Clear purpose
The group explains who it serves, who moderates it, and what it cannot provide.
Connection with boundaries
Community and peer support
Learn how to support someone, choose safer communities, share lived experience responsibly, and protect your own well-being.
What to say
Start with presence, not solutions.
Avoid minimizing
- “Everyone feels that way.”
- “Just think positive.”
- “You have so much to be grateful for.”
- “You do not look depressed.”
- “Promise me you will never do that.”
Replace certainty and pressure with curiosity, safety, and practical support.
Community checklist
Signs of a healthier online or in-person group
Safety rules
Policies address harassment, graphic content, misinformation, crisis posts, privacy, and reporting.
No pressure to disclose
Members can participate without sharing diagnoses, trauma details, identity, or personal contact information.
Responsible claims
No one promises cures, tells members to stop treatment, or sells fear as expertise.
Referral pathways
Moderators point people to professional and crisis support when needs exceed peer support.
Respect for difference
People can have different experiences, cultures, treatments, and recovery goals.
1
Listen
Reflect what you hear without diagnosing or interrogating.
2
Check safety
Ask directly when you are concerned and connect urgent risk to immediate help.
3
Follow up
Send a simple message later. Consistent, realistic support matters.
Find a community
Open the directoryStart with established organizations.
Browse peer, family, youth, identity-specific, and condition-specific support options.