New Directions' Connexions Social Group

Hi everyone,

For 6 weeks, starting Saturday, March 27, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., I'll be running another Connexions Social Group. We learn social and communication skills that will enhance our lives in the important areas of:

- dating
- finding better jobs
- asking for things we want (also called assertiveness skills)

Already signed up are people with the following diagnoses:

Asperger's
Schizoaffective Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
Anxiety

I'd like a total of 15 people for this exciting group which will meet in 3 places:

- Willow Grove Giant Supermarket, Second Floor Classroom
- My Willow Grove home
- Home of one of our members to give them an opportunity to practice hosting skills

Each 90-minute session will include a give and take between members who will get to know one another and share their triumphs and setbacks. Improved self-awareness -- or how we come across to others -- will occur in this setting of trust and confidentiality.

Each person will set a goal at each session, such as "Ask my boss for a raise" or "Call the Red Cross and ask for a volunteer job."

We believe every person deserves a life of meaning. A brain disorder is a hurdle but is no obstacle to a fulfilling and productive life. Did you watch 60 Minutes last Sunday?

Profiled was Michael Burry, MD, a hedge fund owner who has Asperger's syndrome. He made millions of dollars on Wall Street b/c he foresaw the economic debacle and invested in securities he knew would bring him a fortune. He was one of the first to spot the economic meltdown precisely b/c of his 'disability' which allowed him to be an independent thinker, not a blind follower.

Our Connexions Group will make use of peer support, one of the best ways for effecting change.

Send me an email at Ruth Deming at Comcast.net if you're interested in attending. Or call me at 215-659-2142.

This program is supported by a generous grant from NAMI Glenside, PA.

I've run two such groups, supported by the Douty Foundation.

I look forward to YOUR participation and, as I always say, I learn just as much from the group as you will. Ada Moss Fleisher will co-lead when she's not in DC caring for her new grandson, Alec Reid Fleisher.

Ada, as you know, is head of our Depression Group, and runs Ada's Outing one Wednesday per month.

Later!