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The Group Guide
Connecting people to community
Client and Family Education
What to know about

Community, Connection, and Your Health

Social connection is the people around you. Friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and the groups you belong to. Loneliness is the gap between the connection you want and what you have. You can live alone and feel connected. You can live in a full house and feel lonely. The US Surgeon General calls connection as basic as food and water. Community is where it gets built. The places you return to, with the same people, week after week.

Who it's for, and who it's not

For anyone who has fewer people in their week than they would like.
Most useful during a big change, like a move, retirement, divorce, a new baby, or a loss.
If loneliness comes with lasting low mood or thoughts of self-harm, get care from a licensed provider first.

Where connection can come from

Close ties. The few people you could call at 2 a.m.
Everyday contact. Neighbors, coworkers, the person who knows your coffee order.
Belonging. The groups, teams, churches, clubs, and causes you show up for.
Small first steps
1Pick one thing that happens every week. A weekly meetup builds more than a one-time event.
2Go three times before you decide if it fits. The first visit is usually the hardest.
3Keep it low-key. Showing up counts, even if you mostly listen.

Being part of a community is tied to a longer life.

A review of 148 studies and more than 300,000 people found something striking. People with stronger social ties were 50% more likely to survive over the study periods. The link was strongest for being part of a wider web of people and groups, not just living with someone.1
The WHO Commission on Social Connection says 1 in 6 people worldwide is affected by loneliness. It links loneliness to more than 871,000 deaths a year.2
Making the most of it
Build it, don't wait for it. Community grows when you keep coming back to the same place and people.
Regular beats big. An hour a week with the same people beats an occasional big night out.
Let the activity carry it. Doing something side by side takes the pressure off talking.
Questions to ask before you join
1How often does it meet, and can I come once without committing?
2What happens at a first visit, and is there any cost?
3Is it in person, online, or both?

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In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).

The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic. This handout is general education, not medical or mental health advice. Listings are written by group leaders and are not endorsements. Confirm details, cost, and fit with any group you contact. Sources on page 2.

The Group Guide
Connecting people to community
Client and Family Education

Sources

Community, Connection, and Your Health · references keyed to the numbers on page 1.

1Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine (2010), 7(7), e1000316.

2World Health Organization. From loneliness to social connection: Charting a path to healthier societies. Report of the WHO Commission on Social Connection (2025).

In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).

The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic. This handout is general education, not medical or mental health advice. Listings are written by group leaders and are not endorsements. Confirm details, cost, and fit with any group you contact.