Online Support Groups Near Madison, Wisconsin
Whether you are in Sun Prairie, Middleton, Fitchburg, Verona or somewhere else in Dane County, ShareWell has live online support groups for people whose entire life has narrowed to a degree, a lab or a dissertation. Madison runs on the university and the research and software jobs around it, and the pressure in those buildings can swallow a person whole.
Every group meets online by live video, so you can join from home.
These online groups start during the day and evening in Central time, so they fit a day near Madison.
Upcoming Groups
mcintyrelila
People, who need people.
CityGirl_Holly
Neurodivergent people who need help getting focused.
2 spots left
mcintyrelila
People, who need people.
HeatherCM24
health issues of any kind, anxiety, depression, etc.
When the degree is your whole life
Graduate students, postdocs and early-career researchers come to Madison from every state and dozens of countries, often alone, and find that the work expands to fill every hour. An advisor's mood decides your month. A failed experiment or a rejected paper feels like a verdict on you. Friends are also colleagues and also competitors, and everyone is too busy to notice that you have stopped sleeping. The young software workers out in Verona are on a similar treadmill, with a company culture that asks for everything and a social life made of coworkers. Add a winter that lasts from November to April, a partner back home who does not understand why you cannot visit, and the question of what you will do if this does not work out, and the anxiety has plenty to feed on.
How peer support helps near Madison
A peer group is an hour where nobody asks about your progress. You join from your apartment near campus or the office after hours, and the group gives you people outside the program who will remember you are a person and not a project.
What members near Madison talk about
- Anxiety and burnout in a long degree or research program
- A difficult advisor or manager who controls your future
- Isolation far from home with coworkers as your only circle
- Imposter feelings in a building full of smart people
Who these groups may help
- Graduate students, postdocs and researchers
- Early-career workers at the big campus employers
- International students and staff a long way from family
- Partners who moved to Madison for someone else's program
Support group topics for people near Madison
Every topic has its own page with live groups, so you can start with the one closest to what you are carrying.
Areas around Madison
Every group meets online, so you can join from home anywhere around Madison.
- Sun Prairie
- Middleton
- Fitchburg
- Verona
- Waunakee
- Stoughton
- Janesville
- Dane County
- South-central Wisconsin
Crisis and help lines near Madison
ShareWell groups are peer support and are not crisis or emergency services. If you or someone near you is in danger, call 911, or call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any hour.
- Journey Mental Health Center Crisis Line608-280-2600
Dane County
Official site
Support groups in other cities
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to live in Madison to join?
Will there be other academics in the group?
I have no fixed schedule. Can I come when I can?
Does this replace the counseling center?
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