidential. This means that you "Take the lesson, leave the details". In other words, you can share what you're learning but not share any identifying information about any member with anyone outside of the group. Should this agreement to hold confidentiality be broken, you could be asked to leave the group.
4) The initial commitment of time is 4 months - this is to assure consistency and develop trust among group members. After 4 months, your commitment is on a month to month basis. (For classes/courses, the commitment is for the number of classes)
5) The fees for the group are agreed upon between you and the facilitator, based on a sliding scale. This fee is confidential information. The facilitator offers this sliding scale to accommodate and support all members, regardless of their ability to pay. The idea is that those who can pay at the top of the scale can balance out those who are sincere, committed members and are not able to afford to do so.
6) The fees for the group are due on the first session of the month. This is one fee that is inclusive of all sessions for the month. Each member is responsible for their agreed-upon monthly fee, even if they choose not to attend meetings that month, because they are reserving their space in the group. (for classes/courses, the fees are due at the beginning of class)
7) Members agree to do their best to be on time to the group, and honor ending on time.
8) It is assumed that each member will be in group every session. If you can't attend a session, please contact the facilitator and let her know, so she knows who to expect each week.
9) Members agree to handle any issues arising between group members within group sessions, and agree to keep those issues within this group.
10) For communication between group sessions, we may have a group chat either on WhatsApp or another texting/chat service between group sessions. If you have concerns about the group chat, please let your facilitator know. For private communication between you and the facilitator, please use her email: Connie@AwakeningSelf.com
11) We honor other's beliefs, opinions, and feelings. Members may disagree with respect, but attacking and put-downs are not acceptable.
12) For ongoing groups: If a member is thinking of leaving the group at the end of their agreed upon commitment, they understand the importance of sharing that decision with group members in a timely manner, to allow for closure and honoring of their participation in the group. Again, this cultivates an enviroment of trust.
13) All members understand the importance of participating in a real + honest manner, authentically, with integrity, and will do their best to maintain an open heart and a receptive mind.
I understand and agree to the above statements.