What is a Talk & Listen Group?

A Talk and Listen Group (T&L for short) is a confidential group conversation focused on how we live our lives as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender elders (age 50 and up). It has a few special qualities and guidelines. Here’s how they work:

• A facilitator guides the discussion to make sure everyone gets a chance to be heard.
• We start by going around the room to introduce ourselves and, if you feel like it, sharing how you’ve been since the last meeting.
• Anyone is free to suggest a discussion topic that has been on their mind recently. The facilitator distills some of those suggestions into a starting topic.
• The “rules” are simple:
  • We don’t judge, criticize, or give advice.
  • Instead, we speak only from our own experience, relating the challenges we have faced in our own lives and how we have approached them. The rest of the participants are free to take these ideas home to consider whether they suit their own lives.

A Talk & Listen Group is not a therapy group, but it is meant to be supportive.

Are Talk & Listen Groups right for you?

Let’s talk about it and see how you feel.

Call Ed at 413-441-6006 or email him at ed@rainbowseniors.org with your name and phone number so we can have a chat.