If you would wish to start your own PoSA support group meeting, we offer free downloadable materials for you to get started.
If you are new to Discovery and still reeling from the pain, we would encourage you to first get some local therapy or contact us here for some one-on-one sessions to help you stabilize and begin your healing process before undertaking the formation of a new Group.
Since we PoSAs need a safe space to share in, you are free to stipulate whether your meeting be open only to PoSAs with no dual-attendance at S-Group Meetings (for example: no dual attendance at love/sex addiction groups) and whether all genders are welcome.
Here are some guidelines we suggest using to get started:
- Ask area churches or addiction treatment facilities if they’d be willing to allow you to use a meeting room once a week for a couple of hours. Explain to them that it’s to be a support group for partners of sexual compulsives/addicts.
- If they give permission, you may be able to use their bulletin board to announce the formation of your meeting. The various 12-Step S-Group meeting rooms may allow use of their bulletin boards for your announcement. Then, you can begin by informing those PoSAs you already know and letting others know by either asking your therapist to send other PoSAs, and/or calling therapists or addiction treatment facilities to apprise them of your new meeting.
- Once you have established your location, we suggest that you create an anonymous email account specifically for this meeting (for example: posa-city@…) which may be safely posted publicly.
- If you agree to strictly abide by the PoSA Meeting Guidelines, send your meeting’s contact email address to:
info@posarc.com and we will post this meeting on our website and also put the word out on social media (blog, twitter, FB, etc.) to help publicize the meeting. Interested PoSAs in your area may then contact you directly for specific time and location information, which you may share at your discretion. - PoSA Meeting facilitators sometimes prefer to “gently interview” any unknown people prior to offering these meeting details in order to ensure the safety of the Meeting. This can be done by speaking on the phone and/or meeting the interested parties first at a coffee shop, if possible.
*Please know that although we at Posarc share our recommendations with you, Posarc assumes no responsibility for any Meeting’s safety. - Show up and be the Chairperson for the first few meetings. You do not need all the answers or any answers at all to lead a meeting; PoSA Meeting Guidelines specifically state that we not give advice or feedback. Your honesty about the pain and confusion you feel may be exactly what someone needs to hear if that is what you are currently feeling. The PoSA Meeting Guidelines we have provided will provide you with the structure and group guidelines to easily facilitate a support group of others.
- Circulate a sheet of paper for members who care to exchange contact info with others in the group for help/encouragement/support during the times between meetings. Respect that some members may prefer not to.
- Service Agreements: Many PoSAs who have stepped forward to create and form a new PoSA Meeting often find themselves becoming overburdened with trying to carry all of the responsibility of maintaining and running the meetings. It is important for all that we allow others to help in keeping these meetings strong by forming a period of commitment for Service Agreements. We would suggest these periods to be (3) month intervals, or you are free to democratically agree to your own time periods.
These positions would be: Chairperson; Back-up Chairperson (in case the primary is sick or unable to lead); Communications Director (to manage the Meeting’s email correspondence).
If you have additional concerns or questions about facilitating your own PoSA meeting,
Contact Us and we’ll do our best to assist you.
Please download and use these pdf files for use at the PoSA Meetings:
Enjoy the strength, hope and support that grows through sharing in these groups. What a blessing to be able to give and receive the care and support we have suffered without having for far too long!