Support Groups
Members of the RSDSA Community have started support groups throughout the United States. Some meet in person at a member’s home or another local venue. Others meet online or via Zoom.
You will find the groups welcoming to new members. They understand what you are going through. The environment is generally positive and solutions-oriented. You’ll learn new coping strategies and benefit from the experience of others. You’ll also likely find that you have much to contribute the group in return.
Peruse the list of groups below, which you can access by state. You may also want to consider starting a group in your area.
If you do not find a support group that fits your needs please contact Pam Kientzler.
RSDSA has compiled the listing of these individuals and support groups as a public service. These individuals have not been formerly trained nor are they completely supervised by RSDSA staff or volunteers. Please let us know if there is a difficulty in the groups or if you experience challenges contacting a particular individual or group as changes often occur without our knowledge.
General Support Group Resources
- 988 – The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a free service that runs 24/7. You do not need to be in a crisis or suicide to call. Calling 988 will not have someone dispatched to you.
- Basic Training for Veterans with Pain Support Groups
- Chronic Pain & CRPS/RSD – Keeping it Real Facebook Group
- Here to Help – The RSD Mommy
- Military and Veterans with RSD
- Moms and Future Moms with CRPS Facebook Group
- RSD/CRPS and Neuropathic Pain Syndrome Facebook Group
- RSD/CRPS Loved Ones and Caregivers Support Groups
- RSDSA Young Adult Support Group – For Young Adults with CRPS between 18 and 31.
- Safety in all aspect of your life with CRPS
- SCS, Ketamine, Nerve Blocks, Oh My!—Managing RSD/CRPS
- Spinal Cord Stimulator Support Group: Since the day I got my stimulator I have been wondering why there is not a support group for us. Well here it is! A place to ask questions, and get advice, or simply vent to someone who understands. All are welcome!
- Suicide Prevention
- US Pain Foundation: state-based support groups
- Visit the American Chronic Pain Association to locate a face-to-face chronic pain support group
Support Group Grant Program
New and existing support group facilitators often find that there are costs related to operating a support group or need startup funds for an awareness event. RSDSA has created a Support Group Grant Program to offer finial assistance with those costs. The goal of this program is to help maintain support systems for our CRPS Community.
This grant program will offer assistance to RSDSA registered in person, social media, phone and virtual support group meetings to aid in covering costs for postage, renting space for meetings, printing costs, office supplies deemed necessary, permits for events, promotional materials, refreshments for approved events and other needs.
Learn more about the purpose and use of the RSDSA Support Group Grant ahead of completing the grant application. Email your completed application to Pam Kientzler.
Support Groups By State
Debbie (501-240-2209) and Barbara (501-681-8970) offer phone, email, and Facebook Support
For Grace partners on this monthly support group for those who are caregivers for someone in pain and other health issues. The group is led by a professional facilitator and is free to attend (though there is a $4 hospital parking fee.) Meetings will be held at Leeza’s Care Connection at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, 501 South Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA
Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 11am – 1pm at the Board & Brew, 3030 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Please contact Kristie for registration information before attending the first meeting. This is a peer to peer support group!
We are a support group that includes topics we all deal with and also education. If you just want someone to talk to, do not hesitate to call or send an email. The group will meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at noon. Location: 1925 Laver Court, Los Altos
The USC Support Circle will be held the 3rd Thursday of each month from 2pm – 3pm at USC Occupation Therapy Faculty Practice, 1640 Marengo Street, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA to provide support, exchange information, provide education, resources, and tools for people dealing with chronic pain in a safe and caring atmosphere. There will be plenty of street parking close to the facility. Please feel free to bring anything that will help you be comfortable. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP at least 1 day prior to each meeting via email.
Meetings are Mondays from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. Please call to RSVP if interested in attending a meeting. Location: Semel Institute Building, Westwood Plaza. Room C8-639 (between Leconte and Charles E. Young at the UCLA Medical Plaza).
