ABSTRACT

Leader Experiences, Attitudes and Perspectives (LEAP) study respondents reported encouraging newly bereaved individuals to wait a few weeks after the death before attending a group. In writing about adolescent grief and support groups, however, Tedeschi suggested this may not be as important as it might seem. Paying attention and addressing these difficult characters will go a long way to making support groups more effective for everyone attending. Keeping personal information private was one intention of the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). While support groups per se may not be subject to statutes about protecting personal information, the provisions of the law provide a good framework for leaders of support groups. In a survey of Canadian organizations providing support groups for persons living with HIV/AIDS, Olivier found nearly all respondents discuss confidentiality in the first session of a group, when new members join a group, and from time to time in open-ended groups.