Group Support with the Wren Project
Connect with others living with autoimmune diseases in a safe and supportive space
Our free online group sessions bring people together from across the UK who are living with conditions such as autoimmune hepatitis, lupus, Crohn’s disease, ankylosing spondylitis, scleroderma, or Sjögren’s.
Groups provide a steady, supportive space where you can share experiences, listen to others, and feel understood. Sessions are led by trained volunteers who listen with warmth and care. We do not offer medical advice or try to fix things. We listen and quietly support so you can connect with others living through a difficult period of their lives with their autoimmune disease.
Living with an autoimmune condition can feel incredibly isolating.
What group support looks like
Sessions take place online, making them easy to join from anywhere in the UK. Our listening groups consist of six to eight people, led by two trained volunteers.
Group support is an opportunity to meet others with shared, lived experience of autoimmune disease to talk openly and honestly about their experiences, without fear of judgment.
Group support offers individuals a chance to connect with others living in a period of difficulty as a result of their autoimmune disease. Meeting others in a safe and confidential environment, you are given the opportunity to talk through your individual lived experiences with other people who understand.
Why join a Wren group
Who our groups are for
Group support is available to anyone in the UK aged 18 or over living with autoimmune disease. You may be newly diagnosed and searching for understanding, or you may have lived with your condition for years and want connection. Groups bring together people from many parts of the UK who share a deep understanding of long-term illness.
“I’ve never met anyone who suffers like me. To be recognised by others who truly know what it’s been like for me has been such a support to me.”
How group support helps
People often describe feeling seen, heard and understood, thanks to group listening support. Listening and hearing from others living with a range of autoimmune diseases can help reduce feelings of isolation, hopelessness and loneliness.
You. might talk about how your disease affects your relationships, work, or confidence. You will hear from others living with the uncertainty of their diagnosis.
All groups are facilitated by volunteers trained in compassionate listening support. They quietly support the group, for individuals to talk openly about their experiences.
Find your community
Group support is free and open to adults aged 18 and over living in the UK. You can listen quietly, share openly and with people who understand what it feels like to live with an autoimmune condition.
Join a Wren group and meet others who truly understand what you are going through.
Refer yourself or somebody else
If you are living in distress with autoimmune disease, our free listening support is available to you. We aim to respond to all applications within a week and pair you with a volunteer as soon as possible. We sometimes operate a short waiting list.
We can only accept referrals from people who have received an official diagnosis of autoimmune disease, as recognised by the NHS. At present, we don’t have capacity to support long term conditions which are not recognised as autoimmune by the NHS, including: Fibromyalgia, ME, CFS, Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism and Long Covid.
We support people aged 18 and over, who are experiencing distress as a result of an autoimmune diagnosis. To be eligible you must live in the UK, have access to a phone, and/or WiFi, and be willing to talk about your autoimmune disease and the impact it is having on your life.
Apply for support
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