Free Depression & Bipolar Peer Support — Leawood, KS | DBSA OP
The Depression Bipolar Support Alliance of Overland Park (DBSA Overland Park) runs free peer-led support groups for people whose lives are touched by mood and anxiety disorders — including bipolar disorder, depression, and the anxiety conditions that so often travel with them. The groups are explicitly peer support: people who have been there, helping each other. DBSA is clear that group is not a replacement for care from medical or mental health professionals, but a complement to it, and many members use both.
What to Expect
In-person meetings run Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:45 PM at Church of the Resurrection, Room B210, 13720 Roe Ave, Leawood, KS 66224. Park in lot B just south of Building B; the room is on the second floor. Zoom meetings run every Tuesday at 7:00 PM and happen even on holidays, while the in-person group pauses when the church is closed. Arriving five to ten minutes early is encouraged so the group can start on time. Sessions are open discussion. You are welcome to participate and share, or simply come and listen — no one is required to speak. Childcare is not available at the in-person meeting.
Who This Group Is For
Adults living with depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety, and the friends and loved ones whose lives are affected by someone else’s mood disorder. No diagnosis, referral, or DBSA membership is required. The group describes itself as an accepting environment for people working toward health and wellness, and it is a particularly good fit for people who feel isolated by a condition that is hard to explain to people who have not lived it.
Why Peer Support Works
Mood disorders distort self-assessment in a specific way: depression argues that the current state is permanent, and hypomania argues that everything is fine. A peer group provides an outside reference point on both counts. Regular contact with people who have moved through episodes and come out the other side makes recovery legible rather than abstract, and members often notice early warning signs in each other before a clinician’s next scheduled appointment. The practical exchange — sleep routines, how to raise a medication concern with a prescriber, how to talk to an employer — is knowledge that accumulates in groups and rarely anywhere else.
How to Join
For the in-person group, come Thursday evening to Church of the Resurrection, Room B210, in Leawood. For the Zoom group, join Tuesdays at 7:00 PM using the meeting link posted on the DBSA Overland Park support page. Email info@dbsaop.org for Zoom setup help or to join the mailing list that announces the rare weeks the in-person group does not meet. You can also reach Erin at (913) 735-0635. There is no fee. If you are in crisis, call or text 988. Details at dbsaop.org/support.