The Professional Counselor | Volume 14, Issue 3 264 Participants commented about the experience of being together, expressed support and empathy, and described hopes for ongoing opportunities to connect. We were aware of the vulnerability of the participants as they found a safe place to share their stories. One participant described how she felt that the group was different from her previous group experiences, stating, “I hate group therapy. I do not speak in group therapy, but obviously, I can’t shut up. It just came out so openly because there’s a comfort here; there’s no uppity.” Another participant playfully shared, “I’m sharing a lot. Don’t judge me,” identifying how she felt comfortable talking about herself in the focus group setting. The ability to be open was likely encouraged by the experience of being in a group of mothers who shared similar histories. One participant stated, “It’s nice knowing that you’re not alone like, you know, whenever you feel sad or upset or whatever, like, knowing other moms feel that too,” which was a similar sentiment to a participant of another group who said, “You know, it makes you feel so much better. It’s like, man, [you’re] going through it too, I’m not crazy.” The mothers also appreciated one another’s support, stating, “Yeah, it’s nice for someone to say, ‘Yeah, I get it.’” The participants’ willingness to be vulnerable could result from the expression of support and empathy among the participants. The participants made frequent comments like, “That’s right. That’s how I feel too,” “Oh, that’s a good idea. I never thought about that,” “I didn’t even realize it till you just said that,” and “You’ve done a great job!” Sometimes, these expressions were minimal encouragers as the participants supported one another with ongoing head nods, mm-hmms, and the occasional expression of “Oh my gosh!” or “It really is!” At other times, the expression of support was more overt, as in statements like, “I don’t blame you for not having any more [children] after everything you went through. I’d be done, too.” The participants seemed to connect even when there were differences in their experiences, such as one participant describing respect for the participants who had C-sections: “Y’all are the women having C-sections that terrifies me. They said something about the C-section, and I was like [gasp!] no, I will get her out. . . . y’all are amazing for doing that.” The participants not only supported one another in the conversations related to the group, but they also expressed warmth toward one another’s children. As described in the methodology section, the participants’ children were in the same large room with caregivers provided by the study. In the instances where a child was drawing their mother’s attention, the participants were open to the children, such as the comment by one mother normalizing the behavior: “The one thing we know about being a mom is that kids are unpredictable.” The participants also frequently complimented one another’s family with statements about the other children like, “You’re so cute” or “They’re lovely, beautiful.” The participants seemed to accept one another wholeheartedly without judgment. Another consistent occurrence at the end of the groups was the participants’ gratitude for the experience of being together and a desire to continue meeting. For instance, one participant stated, “It would be nice if there were a mom group here because I’m not aware of that, some kind of a meetup or something.” Another mother brainstormed, “We could take the kids to the park. That way, they could play, and we can talk.” Overall, the feeling was consistent among the participants. Being with other moms was enjoyable, as shown in the statement, “I could do this all day, every day. Like, let’s talk everything babies” and “I do love talking about birth with other people. The same as you. I’ve never met another person with experience like I have. This is really great.” Overall, while the participants described many personal struggles, they also demonstrated their individual strength and empathic ability to support one another.
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