Although Bay Area Friends is a primarily a Social Group, many of us do talk to each other about personal experiences dealing with herpes and dating with herpes. Knowledge is power, and talking to people who have successfully dated with herpes is a real confidence builder, and we are happy to share our stories with you.
Herpes Support Group Meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area
Occasionally, BAF members will organize informal herpes support group meetings, especially for the benefit of those who are new to herpes and need to talk to someone in person. Make sure to join the BAF Yahoo Group or BAF Meetup Group to keep informed about when such meetings occur. There are a few experienced Support Group Moderators in our group who will be happy to facilitate a meeting, if someone else will host a meeting in their home, or other local meeting place. Support group meetings have been held in private homes, restaurants, parks, and hospital meeting rooms and in other places where participants feel like they have sufficient privacy. With your help, these meetings can be organized whenever there is sufficient interest. Please join the Yahoo Group or Meetup Group to express your interest in attending a Support Group, and be prepared to help find a location, day and time that works for everyone.
San Francisco HELP – Herpes Support Group
Unfortunately, the official San Francisco HELP group has been inactive for a very long time. Please join Bay Area Friends Yahoo Group or BAF Meetup Group to express your interest in holding an informal support group meeting near your area.
Online Herpes Support Groups
We recommend the following resources for those who need immediate emotional support or medical information related to genital herpes:
*Secret* Facebook National HELP Support Group – for herpes-related topics only. This group is relatively new but already has hundreds of members. Because this group is *secret* – all group activity is private and will NEVER appear on your public Facebook profile and cannot be found or seen by anyone except other members. To join the secret Facebook National HELP support group, login to Facebook, and find JoAnn Purkey (she OK’d this link). Then send her a “friend request” and make sure to also send her a private message saying that you “have herpes and want to join the secret HELP group on Facebook.” She’ll make you a member. After that, you can un-friend her if you want.
Picking Up The Pieces Yahoo Group – A Moderated Yahoo Group for Herpes, HPV and STD Support - The moderators of this group are not medical professionals, but they are very experienced giving support especially to those who are newly diagnosed.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PickingUpThePieces/
National Herpes Hotline: (919) 361-8488
The National Herpes Hotline (NHH) is operated by ASHA as part of the Herpes Resource Center (HRC). The hotline, which receives over 60,000 calls a year, provides accurate information and appropriate referrals to anyone concerned about herpes. Trained Health Communication Specialists are available to address questions related to transmission, prevention and treatment of herpes simplex virus (HSV). The NHH also provides support for emotional issues surrounding herpes such as self-esteem and partner communication. The hotline is open from 9am to 6pm, ET, Monday through Friday.
Overwhelmed? Depressed? Thoughts of Suicide? Get help right now:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
or call Suicide Prevention Helpline at
800-273-8255
For more links to useful medical information about herpes, please see our Herpes Links and Info page.