Germering - Admitting that you need help is often the first step towards healing. Those who deal with this work on a daily basis know that a self-help group has to struggle with stigmatization. The self-help contact point was initiated over 25 years ago to provide a contact point for those who need an exchange with other affected people in a wide variety of areas.
As early as 1995, the city of Germering was grappling with the question of what purpose self-help groups fulfill in society - in the foreground, the then social officer Friedl Off, the then head of the Germering island Anita Schindler and Monique Braun, who after 25 years in the self-help contact point now in retires. It all started with around twelve self-help groups. “This is where people come together who are blind, have rheumatism or suffer from a mental illness, for example. But people with an addiction problem or senior citizens who want a more active everyday life will also find like-minded people here, ”explains Braun, who is now placing her work in the hands of Susann Deuschle. Over the years there have been peaks with 25 different groups, and today we have moved away from them.
Germeringer Insel offers a protected setting for meetings
Especially now during Corona times, many self-help groups have failed and for a long time we did not know what the guidelines look like, says Deuschle, who also wants to address younger people in particular, to turn to the contact point if there are problems.
“Then you can look for a suitable group or found a new group,” Deuschle describes the process.
It is important, Monique Braun, Susann Deuschle and also the new island leader Bianca Wallenta agree that those affected or relatives of those affected can rely on the meetings of the individual self-help groups taking place in a protected setting.
For 25 years now, Germering Island has been the point of contact for self-help groups in Germering.
New groups can form at any time
It took a long time for the subject of self-help groups to experience a kind of taboo removal. "The old picture was very melancholy, and humor and lightness are particularly important at the meetings," explains Deuschle. It is not just about complaining to one another about one's suffering, says Wallenta, but above all about exchanging ideas, sharing experiences with other people affected, and exchanging information about aids or medication. The 42-year-old took over the management of Anita Schindler on October 1st and is now excited about the future. They want to position themselves more broadly again and move more into the focus of the Germeringer. Deuschle can also imagine a long-covid group in the future or other self-help groups that will be in greater demand after Corona.The home office as well as homeschooling have exhausted many people, the right help can now be found on the island. Because admitting a problem and asking for help is often the hardest step. Further information on the self-help contact point is available here.
Claudia Becker