Social Support Groups
Discover the vital social support you need, precisely when you need it most. Our support groups are designed to provide understanding, connection, and unwavering support in times of challenge and change.
Explore our diverse range of support groups:
Stepparent Support: Guidance and community for navigating stepfamily dynamics
Divorce Parent Support: Empowerment and resources for parents facing or are divorced.
Single Parent Support: A network for single parents, offering solidarity and shared experiences.
Breastfeeding/Feeding Support: Expert advice and peer support for infant feeding.
Navigating Special Needs Support: Compassion and resources for families with special needs children.
Mothercare: Reducing Anxiety & Depletion: Strategies to reduce anxiety and stress for mothers.
Join our support groups to find a welcoming community that understands your unique challenges and provides the support you deserve. Connect with us and take the first step toward a stronger, more empowered you!
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NEW Raising Multiples Support Group
Day: Tuesdays
Time: 9:15 - 10:00 am
This group is intended for parents and caregivers of multiples. Raising multiples is a unique experience and with that comes unique challenges. Whether you are a first-time parent or a seasoned parent you deserve to connect with others who can truly relate, offer encouragement, and a listening ear.
This group is designed to create a safe, supportive, and empowering space among individuals. Where frustrations, fears, hopes, and aspirations about raising multiples can be explored.
Madison Fisher will be acting as a facilitator for this group. She is a mother of three, including a set of boy/girl twins. You will also find Madison working in the Childcare Room at Relief Parenting Center.
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NEW Challenging Behaviors
Day: 1st & 3rd Thursdays
Time: 11:15 am - 12:00 pm
Are you experiencing challenging behaviors with your child(ren)? Do you feel like you have tried everything?
You are not alone. Come join us at the Challenging Behaviors support group to meet other parents with similar struggles as well as to find resources and support.
Examples of challenging behaviors could be:
Biting
Hitting
Defiance
Tantrums vs meltdowns
Katie Baseden will act as the group facilitator. Katie is the owner of Navigating Special Needs (https://www.navigatingspecialneeds.com) and will guide the group, provide support and offer valuable resources to support your home life.
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Mothercare: Reducing Anxiety and Depletion
Day: Mondays & Fridays
Time: (M) 11:15 am - 12:00 pm & (F) 9:15 - 10:00 am
Motherhood is fraught with challenges, complex emotions, and constant changes. Whether you are an expecting, new, or experienced mother, many of us are anxious, depleted, and in need of a safe place and understanding support.
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Solo & Single Parent Support Group (Virtual)
Day: Virtually, Mondays
Time: 12:15 am - 1:00 pm
This group is a place for solo and single parents who are parenting their amazing children, all on their own or the majority of the time. It is an opportunity to share your stories with others going thru similar situations and/or struggles.
The goal of the Solo & Single Parents Support Group is to provide a safe place to vent and be heard with zero judgement.
Taryn Kolodica will be acting as the group facilitator. She is a mom to 2 young kids and fully understands the hardships that come to living life as a single parent. She works as the Program and Operations manager here at Relief and loves being a part of Relief’s community.
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Step-Parent Support Group
Day/Time: In-person 2nd & 4th and Virtual 1st & 3rd Monday at 7:00pm
Step-parenthood can be filled with complexities and truly no one understands that like another stepparent.
This is a safe and supportive group to build bridges, normalize stepparenting, and spend time with other people who just ""get it"" when it comes to blended family life.
This no-judgment, no advice (unless wanted) group is for people dating, engaged, or married to a partner with children. We will get together to share our experiences, provide resources, answer questions, and encourage each other through our stepfamily journeys.
Join Group Facilitator, Grady Savage, a mother, stepmother, and mentor in the stepfamily space since 2012.
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Divorce Support Group (Virtual)
Day/Time: Virtually on Tuesdays at 7:00pm
This group is a place for parents who are going through or have been through divorce or separation. It is an opportunity to share your stories of being a single parent with others going thru similar situations or struggles.
Courtney Pasqualoni will be acting as the group facilitator, but this group is not leader led. She is a single mom to three boys and went thru her own divorce a little over three years ago. She works as the Parent Care Coordinator here at Relief and is also a Postpartum Doula.
The goal of the Divorced Parents Support Group is to provide a safe place for divorced or separated parents to vent and be heard with zero judgement. The group will meet on Tuesday evenings and will alternate in-person to virtual every other week.
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Babywearing Monthly Meet-Up
Monthly: Mondays, 1/8, 2/12, 3/11, 4/8, 5/13 and 6/10
Time: 9:15 am
Are you interested in learning more about babywearing but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you have a carrier but it just doesn't feel right? Join us for our monthly Babywearing Meet-up at Relief Parenting!
Each month we will gather to answer your questions about babywearing, assist with fit checks, and have a chance to chat with other families who babywear in the community. There is also the opportunity to try different carriers from our consultant's collection. Bring your babies, your carriers, and your questions! This group is appropriate for any caregivers who are interested in babywearing, expectant caregivers too. All experience levels are welcome!
This meet-up is led by babywearing specialist Jenna Kim. Jenna Jenna ran a busy babywearing library and advice service in London before moving with her husband and two daughters to the Seacoast in 2023. Giving parents and caregivers their hands back and building their confidence brings her so much joy. Babywearing was such a help to her own mothering journey.
