Survivor-Led · Trauma-Informed · Culturally Rooted
Survivor-Led · Trauma-Informed · Culturally Rooted
In-Person · Monthly · Southern Maine
Being an African woman in Maine can be lonely — even when you are surrounded by people. The Peer Support Group is a monthly, in-person gathering where you can sit with women who know what you are carrying, speak in your own truth, and leave feeling less alone.
Monthly Meeting Details
Free to Attend “There are things you cannot say to your husband, your children, or even your closest friend. In this group, you can say them. And someone will nod — because she has been there too.”— Peer Support Group Member, Southern Maine
The asylum process is exhausting, frightening, and isolating. The waiting. The uncertainty. The fear of what comes next. Women in this group understand that weight — and can sit with you in it while you wait.
What We Talk About
This is not a group with a narrow topic. Life does not come in neat categories — and neither does our conversation. These are some of the things that come up in our group. If you have been carrying any of these, you belong here.
Raising children in America is not what you imagined. Your children are becoming American faster than you are. They correct your English. They push back against your values. You are not alone in this.
Many women in this group have survived violence — sexual violence, domestic abuse, war, persecution. You do not have to explain your story to be welcomed. But if you need to speak it, this is a place where it will be held with care.
Many African women were not raised in cultures where mental health is talked about openly. Here, we talk about it — anxiety, depression, grief, feeling lost — without shame and without judgment. Your mental health matters.
Pressure from family back home. A marriage that is struggling under the weight of migration. Loneliness inside a relationship. Expectations that do not match reality. The group is a space to talk about what is really happening at home.
Navigating schools, hospitals, housing, jobs, benefits — in a system that is not designed for you, in a language that is not your first. Women in this group share what they know, what they learned the hard way, and what helped.
Who are you when you are between two worlds — not fully African anymore, not American either? The question of identity hits hard in Maine. We talk about what it means to belong to yourself when everything around you is new.
Finding work when your credentials are not recognized. Working three jobs and still not making it. The shame of needing help. The exhaustion of being the one everyone depends on. These realities are part of our conversation too.
There is no script and no required topic. Some meetings go deep into grief. Some are full of laughter. Some are quiet. Whatever needs to be said will find its space. You don’t have to come with a plan — just come.
Who This Is For
This group is for African and African diaspora women living in Maine — regardless of how long you have been here, where in Africa you are from, or what you are going through.
You belong here if you are doing well and want to be part of a community. You belong here if you are struggling and need support. You belong here if you are somewhere in between — which is where most of us are.
You do not need a referral from a doctor. You do not need to be a WHI program participant. You just need to be an African woman in Maine who wants to be in a room with other African women. That is enough.
From a Group Member
“I almost did not come. I was afraid of what I might say, or what others might think. But the moment I walked in and heard women speaking Amharic, Somali, French, Swahili — I knew I was home.”— Peer Support Group Member, Portland, Maine
What to Expect
Every meeting begins with a moment to arrive — a breath, a word, a small ritual that says: we are here now, we are safe, we are together. It helps the body and mind settle after whatever you carried to get here.
We go around the circle so every woman has the chance to check in — to share how she is doing in whatever words feel right. You can say one word or many words. You can pass. There is no wrong way.
The heart of the meeting. Women share what they are carrying, and the rest of the group listens — with warmth, without judgment. Sometimes women offer advice. Sometimes they just sit with you in the hard thing. Both are healing.
Every woman who attends agrees to one rule: what is said in this group does not leave this room. We do not record meetings. We do not share stories. We do not post about the group online. This confidentiality is what makes it possible for women to speak freely — and we protect it absolutely.
You do not need to prepare anything. You do not need to know anyone. You do not need to be ready to talk. You just need to show up — and we will take care of the rest.
Register below and we will send you the date, time, and location of the next meeting. There is no commitment — come once and see how it feels.
Questions? Contact us at info@woundedhealersinternational.org
