Moving to a new country, going through a breakup, losing a job, or living with mental conditions are very challenging. Yet, there’s no reason to suffer alone when one can choose to join hands with others and let the power of connection and group support encourage and heal us.

In the absence of such social support in Beijing, CandleX established the peer support group in October, 2015, with the goal to provide psychosocial support to Beijing community. It provides a safe and supportive environment for people living in Beijing to share personal thoughts and experiences in small, confidential gatherings.

To understand this project, you can read our 1st year support group review, and our 2nd year support group review.

Key Information：

• Participants: our support groups are for people with any mental conditions ranging from depression, mania and severe anxiety. The support group is especially effective for new comers who are in situations of lack of social support, or experiencing shame and guilt of having depression.

• Time: 19:30-21:00 every second and fourth Tuesday of the month

• Location: CBD in Chaoyang ( details in our registration confirmation email)

• Language: English

• Max number:  7 people each session

• Fee: 50rmb  (free if financially constrained)

• RSVP: via scanning QR code

Content and Approach

During the meeting, the core elements are as follow:

• Share our stories and feelings, and let other help you to give you emotional support when dealing with the difficult emotions alone.

• Help each other recognize the importance of tending to and promoting our own self-care

• The meeting is generally conducted in talking and sharing, but we offer other approaches to make sure that we feel relaxed and comfortable to share, including some guided meditation, breathing exercises, etc. There is one facilitator to throughout the workshop, monitor the progress of each session and facilitate group interactions.

Peer Group Principles:

• CandleX shall not be held responsible for group member’s safety. We are all peers. There are no professionals in this group. If you are in a crisis, please seek professional immediate at the same time. You will find useful on our crisis page, visit: https://www.candlex.cn/crisis-support

• All information shared with the group is held confidential. All new participants will need to register first for eligibility screening.