Mutual support groups for women with mental health problems, key in their recovery process
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Confederation disseminates a series of infographics so that the population knows more in depth what these groups consist of, what is their importance and what can be expected when going to them.
On the occasion of the celebration of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated today March 8, SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA claims the importance of mutual support groups for women with mental health problemsas a key aspect in the recovery process of the person.
Under the hashtag #SaludMentalFeminista, the Confederation has produced a series of infographics in which information is offered about these support networks and values them. This initiative, which has the collaboration of the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030, is based on the experiences and conversations of the members of the State Network of Women of MENTAL HEALTH SPAIN, which were shared at the meeting “We are tribe. We break taboos”.
What are they and how do they work?
Peer support groups of women with their own experience in mental health are spaces where experiences are sharedsafe places for the assistants, free of sexist violence, which are based on the horizontality and equality. These are regular meetings in which women with mental health problems support each other and share the same or a similar problem to try to overcome it.
Regarding the functioning of these groups, the women of the State Network explain it as follows: “We give ourselves time and listen to ourselves and the group. We count as far as we want. We respect all opinions, we integrate diversity. We learn together: we recognize other knowledge, experiences and motivations”.
Mutual support groups can be very useful for the woman who attends. In them you can find sisterhood, respect, empathy, sensitivity, confidentiality and active listening, all of which is essential when it comes to sharing discomfort with other women who are going through the same or something similar. They are spaces of trust, discretion and freedom in which the person will not feel judged. It is essential that the silences and times of each one are respected. All emotions and opinions are taken into account.
respect to what can the person contribute who attends the group, the women of the Network are clear about it: “Your unique, valuable and unrepeatable experience“, as well as “strength and support to other women”. Regular and constant attendance at these meetings fosters the unity of the participants.
However, it is also necessary to remember, as indicated in the campaign materials, what are they not mutual support groups: they are not group therapies, nor a form of treatment, nor spaces for debate. Nor are they groups led by mental health professionals. SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA has an Information Service that anyone can call to receive guidance about the mutual support groups belonging to the associative movement that exist in each territory.
State Network of Women MENTAL HEALTH SPAIN
The State Network of Women for MENTAL HEALTH SPAIN emerged as a platform for action by women with their own experience in mental health, to express their demands and work for them. It is made up of 29 women, representatives of the entities of all the territories belonging to the associative movement of the SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA Confederation. The Network was born in mid-2018 after several workshops and intense work of gathering, sharing and consensus on the information, experiences and needs shared by all the participants. They recognize in this space a safe place, of respect and sensitivity, in which its members have the opportunity to share personal experiences and feel understood and supported.
Network count with one manifest in which they raise a series of demands with which they demand the respect for their fundamental rights, constantly and repeatedly violated in many areas of daily life. The barriers to access justice on equal terms, as well as protection services against gender violence and reunification and reception mechanisms, or the need for a non-sexist education and the preservation of fundamental rights and autonomy , are some of the complaints and claims that are raised in the manifesto, signed and supported by the 25 women that make up the Network.
SPAIN MENTAL HEALTH Confederation
The SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA Confederation is a non-profit entity of social interest and public utility that emerged in 1983. It integrates 18 single-province federations and associations, which bring together more than 340 entities and has more than 60,000 members in the entire national territory.
For anyone who needs it, the SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA Confederation offers a free information and advice service about mental health via email [email protected]the web www.consaludmental.org and the phones 91 507 92 48 y 672 370 187.
