Who we are
In October 2012, Laura’s Group, then “North Austin Bipolar Support Group”, began as a small group of people living with bipolar disorder came together over coffee to talk and support each other. As of 2019, changed the name informally to “Laura’s Group” to honor Laura Stevens Smith, who you can read about below. After the pandemic began we moved online to virtual sessions and have stayed there ever since to continue our connections to our new found members from other parts of the country and even Canada. We have since dropped the name “North Austin Bipolar Support Group” as that name no longer reflects our geographical reality. Instead, we are now simply “Laura’s Group.”
We do our best to educate, inspire, and authentically connect with each other. We all have life experiences that we use to advise and help people, even though we are not clinical professionals. Life experiences can often be more valuable to group member. Having a solid support system is one of the most positive things that we can do for ourselves, and for others with bipolar disorder.
Suicide prevention is core to our mission. Texas Suicide Prevention reports that 20% of people with bipolar disorder will die from death by suicide. We do our very best to prevent this from happening. Therefore, if you are having suicidal thoughts or ideations, we want you to feel safe to share those with us. Please know that if you have an actual plan for suicidal actions, we will seek professional assistance for you. We care about every life that enters our group family and strive to protect it the best way we possibly can. If you are suffering from suicidal thoughts, please reach out to an organizer or meeting host.
Please also see the below online resources that are available to you.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988
Travis County Suicide Hotline 512-472-4357.
You are not alone. Help is just a phone call away.
Lifeline Chat is a service of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you’re not ready to talk to someone but feel up to an online chat with a counselor, this service will connect you to a counselor for emotional support and other services, 24/7.
From Elizabeth, our Lead Organizer:
The group is called Laura’s Group after my first cousin, Laura Stevens Smith that tragically lost her life to death by suicide in 2009 to bipolar disorder. When she passed, I told her husband that I wanted to do something to help people like Laura that suffered from bipolar disorder. Now, I am getting to do that by honoring her memory and name, every day.
As our group has grown into a true community, and our vision is to eventually transition our organization into a non-profit to help even more people. Click here to see Elizabeth speak about how important Laura’s Group is on our community, and her vision for the future of the organization.
How You can Help:
We are now able to accept donations for Laura’s Group through Venmo to help us cover the ongoing costs of maintaining this website and our Meet subscription. If you are a member or supporter of Laura’s Group and have the ability to help support the group financially, we would gratefully welcome your assistance. Our goal for 2025 is to raise enough money to fully cover our costs for the website and use of Google Meet for all of 2026 - $500.
We can’t wait to update you with our progress on our fundraising goal. The Venmo account is managed by Elizabeth Wright, our group’s head organizer and treasurer.