The purpose of peer support groups are for sharing, listening, learning from and being supportive. It is NOT therapy, but peer support. Trauma Help for Women (THW) does NOT give medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as replacement for treatment for physical, mental or medical problems.
1. For the safety of all our members, we ask that while we do introductions you do share your screen & show your face so that we may confirm your identity.
2. What is shared here stays here. We commit to confidentiality (see are policy below).
3. All feelings are okay. Feelings are neither right nor wrong, good nor bad. We do not need to rescue people from their feelings. When feelings are heard with respect and empathy, people can begin to resolve these feelings. Remembering these things about feelings will help this process be emotionally safe. Feelings do not need to be interpreted, analyzed, or judged.
4. This session is a safe space for all religious and spiritual belief systems. It is; of course, fine to share how your belief system may have been supportive and helpful to you.
Trauma Help for Women expects you to respect the privacy of members & clients and to maintain their personal information as confidential. All records dealing with specific clients must be treated as confidential. General information, policy statements or statistical material that is not identified with any individual or family is not classified as confidential. Staff members are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of information relating to other staff members and volunteers, in addition to members & clients.
Failure to maintain confidentiality may result in removal from group. This policy is intended to protect you as well as Trauma Help for Women because in extreme cases, violations of this policy also may result in personal liability.
Rationale
Confidentiality is the preservation of privileged information. By necessity personal and private information is disclosed in a professional working relationship. Part of what you learn is necessary to provide services to the applicant or client; other information is shared within the development of a helping, trusting relationship. Therefore, most information gained about individual clients through an assignment is confidential in terms of the law, and disclosure could make you legally liable. Disclosure could also damage your relationship with the client and make it difficult to help the person.