Transcribed by https://otter.ai and lightly edited
Jenna Solomon 0:00
Before we begin, I just want to flag that this episode references substance abuse and mental health challenges. Hello and welcome to ease in mzansi. I’m Jenna Solomon, and this is the podcast where we spotlight mental health support groups that can help us cope with the all too personal impact of South Africa’s big socio economic issues.
0:31
By now, you’ve probably heard a few people on the podcast describe the benefit of support groups. Is there an anomaly, or is there scientific evidence that support groups really improve people’s mental health. In this episode, I find out from two academics. Levuyo TekO is a social work lecturer at a Gauteng University. He’s also co-author of a local study examining how community led support groups facilitate recovery for young adults with a substance use disorder. He tells me more about his studies, findings and other research that indicate the benefits of support groups.
Levuyo Teko 1:07
The study found that there’s a lot of benefit in attending support groups, Tracy Wallace and Warrell Ital did a literature review study, and one of their results was that peer support groups show a lot of promise, and they also show they offer a lot of support – informational support, educational support and instrumental support – which my study also found similar patterns. How it does it. I’ll just draw also from my study in terms of substance, which has also a similar role, that by providing informational support, you provide information on best ways or best practices to really maintain a clear mental health.
Jenna Solomon 1:55
Another advantage of support groups is that most of them are free. This is the case for those that are run by the South African depression and anxiety group, as well as those that are run by Al Anon,
Levuyo Teko 2:06
We know that with therapy and professional groups, there are finances involved in and the services are quite steep. Okay, it’s not to over generalize, but looking at the unemployment level in South Africa and how expensive things are, support groups really offer a cheap alternative, where that services, or rather support, can be provided long term. And this also goes with the continuum model, where you find that individuals need aftercare support and aftercare support is through through support groups.
Jenna Solomon 2:47
Given these advantages, it’s no wonder that some feel we need more support groups. For Dr Shahieda Jansen, a clinical psychologist and author who works in university student support services, support groups are ideal for rolling out in our African mental health context,
Dr Shahieda Jansen 3:03
tThe role the support group can play in the public sector and in a university space is, for me, radically underestimated. Okay, I think what we also underestimate in a context where most people see themselves in the relational terms is the centrality of connection. That belonging in itself is, in fact, healing. A lot of what people go to a therapist for , in fact, involves needing support, feeling lonely. Okay, so all healing happens within a relationship, if we become better at investing in support groups and professionalizing it right, I think we would really take our mental health care to the next level. So that’s what I would like to see. Is a much greater roll out of support groups. Just in general,
Jenna Solomon 4:05
Well you’ve heard from the experts, we need more support groups. If you’d like to start a support group, we’ve got an episode that tells you how that episode, as well as the research by today’s guests, is linked to the show notes. As always, if you need support with a mental health condition, you can contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group’s counseling hotline on 08 0005, 67 567, That’s it from Ease in Mzansi. As we like to say here in South Africa, Sterkte in HOFA, ham Bucha, Chat again next time I