CFS, EI, FM Email Support Group - SF Bay/Adjacent
San Francisco Fibromyalgia & CFIDS Self-Help & Advocacy Group
San Francisco FM Self-Help Support Group

San Francisco Fibromyalgia & CFIDS Self-Help & Advocacy Group
This group is for people with FM,CFIDS, and/or chronic myofascial pain - or those who think they may have one of these disorders. Friends and family are also welcome. Providers are welcomed as observers for the purpose of creating a better understand about the impact of these illnesses on our lives. Please inform the group facilitator that you are a provider BEFORE the meeting starts. During the workshop portion of the meeting providers can give a brief introduction about what kind of health care professional they are, and why they want to observe the meeting. Providers are not allowed to come to the meeting to market their services.

This group can be contacted through the SFFSSG group's Owner email address for the announcement mailing list.

San Francisco Fibromyalgia Self-Help Support Group
For people with FM and/or CMP - or those who think they may have one of these disorders. Friends and family are also welcome. The group is more of an empowerment group as it will focus on what people with FM can do to improve their health and functionality. While emotional support will be the main component, education and political advocacy will go hand-in-hand. Our medical treatment options may be limited, but what we can do about it is not.

Meetings
Effective October 4, 2003, meetings will be the first Saturday of each month (except December), from 2-4 PM, at the California Pacific Medical Center, Davies Campus at Castro St. and Duboce St., Rm. B2/3 [map]

Contacts
Sharon Park

Comments
This group, loosely modeled on Bruce Campbell, PhD's CFIDS & FM Self-Help Program, may be more structured than other support groups. In our experience, people come into these groups from rather chaotic lives. Doctors invalidate their illnesses, family members don't believe they're ill, friends don't understand, and they struggle to get disability. It's important that the group provide safety and stability. There will be the standard rules: no criticism, no giving unwanted feedback, no interrupting, one person talks at a time, respect confidentiality, etc.

If you are interested and able to help with publicity (i.e., call, email, write to any groups, agencies, and organizations; ask them to post an announcement about the group in their newsletter, mailing list, website, etc.), collect literature and make it available at meetings; co-facilitate meetings; handle phone/email inquiries about the group; create a website for the group; etc., please email Sharon Park.

More information on our group may be found through our email list at groups.yahoo.com/group/SFFSSG.