Meets bi-weekly Virtually. To join the group please contact Suzanne.
Meetings will be the 3rd Saturday of the month at 1:00pm Pacific. Most meetups are at Panera Bread, 5620 Balboa Avenue, San Diego, however we may have events and invite guest speakers at a different location. Please contact either Irina or Rebecca for meetup details.
Meetings will be held in various cities in the San Fernando Valley. Please contact Stephanie directly for meeting information and time.
Meetings are the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 3-5pm.
Location: Atascadero Library – O’Grady Room, 6555 Capistrano, Atascadero, CA 93422
If you can’t make the meeting, Suzanne also offers telephone and email support.
At this time the group will only have virtual meetings. Please contact the Support Group leader for dates and times.
U.S. Pain Foundation support group for Connecticut residents living with chronic pain. The group meets the third Wednesday of the month from 1pm- 2pm at U.S. Pain’s headquarters at 670 Newfield Street, Suite C, 2nd floor (elevator lift) in Middletown. Please check the website below the day of the meeting for last minute cancellations due to inclement weather or chronic pain/illness.
For teens living with CRPS around the country. Alexi’s meetings initially will be over the phone, Skype, or IM. For more information contact Alexi.
This group will meet the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month on Zoom. After 1/1/2021 the meetings will be on the 1st (in person and Zoom) and 3rd Thursday (Zoom only). The location for the meetings are at the New Hope Presbyterian Church, 10051 Plantation Road, Fort Myers, FL 33966.
Tales of the CRPS no longer will be meeting monthly. They will have quarterly events that are announced and publicized in the Tales of the CRPS Facebook Group. Anyone can request to become a member of the Facebook group to see when these events will take place and get information.
In person meetings postponed due to COVID, feel free to reach out for questions and help. Meeting replays are available here.
We meet both virtually AND now in-person again every 6-8 weeks. We also have special guests and group activities on occasion. Spouses/caregivers are always welcome too! Peer counseling/advocacy is also available via phone by appointment (no charge).
Email, phone support or one-on-one support at her office
A virtual safe place for all of the Midwest RSD/CRPS residents to gather. We host regular virtual meetings and virtual educational sessions. Potential members need to register on the website with their name and email and then request to join the closed group. Answers are HIPAA protected.
Feel free to call and leave a message. Please note that all calls are screened.
Meets 2nd Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm. Meets virtually or in person (call for location).
Phone / email support. 604 Nippersink Ave, Round Lake, 60073
Meeting will be online and alternating locations. The meeting will be held the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month at 4pm Central. For meeting information please look on the Iowa CRPS Support page on Facebook or call for information.
Meets 1st Tuesday at 1pm Central. Lobby of Twin Lakes Regional Hospital Leitchfield, KY 42754
Meets 1st Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30pm at the Hospitality Room of The Pines in Ocean Park
Meets the first and third Monday of the month from 1-2:30 pm via Google Meet. To join the support group, please click here to complete the Google form. You will then be added to the email list and will receive the link to the support group.
Request to join our closed Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/MarylandCRPSsupport/. We have a small thriving online community that provides education and support.
RSDSA Registration Number: 40147
At this time the group will only have virtual meetings. Please contact the Support Group leader for dates and times.
Email / Phone Support Only | 1259 Diamond NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Meetings will be the 4th Thursday of the month from 6pm – 7:30pm. Location: Health West, 376 E. Apple Avenue, Conference Room B, Muskegon, Michigan
This is a support and information sharing group for people who live in Michigan who have been diagnosed with RSD / CRPS or their immediate family members/caregivers.
Mail or Phone Support Only | 789 Kloman Avenue, Republic MI 49879
Open to everyone with CRPS, affected by or interested in learning about RSD/CRPS. Meets 4th Saturday, noon to 2pm at Savage Public Library (13090 Alabama Ave. S, Savage, MN). We also have periodic Family, Friends and Caregiver support groups separate from the RSD groups. Please contact Samantha for more information.
