This document discusses the importance of social support for making successful changes in one's life. It identifies seven types of support: listening support, shared experience support, technical support, participatory support, motivational support, emotional support, and practical support. Each type is described briefly. The document advises the reader to think about which people in their life can provide which types of support, and to directly ask those people for help to make requested changes.

1. Session 6 Enlisting Support

2. Why is social support important? Research shows that social support is crucial to making a successful change in your life. The more supportive your family and friends are, the more likely you are to succeed in any kind of change.

3. Finding the Support You Need There are different types of supportand different people who can offer it to you. Here are some examplesof the SEVEN support troops

4. 1. LISTENING Support Find someone who is a good listener. This kind of help usually comes from people who listen to your triumphs and troubles without giving advice or making judgments.

5. 2. SHARED EXPERIENCE Support This help comes from someone who is or has been ‘in the same boat’ as you.He or she knows what you are experiencing and can sympathize

6. 3. TECHNICAL Support This is someone who can offer knowledgeable advice, such as health professionals. Other sources of include: books, videos, magazines, websites, or television. Make sure information is comes from a trusting resource or research.

7. 4. PARTICIPATORY Support This person participates with you as you go through your behavior change. Perhaps it is a friend who joins you in your lunch time walk. This person is a partner who keeps you accountable as you push towards your goals.

8. 5. MOTIVATIONAL Support The kind of support that boosts your confidence, improves your dedication and encourages your behaviors!

9. 6. EMOTIONAL Support This is the person who you go to when you are feeling down, up, happy, sad. They may be good listeners, but they are genuinely invested in your emotional well-being.

10. 7. PRACTICAL Support This is the person that helps you through the steps in your behavior change. This could be a teacher, advisor, facilitator, instructor, etc.

11. Who can you turn to? You may not need all seven kinds of support all the time. There may be times when you need one support troop more than another. Remember, one person is not likely to offer ALL these forms of support. Who are in your support troop?