Developing Your Support System
Developing Your Support System
Social support system refers to a network of people (friends, family, and peers) that we can turn to for emotional and practical support. As professionals transition from school and the support of fellow students and supportive faculty it it important to identify who will be our support system going forward. As we move into our professional careers, our colleagues may be source of support. Professional in other related or unrelated fields may help support our work.
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Benefits of a Social Support System
Research has shown that there are tremendous benefits in having a network of supportive relationships: those with robust social support networks have better health, longer lives, and report higher well-being.
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Sustaining Your Current Relationships
Successful relationships require give-and-take. A good rule of thumb is to treat your friends as you want to be treated. In other words, be the friend you want to have. Many factors contribute to healthy, happy relationships.
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Ideas for Building Your Social Support System
Our social support system needs to be in place before we need them. Don’t wait! You will enjoy the benefits now and in the future. Those in your support system should help you reduce stress, not increase it. They should support your goals and efforts to achieve them, not belittle or undermine or ignore them.
Peer Support Groups
Peer Support Groups
A social support network is different from a support group in which people facing common issues share their concerns on a regular basis (and which may be peer or professionally led or free-form), though both can be very important in times of stress. Because we think student peer support can be especially helpful during graduate school, we hope you (if you are a student) will consider joining (or starting) a student support group in your school. (We have provided information on how to do this in Tips on Starting a Student Support or Discussion GroupDownload pdf(81 KB) and the presentation Why Create a Support Group?Download pdf(919 KB) [Transcipt of Why Create a Support GroupDownload pdf(26 KB)]).