Group listening support

Group listening support offers individuals living with autoimmune disease the opportunity to share their experience of life with their disease together.

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Small group listening support for people living with autoimmune diseases

The Wren Project offers small group listening support for people living with autoimmune disease. Group support allows individuals living with autoimmune diseases the opportunity to come together and share their experiences in safe, confidential spaces.

Our group support is for small groups of six to eight people. Led by two lead volunteers, you will come together online once a fortnight.

You can receive group support for up to a year. At which point, Wrens can pause and re-refer if they need to.

Within our group sessions, you will be able to talk honestly and openly about your experiences and challenges. In these sessions, you may find commonality, connection and hope.

Unlike our one-to-one listening support, in a group you will be both sharing and listening. You will find similarity and difference and may often find great benefit in being able to hear what others say. You will bear witness to stories that have never been spoken before and share your own.

Our group facilitators will help the group to find themes but will not drive towards solutions. As a group member, your presence matters to others, so please reflect on whether you feel able to make the commitment to the group and attend each session.

Our group listening support is free and available to anyone over the age of 18 living in the UK.

Katie shares her experience of group listening support

The most helpful part has been feeling like I was heard and understood. With all the good intention in the world, it is hard for people around us to understand. Hearing other people’s experiences also helped me unravel some of the things I was experiencing, but hadn’t put a name to yet.

APPLY FOR SUPPORT HERE

Is Group support right for me?

Group support offers you the chance to both share your experience and listen to others. If this sounds like the type of support you would like to explore, you can specify this on your application form.

Once you have applied for group support, you will be booked onto a discovery session with us. Here, you can join a small group to feel what it is like to sit in this type of setting and talk.

Our group listening sessions are an opportunity for you to hear from others with similar lived experiences.

We will support you in deciding whether group or one-to-one listening support is right for you.

How Our Support Works

We offer both one-to-one and group listening support. When you apply to us, our team will help you decide which is the best type of support for you.

Our goal is to provide you with a safe and supportive space in which you can talk openly and honestly about how you are feeling. We believe that being listened to and validated in your experience, is life-changing.

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Testimonials

"I can’t thank my volunteer enough for the support. It has been truly life changing. I feel I am in a much better place to be able to live with my autoimmune disease because of the support the Wren project has given me."
"It's been a huge help when I was newly diagnosed to just be able to talk to someone and off load without judgement from anyone. A massively supportive group."
"The sessions have had a major impact on my state of mind. The benefit has been huge."
"I didn't know what to expect- it's been helpful in so many ways. Its helping to piece things together- the journey so far and a greater understanding of how I became ill and the severity of the experiences of the last few years."
"These sessions have given me something to look forward to, being able to offload everything in my life - good or bad. Being able to talk openly and honestly has made such a big difference in my life."
'It gave me a reason to wake up on Saturday mornings and put me in a better mood for the weekend, which would stretch out into the week. The compassionate curiosity of our facilitators is something I’ve always craved from others but very rarely receive. I felt truly seen.'

FAQs

Anyone with a diagnosis of autoimmune disease, as recognised by the NHS, can apply for support from the Wren Project. We support people aged 18 or over and who live in the UK. You must be willing to talk about your autoimmune disease and the impact it is having on your life.
Our listening sessions are an opportunity to talk about how your autoimmune disease is affecting you and your life, without advice or judgement.
Anyone over the age of 18 and with an autoimmune disease diagnosis can apply for support. Once you have completed our online referral form, we will respond within a week.
We offer one-to-one and group, remote listening support. Our aim is to provide a dedicated, private space for you to talk about whatever is on your mind. We do not pass judgement or give advice, instead we offer spaces in which individuals can talk openly and honestly. Our aim is to help reduce the grief, loneliness and isolation often felt by people living with autoimmune disease and through reflective practice, realise your own strength and resources.
All of our sessions are conducted over a private MS Teams call, or over the phone.
If you have a desire to support others in times of difficulty, we would like to hear from you. Our volunteers are there for anyone navigating the complexities of an autoimmune diagnosis. You do not need to have any specific experience or understanding of autoimmune disease.
If you would like to become a volunteer at the Wren Project, we ask you to fill out an application form online. We will then be in touch to find out more and see if the role is suitable for you.