London Support Group for workplace bullying

Want to join us?

The London Support Group welcome new members and encourage those in need of a face to face support in London or the South East to join them. There is a subscription box at the bottom of the page but you are asked to read the following information for new members first. You may also wish to see our Terms of Membership.

Important information about the LSG

Membership is based on each member making the positive choice to participate and belong to the group.
The LSG is a face to face support group with the added facility of an internet discussion forum and members are expected to use these facilities. Our Terms Of Membership are available on our website
To apply to join the group, please email your name, address and details of your bullying experience to lsg@jfo.org.uk. Also see the subscription box below.
On receipt of this, a temporary membership will be provided and gives details of our meetings, which are held once a month in Central London. This temporary membership will lapse automatically if the member does not attend a meeting within the first six months.
On attendance, permanent membership may be granted, including access to our private internet forum.
If you do not intend to use the facilities or feel that this is not for you, then there are online support groups that may meet your needs. Please see www.jfo.org.uk/info/new/support.htm for a list of groups available.

What to Expect from the LSG
Your personal details and bullying experience given on joining will be kept confidential at all times. You choose when and how much to disclose to other members. Any personal information shared with other members will not be disclosed outside of the group
We meet monthly in London and communicate all other times via the LSG internet forum
The monthly meeting will consist of two stages – support and socialising. You are welcome to join either one or both depending on your time commitments and/or recovery stage
An extra weekend support/social meeting may be arranged occasionally
Personal support (one to one) may be available on request subject to resources
We are here to support you - you will be listened to, heard, understood, believed and when you ask for help, you should get it.
You should not be contacted privately by any member unless you are asked publicly for permission or have given prior consent

What to do to get the most out it

Post an introductory message to the forum as soon after joining as you can. Share with the other members as much about yourself as you feel comfortable with
Attending meetings help you put faces to names and meet people who have things in common with you/your case. Attending more meetings and making friends will enhance the support and benefit you get out of it and may speed your recovery quicker.
Ask any questions on the forum or at meetings that you have. Try to respond to others if you feel you can help them as support is give and take. It is very disheartening for a member when their posting does not get responded to and they may feel unheard, so members are asked to commit to having some input into the forum at least once a month, although it is recognised that there may be issues will health and time.
Unsolicited personal emails should not be received; if you do receive any and they are unwanted, tell the sender and/or the volunteers.
Complain to the volunteers, or publicly on the forum, if you feel that any member is causing you distress for whatever reason. Do not try to deal with any distressing private emails yourself. This should happen very rarely but if it does, it will be dealt with swiftly. Any complaint to the volunteers will be handled confidentially and as sensitively as possible
If personal support/one to one help is needed and given, please be considerate to that persons own commitments and emotional capacity to help, as all members are recovering. It is the members responsibility to ask for any extra support.
To ensure the best response from other members and avoid any confrontation or others feeling awkward, it is best to abide by the on-topic rules for the forum
The rules on how to behave with other members also applies to the volunteers, being more involved do not make them any different: treat them as you would any other member. Although you may have the most contact with them, this does not make them your personal support automatically or mean that backchannel rules do not apply.

What not to do

No flaming (sending nasty or insulting emails) or bickering please. Don’t get personal with any comments
Don’t use all capital letters in your posting as this is the equivalent of shouting at someone. Emphasis can be placed on individual words by capitals or the use of * * around the word eg *now*
Do not email members privately without their prior consent.
If a telephone number is shared by a member, please be considerate about the time, length of call and frequency of calls. Do not dial 1471 to get a telephone number if a member has not expressly given their number to you.
Permission to privately email or telephone is not forever. You may need to ask if it is still acceptable if they gave permission for another issue or in the past
Do not call the telephone number given out for meetings
Do not share any information or contact details with others, including other LSG members, that was given to you personally by another member
Try not to raise an issue that is personal and/or a trigger to a particular member unless that member brings it up first.
On Topic Rules for LSG forum
The LSG is there to discuss bullying and bullying related things. You may post off-topic items if it is a one off but please head up the posting with ‘Off-Topic’ at the beginning. Things that have helped you recover from bullying such as pets, religion or other interests, are on topic. However, if discussed by themselves, then these subjects are off topic. If in doubt about something you wish to post, please feel free to ask the volunteers.

If you feel that the LSG sounds like what you are looking for, please apply to become a member by typing in your email address below. The personal details needed should be sent within 14 days as yahoo automaticaly rejects membership applications after this time. If you have any questions, please email us.

If you are not in the London Support Group catchment area of London & the South East, other support groups are listed in the Support Group Network's member list. If one does not exist in your area are you would like to consider setting a new one up, please contact the Network who can offer help, advice and support to new groups. For those not able to join a face to face group may wish to consider joining an online support group.