About our group
About The Open Circle
The Open Circle is a welcoming local support group committed to connection, honesty, and showing up for one another. We have been gathering to share experience, strength, and hope — and our doors remain open to all.
Whether you are attending your first meeting or have been coming for years, you will find a warm, non-judgmental community here. We hold regular in-person and online meetings throughout the week.
Open to All
Anyone looking for support is welcome at our meetings.
Peer Support
Real people with shared experience — no experts, no lectures.
Confidentiality
What is shared here, stays here. A safe and confidential space.
Our story
A small room, a pot of coffee, and one clear purpose.
The Open Circle takes its name from our humble beginnings — a borrowed room, folding chairs, and a few neighbors helping each other through hard seasons. The room has changed over the years, but the routine hasn’t: we check in, we share, we listen, and we go home a little lighter.
We are a self-supporting group in Fairview, run entirely by our members. There are no dues or fees, no attendance records, and no one in charge — just members taking turns making coffee, opening the doors, and welcoming whoever walks in next.
Most of our meetings are open discussion: someone offers a topic, and anyone who wants to speak, speaks. Closed meetings are reserved for group members. Either way, you are always free to simply listen.
How we meet
Our group agreements.
Twelve simple agreements that keep our meetings safe, honest, and welcoming.
1
Everyone who comes looking for support is welcome here.
2
What is shared in the group stays in the group.
3
We listen without interrupting, fixing, or judging.
4
We speak from our own experience, in our own words.
5
We share the time so every voice can be heard.
6
Silence is always okay — no one is required to speak.
7
We offer advice only when someone asks for it.
8
We respect each other’s beliefs, backgrounds, and pace.
9
We protect each other’s privacy outside the room.
10
We take turns with the small jobs that keep the group running.
11
We make room for newcomers first, and check in on familiar faces we haven’t seen in a while.
12
We keep coming back — for ourselves and for each other.
Come sit with us.
The best way to get to know the group is to visit. Arrive a few minutes early, grab a coffee, and take a seat — that’s it.