An LSG is set up by FHT members to cover a local geographical area, which will contain at least 100 FHT members (less in remote areas). The groups will be run by one or two Coordinators who organise talks and other events for the group. They also publish a calendar of events for those attending and publicise the events in the surrounding area. Groups are run under guidelines from the FHT but are flexible enough to suit the requirements of the local membership.
The Coordinator will find a location that is reasonably central to the area and that will have enough room to accommodate all attendees. We ask them to choose places that will be convenient and easy to find, as well as having adequate car parking, preferably on site and well lit for darker evenings - so attendees will feel safe arriving at and leaving the meetings.
This is at the discretion of the Coordinator, with a minimum of 5 meetings a year - so that can earn all your CPD points through attending these meetings. Most groups run on average of 6 - 12 meetings a year.
Yes, a small fee is to cover the cost of hall hire, speakers and refreshments. Coordinators volunteer to run the meetings and are not paid to do so. Members can enjoy a discounted fee and non-members are welcome to attend but will pay a higher charge.
Each meeting you attend you will result in 2 CPD points (10 required for the year). You will be offered a CPD certificate when you are signing in. Coordinators will send in signed attendance sheets to head office for logging on the system. Should you be asked to provide your portfolio by head office, these certificates can be supplied.
If there is no group in your area, perhaps you would like to run one. It is great fun running the group, very rewarding and a chance to meet other therapists. Select ‘Become a Local Support Group Coordinator’ on the left-hand menu for further details and to apply.
Every meeting is different, but they usually begin with the group co-ordinator distributing information from FHT about local and national events which may be of interest to members. This is a great opportunity for you to raise any queries you may have. If the co-ordinators cannot answer these personally, they will forward your query to FHT and then pass our response back to you. The next 90 or so minutes will often feature a presentation from a guest speaker, many resulting in either practical demonstrations with a willing volunteer and even full audience participation. Finally there will be a time for questions before finishing with a chance to network with your peers over drinks. The evenings always promise to be good value for money, informative, and most of all, fun.
The groups may well offer other events. This might include a summer trip, a Christmas party, local workshops from speakers who have given talks, and attending therapy events.
Simply click on ‘LSG locations’ from the left-hand menu to find your LSG. Remember, if there is not one local to you, you may like to consider running your own group.