Facilitator support
You lead the conversation. You do not carry it alone, and you are not expected to be a therapist or clinician.
These materials support group conversation. They are not therapy, crisis intervention or medical advice.
Emergency and crisis help
Crisis information is being updated.
Keep this information current for your own area.
When the conversation becomes difficult
Someone becomes overwhelmed
- • Slow down. Let silence sit; it is not a problem to fix.
- • Offer a pause, a glass of water or a few minutes outside with you or a volunteer.
- • Ask what would help right now rather than assuming.
- • Check in with them privately before they leave.
One person dominates
- • Thank them, then name the group: “I want to make sure we hear others too.”
- • Use a round where each person speaks briefly in turn.
- • Speak with them kindly afterwards, in private, about sharing the time.
Conflict or unsolicited advice
- • Return to the agreement: we share experience rather than instruct.
- • Acknowledge both people, then move the conversation forward.
- • If it continues, pause the topic and come back to it next time.
Medical questions outside your role
- • Say plainly that you are not qualified to answer.
- • Point to the person's clinician, a nurse line or a helpline.
- • Never guess about medication, diagnosis or prognosis.
Possible abuse or immediate danger
- • Stay calm and listen without interrogating.
- • Do not promise to keep it secret. Safety concerns cannot always stay confidential.
- • Follow your organization's reporting policy the same day.
- • If anyone is in immediate danger, call emergency services.
Suicidal thoughts or statements
- • Take every statement seriously. Ask directly and gently whether they are thinking of harming themselves.
- • Stay with them. Do not leave the person alone in the room or the car park.
- • Connect them to a crisis line or emergency services while you are still together.
- • Tell your supervisor the same day and write down what was said.
Privacy and its limits
- • Say at every meeting that what is shared stays in the room.
- • Say also, at the first meeting, that concerns about safety must be passed on.
- • Keep no records about participants beyond what your organization requires.
When to pause, redirect or seek help
- • Pause when the room goes quiet in a heavy way, or when one person is in distress.
- • Redirect when the conversation turns to advice, diagnosis or blame.
- • Seek qualified help when someone's need is beyond a support group — and say so warmly, not apologetically.
Looking after yourself
- • Debrief with one colleague after every meeting, even a good one.
- • Notice what stayed with you. That is normal, not weakness.
- • You are not responsible for outcomes, only for a well-held hour.
- • Take your own break before you need it.