Meetings temporarily will be held at Joanna’s home: 14150 Millie Street, Diberville, MS
Support for individuals in the State of Missouri and Metro East Illinois affected with or by RSD/CRPS a neuroinflammatory
disorder. This is a Facebook-based support group. Please see below for the Facebook link.
This is a place for those who have or those that have loved ones with CRPS/RSD to come for help and support in a safe loving environment. This is an online Facebook Group and will occasionally meet in person at different locations across Missouri.
Meetings will be the 2nd Saturday of the month at 10 am. Location: Colonial Heights Apartments Clubhouse in the Tierra Neighborhood in Lincoln.
Chronic Pain Anonymous is a 12-Step fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other so that they may solve their common problem and to help others recover from chronic pain and chronic illness. The only requirement for membership in CPA is a desire to recover from the emotional, physical, and spiritual debilitation of chronic pain and chronic illness and a willingness to help others to do the same. Meets Saturdays at 12pm at BHS Carson Tahoe Regional Health Care, Building B at W Williams St at N Minnesota Rd, Carson City, NV 89702.
Meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at the Nashua Library at 20 Court Street, Nashua, NH. The group is professionally facilitated. Kristen also leads a phone group for adults on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 7pm – 8pm Eastern time.
Zoom Meetings are held the first and third Tuesday at 7:30pm. The meeting is open to anyone with CRPS/RSD, family, friends, and others with chronic pain. Professionals can attend upon approval.
In the Hudson County / NYC area (One 7-minute subway ride from Manhattan, and there are ferries and cabs available)
Meets on the 4th Tuesday at 7pm at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Barclay Room at 703 Main St, Paterson
Meets monthly on the last Thursday of the month from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Please contact Sylvia for the meeting location and to reserve your place. The meeting is open to CRPS Warriors and their family and friends.
Meeting will start September 1, 2022. The meetings will be held on Friday at 6pm at Round Lake Library Malta Branch located at 1 Bayberry Drive, Ballston Spa, NY.
Meets Tuesdays from 10am to 12pm at Denny’s at 4024 Vestal Parkway, Vestal, NY
Meets 4th Mondays at 7pm. Please note, the Support Group does not meet in May, July or August. Location: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 4007 Main Street, Eggertsville, NY
Meetings will be the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 5:30 – 7:00pm at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital’s Conference Room located at 785 Mamaroneck Avenue, Building 8, Room 217. For phone support, please leave a message and calls will be returned on a weekly basis.
Meets 3rd Wednesday from 7pm to 8:30pm at Pleasant Ridge Recreation Center’s Blue Room at 5915 Ridge Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45213. Email us if you would be interested in attending this group.
The Ohio RSD/CRPS Support Group is a multi-faceted group focused on fundraisers, in-person meetings and providing support across the state via Senate hearings and the Ohio Board of Health.
Meetings are on Sunday from 2:00pm – 4:00pm during warm weather. For meeting information, visit the Facebook Group or call Lynda. Please contact Lynda Avallone for phone and email support.
Meets 4th Tuesday from 6:30pm to 8pm. Call for location or leave your name and number.
Southern Oregonians diagnosed and living with RSD/CRPS are free to join this no fee peer support group. For more information on the meetings, please email Elisa.
Meets every Tuesday of the Month from 1pm – 3pm at Christ Presbyterian Church located at421 Deerfield Road, Camp Hill, PA
Phone and Email Support Only | 16 Carlton St., Canton, PA 17724
Meets 3rd Thursdays from 6pm to 7pm at Indiana Regional Medical Center in Indiana, PA | You can also contact Mrs. N.J. King (hospital contact) at 724.357.8135
Phone support only at this time, please check back for updates.
Founded in 2019, the group will meet the 2nd Sunday of the month from 1-2:30pm via Zoom. The link for the Zoom meeting will be shared after a brief introduction via phone.