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Beyond 1 - Support for breastfeeding beyond the 1st year
Day: Tuesdays, every 2 weeks
Time: 10:15 - 11:00 am
Looking for a safe supportive space where you won't be asked "You're STILL breastfeeding?" Join us as we celebrate and navigate "You're STILL Breastfeeding!"
Each meeting we will discuss a different topic, share our stories and struggles, and reiterate the reasons for breastfeeding beyond one year.
Topics for discussion may include:
Evidence-based research on normal nursing patterns
How to manage negative comments
Pregnant and nursing / Tandem nursing
Breastfeeding your developing child - understanding cognitive and emotional needs
The joys of nursing beyond the first year
What to do when you are ready to wean
Pumping and long-term milk supply
Biting, twiddling, and nursing gymnastics
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Feeding Support for the 1st Year
Day: Tuesdays - twice a month
Time: 12:15 - 1:00 pm
Whether breastmilk, formula, or solid foods, babies need to eat and parents have questions!
This no-judgment, no-advice (unless wanted), safe and supportive group is geared towards parents feeding babies 0-1 year. We will gather to ask feeding-related questions, share our experiences, find resources, and provide encouragement.
Join Group Facilitator, Courtney Pasqualoni, is a Postpartum Doula, a Certified Lactation Counselor, and a mother of three.
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Cloth Diaper Monthly Meet-up
Monthly: TBD
Time: TBD
Do you use cloth diapers for your baby or toddler? Are you interested in learning more about cloth diapers but don’t know where to start? Join us for our monthly Cloth Diapering Meet-up at Relief Parenting! Each month we will explore a new topic related to cloth diapering and have a chance to chat with other families who use cloth diapers in the community. Bring your babies, your questions, and an open mind! This group is appropriate for any caregivers who are interested in cloth diapering. All experience levels are welcome!
This meet-up is led by cloth diapering educator Alyssa King. Alyssa is a certified birth; postpartum doula, certified VBAC specialist, pediatric physical therapist, babywearing specialist, and cloth diaper educator. Alyssa combines her passion for all things pregnancy, birth, and babies with evidence-based knowledge and unbiased, non-judgmental support to make her clients feel prepared and supported in their journey through pregnancy, birth, parenthood, and beyond.
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Pregnancy Support Group
Day/Time: TBD
Your prenatal experience will not only affect you but also the development of your baby. Having a strong prenatal support system will positively effect your physical and psychological state as your enter into your labor and postpartum period.
These support groups for expecting pregnant people can be beneficial by decreasing stress and reducing fear and anxiety. By attending support groups, you will develop the tools needed to feel confident in pregnancy and strengthen relationships amongst your family members and peers. By improving social well-being you will improve your overall health and by caring for yourself you increasing the overall heath of your baby.
Join us for this weekly support group. Addressing questions and concerns and building the community you need to have a happy, healthy and safe pregnancy!
Registration FAQs
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All Groups are Pay What You Can:
$5, $10, & $15
This group is by sustained by your generous contributions. Thank you!
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If you have signed up for a group, we ask that if you need to, please cancel 12 hours prior to the group start time in order to give people on the waitlist the opportunity to join. If you cancel at least 12 hours prior, the group fee will be kept in your account to be used on a later date of your choosing. If you cancel less than 12 hours prior, or if you fail to show, you will be charged for the group. That amount cannot be transferred to another group. Please email or call us with questions or concerns.
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Preregistration of groups is highly recommended. Our classes fill up quickly and we can’t guarantee a spot will be available for drop-ins. Please call before coming to the center to check drop-in availability.
If the group is full, you can join the wait-list. When a spot opens up you will automatically be added from the wait-list and be notified via email and/or text (please check your opt in notifications via your Mindbody account.)
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Yes! Our on-premise childcare is available during your group of choice. Must be booked simultaneously online or on the Mindbody App.
Non-mobile babies welcome.
“Relief has had such a positive impact on the life of myself and my daughter! As a stay at home mom it can be hard to feel connected and supported. Relief’s Mothercare group with Ashley has been an incredible source of support. Getting to connect with other parents and professionals in a judgement free zone has been such a comfort and helped me feel like I’m not alone in my struggles. I feel I am the best me thanks to these supports!”
“I am eternally grateful for finding this group and that it even exists! There is definitely a lack of support in the world of step parenting and it can be quite isolating. Since finding Grady and the other wonderful ladies that join the group twice a month, I have felt so supported as a newer stepmom and the advice on self care and family management that they have given me is profound. I have been able to implement so much of what I have learned and just being heard is truly life changing. I can’t express enough how grateful I am and how much this group has helped me with such a challenging subject. Thank you so much!”
“The Virtual Step-parenting Group is everything a support group should be - welcoming, honest, encouraging, accepting. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences, but twice a month, we show up virtually to support and encourage each other in our individual stepparenting journeys. Stepparents from around the country share pieces of their lives, ask for guidance, and find humor and kindness in shared experiences. If you are a stepparent — whether brand new or seasoned, whether married or dating your partner, wherever in the world you may live — this group will offer you so much encouragement and support!”