Support Group Information

Our online Men's Group gives you the opportunity to share while supporting your peers in a safe and confidential space.

In today’s superficial and isolating world, men's groups have emerged as powerful spaces for connection and healing. Our Online Men’s Group offers you the opportunity to give and receive support in a safe and confidential space, leading to increased self-acceptance, confidence, and meaningful relationships.

What you can expect:

1. Safety and Authenticity:

In a culture that expects stoicism and emotional restraint, we encourage participants to openly talk about their feelings and confront their emotions. This facilitates emotional growth and improves mental wellbeing.

2. Understanding and Empathy:

As you listen to the experiences of other participants from diverse backgrounds and share your own, you’ll be reminded that you’re not alone in your struggles while building skills for understanding and empathy.

3. Support and Camaraderie:

Through regular meetings, we become pillars for one another, offering encouragement, advice, and guidance in times of need. This strengthens resilience and gives you the tools to face life's challenges with greater confidence.

4. Opportunities for Growth:

By engaging in open discussions about relationships, career aspirations, and mental health, you’re exposed to new perspectives and insights. This facilitates personal growth and self-awareness.

5. A Lifelong Journey:

Being part of our Men’s Group is a commitment to ongoing growth and community. Over time, you’ll develop a sense of accountability to yourself and your fellow group members as you contribute to the group.

All welcome:

New Life’s Online Men’s Groups are open to all of us who identify as men and who want to nurture personal growth and build meaningful bonds. We celebrate diversity and inclusion.

About the facilitators

Alan Piatek

After experiencing New Life Thailand in 2018, I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer at New Life Portugal for over 6 months. In Portugal I was trusted to facilitate our weekly men’s groups, a heartfelt experience that I will be forever grateful for.

As a coach, I am passionate about helping people, supporting them in leading a healthier, more balanced and fulfilling life. My coaching is rooted in evidence-based methods such as Systemic Coaching and NLP, and draws upon a combination of mindfulness, breathwork, and shamanic wisdom.

I’m originally from Berlin and that is also where I currently live. Alongside my daily mindfulness practice, I enjoy being active, playing basketball, surfing or going on hikes whenever I have the chance.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanpiatek/

Dave Larsen

I began my career in the late 1980s as a certified alcohol and drug abuse counsellor, spending 15 years owning and managing programs for adolescents and parents across Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. A significant part of this work involved family education.

After earning my MBA in 2007, I transitioned to a career in education, becoming director of Colorado State University’s Executive MBA Program. In this role, I developed a leadership coaching program and led international study tours to China, Russia, Germany, and Peru. Inspired by the success of the executive education environment, I shifted to an adjunct faculty position in CSU’s online MBA program and started a Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC) for at-risk high school students.

During my time at the TLC, I discovered Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB), a program founded by the Dalai Lama and leading scientists, including Paul Ekman. CEB integrates emotional intelligence and mindfulness practice, and I found it to be the most effective approach to emotions I had ever encountered. This led me to becoming a certified CEB teacher in 2019. I went on to establish the Emotional Balance Institute (EBI).

Currently, my primary focus is teaching CEB to family members of individuals with mental health and addiction issues and to professionals navigating difficult emotions in the workplace at the EBI, while continuing my teaching work at CSU.

Emotional Balance Institute: www.emotionalbalanceinstitute.com

Additional information:

Time commitment: Ideally we would ask you to commit for 3 months to encourage a sense of safety and create continuity, although we don’t expect everyone to be able to join every single session. Of course, you can join for longer than 3 months if you’d like! If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.

Cost: FREE

Session Structure

• Short meditation

• Explanation of the intention and the spirit of the group

• Explanation of the guidelines

• Introduction of the group theme

• Round of short check-ins

• Brief mindfulness moment

• Opening the floor for sharing

• Round of check-outs