Email and phone support only. From November – May 1st you can contact Suzanne at 570.348.9743 and from May – November 1st please call 570.383.0578.
Meetings will run from September to May. Please reach out for resources, support, and information.
Adviser on Public Relations for Patients in Puerto Rico and APF Leader Action Network Puerto Rico helping to promote awareness.
The Horry County & Surrounding Areas CRPS Group meets once a month. We lean on each other for support and have grown into a family along with our support squad.
If you live in Brunswick County, NC, as well as other towns around Horry County, we welcome you to join us.
Meetings will be held either on Monday or Tuesday and a time of day will be decided. The meetings will be held at her home on 10 8th Avenue, N.W., Aberdeen, SD 57401.
This group meets on Wednesdays at 6pm at Meeting at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church at 260 Wade Road, Loudon, TN.
This is a local group with several non-local support members, family members of survivors, friends of survivors, nurses, doctors, physical therapists and members of other RSD/CRPS groups that can help network and share information regarding the latest treatment in their areas. This is a closed group.
Monthly Group Meetings Around the State / Texas CRPS Peer Support Chat Line 365 | Support is also available via Facebook, email, phone, and in person.
Meetings will be held at the El Paso Northeast SDA Church located at 6035 Woodrow Bean/Transmountain Drive, El Paso, TX
Houstonians can also engage with the Houston Support Group at twitter.com/HoustonCRPS
If you are interested in attending a support group please contact Jaclyn by email for information. To join the private Facebook group please email Jaclyn.
This group does not meet on a monthly basis. If interested in attending a meeting please contact Boyd and he will add you to the email list indicating when the next meeting will be. The location for the meeting is Intermountain Layton Clinic, 2075 University Park Blvd. Layton, UT.
Phone and email support only | Contact us at PO Box 1067, Newport, VT 05855
Contact Carolyn for phone / email support or join the private Facebook group.
This is a Facebook group where people whose lives have been impacted by Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) /Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and chronic pain can come for encouragement and emotional support, ask questions, and share ideas and information. This organization will also aid in raising awareness for RSD/CRPS and chronic pain.
For people living with RSD/CRPS, their caregivers, friends and loved ones. Our intent is to provide information, support and a forum for discussion for those dealing with this disease. Educating for Awareness on a daily basis is how we find options that will lead us to a cure. One Piece of the puzzle at a time. The meetings are held the 1st Wednesday of every month from 6:30 – 8:00pm Pacific at North Seattle Church, Room 101, 2150 N. 122nd Street, Seattle, WA 98133. Please contact Lee and Kevin if you plan to attend so they have enough chairs, materials and refreshments.
Please contact the group leader, Jennifer Ray, via email or phone for details on the support group meetings.
Meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 6pm – 8pm. Please join us for this patient-led support group. Our goal is to help create a safe place for those diagnosed with RSD/CRPS, to share their journey and to promote family, friends, and caregivers to join us.
Phone Support Only | If Beverly doesn’t answer please leave your telephone number and she will return your call.
Phone Support Only. To help others who have RSD to realize they are not alone and try to have some relief in the pain.
International Groups
iPain International Pain Foundation Power of Pain Headquarters Our mission is to educate and support the chronic pain community around the world.
International Research Consortium for CRPS
Email: [email protected]
International Research Foundation for RSD/CRPS
Australia
Australian RSD/CRPS Support Group
Email: [email protected]
PainAustralia Limited & Additional Resources
The Purple Bucket Foundation Inc.
Canada
P.A.R.C. (Promoting Awareness of RSD in Canada)
Pain BC: We have a shared passion for reducing the burden of pain and making positive change in the health care system in British Columbia, Canada.
Contact: Krista Spence
Email: [email protected]
New Zealand
Kiwi CRPS
kiwicrps.co.nz
Email: [email protected]
South Korea
United Kingdom