Hi @Jlol! Nice to meet you (I'm so sorry if we've ever interacted and I've forgotten!)
Thanks for tagging me @tyme. Happy to help and try to answer some of these questions. This might be a lot of information but I'll try to be as succinct as I can be.
1. What does "recovery" look like to SANE / the group? What is their definition?
- Short answer; there isn't one singular definition that we go by. People define recovery for themselves and are the experts in their own recovery. The questions "What does recovery mean to you?" was actually posed to participants in a group earlier this week, and there were many different responses.
- On a personal level; I believe my recovery is life-long. It's an ongoing process. Part of my recovery journey included accepting that I will never be exactly the same person I was before my mental health issues arose, but that that isn't necessarily a bad thing for me.
2. What's the difference between "Weekly mental health recovery groups" and "Fortnightly online recovery catch-ups"?
- The "weekly mental health recovery groups" actually occur 14 times a week. Each group is centered around one of the following topics; Connection, Hope, Identity, Meaning, Empowerment, and our Rainbow Connections group (for LGBTQIA+ participants). The groups are predominantly group discussion, with some psychoeducation. No two groups are exactly the same, as they are centered around whatever participants share.
- The "Fortnightly online recovery catch-ups" are not based on a particular topic. They generally look like discussions about things relating to mental health recovery (the topic changes week to week. This week it was just "recovery", the week before it was self-compassion I think), opportunties to connect with other RecoveryClub participants, and the opportunity to ask the facilitators any questions that you might have about the program.
3. What is a Recovery Plan?
- This is a plan / template that we can use to help record things that are important for an individual's recovery, and what goals someone might be wanting to achieve with their recovery. It is not compulsory to fill this out in RecoveryClub but it can be a helpful guide.
- Each participants decides what they want to include in their Recovery Plan, so it's very self-guided. If it isn't affective or particular goals aren't "achieved", participants can review it and make changes.
- Because RecoveryClub is self-guided, it means you do everything at your own pace and when you feel ready. There's an infinite number of ways that people can engage in the program.
4. It says that the groups and meetups are accessed online, but the registration form asks for a phone number? I can use an anonymous email address, but how can I stay anonymous if they have my number?
- Yes, the referral form requires some personal details to be included. It doesn't have to be a legal name, and it can be a chosen name. Phone numbers and email addresses are also collected and stored securely. The phone number in particular is used for if there is an emergency situation.
- The groups are held on ZOOM, and you can choose to register for the group using a preferred name (whatever you want the facilitators to call you), however please register for the group with the email address used when signing up for RecoveryClub, so that we can make sure it's actually you (when you enter the ZOOM waiting room).
- When we talk about anonymity in RecoveryClub, it relates to between participants. Only first names / preferred names are used as display names in the groups. The staff who are facilitating the groups will be able to see your contact details if you sign up for RecoveryClub.
5. Stupid question, but I have to ask: how can I safely talk about the "S" word without threat or fear of retribution?
- Not a stupid question at all. One of the group guidelines is that we ask participants not to go into explicit or graphic details about a range of topics (similar to the Forums community guidelines). Suicide is one of those topics. We ask that conversation around things like suicide, SI and SH be kept more general in nature, but the topics aren't taken off the table completely. If the facilitators suspect a someone is at risk of harm to themselves or others they might send you a private message in ZOOM or move you to a breakout room to check-in and see if you might need help from a service outside of SANE (e.g. 000, 1800Respect, LifeLine etc). So, to be honest and upfront with you; the groups aren't a space for people to have detailed discussions about suicide. I absolutely don't want to mislead you on that.
- The groups aren't therapy groups, and I wouldn't necessarily call them support groups either. They're not designed to go into a lot of detail about people's individual stories and experiences, and they do have a little bit of structure to them. They're more around general discussion about a topic, some psychoeducation and a bit of connection.
6. Other potentially helpful info
- We absolutely have people participate in the groups in a range of ways. A lot of people choose to just use the ZOOM chat to share their thoughts, which are then often read out loud or responded to in the chat. Some people turn their camera and / or mics on. Some people also just choose to sit back and listen like it's a podcast, so sometimes the groups are quieter. We just let people come as they are and participate in a way that works for them.
- The groups aren't generally very large, so there's usually many opportunities for people to speak. That chat function can also be good to help make sure people get an opportunity to share. The facilitators try to ensure the conversation isn't dominated by anyone.
- RecoveryClub has been around since August 2024, so it's not that new anymore (which I'm very proud of!). We've had some really lovely feedback from participants, and other people have felt it doesn't meet a need that they have, which is totally fine.
I know that @Oaktree shared that she's previously participated in the program. There's a couple of responses in THIS thread about some experiences.
I hope this has helped. I know it's a lot of information to take in. I'll be back around next week if you have any more questions that the other mods can't answers.
