Peer Connection & Recovery Community / GRP563
Support Roles without Overload — Scenario Card Exchange
Map the different kinds of support people can realistically offer.
30 minutes · 3–12 people · Adults with trained group facilitation
Facilitator PDF · Fillable participant PDF · Open activity / add to session
UNDERSTAND THE IDEA
Belonging works best when the fit is chosen.
Peer and community support can offer practical knowledge, companionship, and hope. Different groups, cultures, identities, and recovery pathways may fit different people. One disappointing experience does not settle whether all community support will be useful.
Facilitation lens: Explore what makes a setting welcoming, what privacy limits apply, and what an alternative could be. Avoid making attendance a test of commitment.
Explore the conceptual background · Broad background, not validation of this original exercise.
Try a different interactive experience in the Activity Lab →
Fictional example
A friend can provide company but not late-night availability.
Open with choice — 3 minutes
Explain the purpose, privacy limits, and the option to observe, use fiction, adapt, or pass. Check access needs and group readiness; do not promise absolute confidentiality.
Meet the fictional case — 4 minutes
A friend can provide company but not late-night availability. Ask what is known, what is assumed, and what the person in the case wants.
Practice: Card sort — 16 minutes
Map the different kinds of support people can realistically offer. Using only the fictional case, make cards for the goal, a contextual barrier, an available support, an alternative, and a possible next step. Sort them into what is known, what needs checking, and what requires outside help; discuss cards that can fit more than one place.
Reflect and compare — 4 minutes
What needs another route of support? Ask what fits, what does not, and what external conditions or supports affect the options. No personal disclosure is required.
Close and integrate — 3 minutes
Invite an optional observation, support request, or small next step. Passing is welcome. Agree how to revisit questions and seek appropriate help outside the exercise.
Practice output
A card arrangement showing facts, questions, and support needs.
Scope and adaptation
Use ordinary or fictional examples, not graphic substance-use stories or cue exposure. No competitive abstinence scoring, forced disclosure, or required pathway. These plans do not manage intoxication, overdose, withdrawal, or medication changes; follow individualized care and appropriate medical assessment.
Offer reading aloud, typing, drawing, pointing, or observation. Avoid mandatory movement, eye contact, touch, and body focus.
Original AI-assisted educational draft; independent clinical review pending.
Conceptual background
References inform broad principles and do not validate or endorse this original plan.