Groups and Meetings

What is an SIA meeting or group?
An SIA meeting consists of two or more individuals who come together for mutual help and convene regularly as a meeting.
Each SIA meeting is autonomous and does not represent the SIA organization as a whole. Meetings in a local or shared virtual format may form groups of meetings or intergroups.
What are the minimum requirements for starting a meeting?
As long as a group follows the 12 Traditions of SIA, has a set of safety guidelines, and remains open to newcomers, it may call itself an SIA Meeting. Perpetrators are not allowed at SIA meetings.
How are meetings started?
The WSO registers meetings with the assurance that groups will have established clear safety guidelines and abide by the 12 Traditions of SIA and general operating principles of the SIA program. These principles include not closing the group to any new members, as newcomers are essential to 12-step recovery.
Many of our meetings have been started by survivors who had never attended an SIA meeting. All SIA groups are autonomous. This means that groups democratically decide what format they wish to use, their safety guidelines, if shares will be timed, etc. There is no one “correct” way to run a meeting. Formats differ from one group to another. Group members are free to call for a Group Conscience meeting and make suggestions. A Group Conscience is essentially a business meeting that allows for each voice to be heard and decisions to be made by a majority, with the minority always heard and respected.
The length of meetings differs from one group to another. If you’ve attended other 12-step meetings that you like, you can model your SIA meeting after those.
If you’re considering starting a meeting, check out the free resources section in the SIA shop. As part of our efforts to help survivors worldwide, we provide documents, forms, and templates for easy download. We have collected and published a variety of best practices from groups worldwide. When you find what works for your group, share that with us so every group can benefit from it. Please send us documents, templates, and practices your group found helpful. Due to time and space limitations, we cannot post all entries, and we reserve the right to edit to enhance functionality.
How is meeting safety handled?
There are many good ways to keep a meeting safe. Each group decides for itself its safety guidelines and what it will do to maintain safety. The Free Resources section of the SIA shop has examples of safety guidelines. Take what you like, adapt it as you will, and let us know of any great changes you want to share with the fellowship.
How do I handle a conflict in my SIA group?
Conflict within SIA groups happens often. To deal with these conflicts, it is most helpful to refer to the 12 Traditions. In the wisdom of these group boundaries, we can find most answers to our questions. Groups have the autonomy to format their meetings in many ways but not to alter the 12 Traditions of SIA. Changing these means the group no longer wants to be an SIA meeting. Group members are always within their rights to call for a Group Conscience meeting (sometimes called a business meeting) about an issue they find distressing or a change they wish to see in the group’s format. These GC meetings need to be conducted safely with the 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts of Service in mind. If you or your group have questions, contact the WSC Group Concerns Committee for guidance.
How do I list a meeting on the website?
All meetings, whether independent or belonging to a loose collective group or official Intergroup, should register on the website and keep the listing up to date. Accurate listings help newcomers find the support they need. The WSO registers meetings with the assurance that registered groups agree to have clear safety guidelines and abide by the 12 Traditions of SIA and the general operating principles of the SIA program. These principles include not closing the group to any new members, as newcomers are essential to 12-step recovery.
What are service positions?
The group’s operations are the responsibility of the group’s trusted servants, who are elected by the members. Service positions (e.g., meeting host, facilitator, or chair, group service representative , literature person, treasurer, etc.) rotate, which allows everyone to have a service opportunity. All trusted servants are leaders who perform their duties in keeping with the 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts of Service of SIA. They have no authority over but rather serve the group and SIA.
What is a World Service Conference GSR (group service representative)?
Every meeting listed in the SIA meetings directory has a voice and a vote in SIA business through their Group Service Representative (GSR). They represent the meeting at the SIA World Service Conference annual gathering and any Intergroup they may belong to. This Group Service Representative (GSR) is elected by the meeting to represent the group’s collective interest in the group conscience of the whole fellowship.
Are minors (under 18) allowed at meetings?
SIA is a fellowship for adults. SIA World Service Office cautions that groups that allow minors must be aware of the laws in their particular state or country. Many jurisdictions have laws requiring reporting suspected (past or present) abuse of a minor. Therefore, the confidentiality of the minor is limited. Adults who do not report the disclosures of minors may violate their state or country laws. Teens and adults should be aware of this before they enter the room.
Are meetings autonomous?
All SIA meetings are autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups or the organization as a whole. Survivors of Incest Anonymous WSO is not involved with nor responsible for any meeting or group decisions. The SIA World Service Office is not associated with, and takes no responsibility for, any external websites (including Intergroups) that have linked this site or otherwise directed you here, nor is it responsible for the content of their statements. The World Service Office makes suggestions, but it does not police groups and is not responsible for anything that occurs at group meetings. Groups are independent organizations and have total control over their own activities.
How do meetings communicate with each other and the WSC?
There are two major lines of communication between the groups and SIA as a whole: the SIA World Service Conference (with its committees, which is considered the Group Conscience of the whole fellowship) and the SIA World Service Office (WSO), which acts as the service center for groups worldwide.