support networks
People who help
Support networks are the people and resources someone can rely on for help, encouragement, or practical assistance.
The term usually describes informal relationships—family, friends, neighbors, colleagues—rather than professional services: After the diagnosis, she leaned heavily on her support network.
The plural suggests multiple interconnected sources of aid rather than a single relationship.
- financial aidFunding for education expenses
- communityCollective of connected people
- peer groupsSocial equals collectively
- familyRelated people together
- chosen familyIntentionally formed kinship network
tight-knit community · friendship · shoulder to cry on · mutual aid · forums · online forums · caregivers · mentorship · colleagues · scholarships · lifeline · crisis hotline · emergency contacts · food banks · virtual communities · group therapy · safety net · interdependence
- humanitarian aidaid, aid organizations, aid workers, disaster relief, aid agencies
- mental wellnessself-care, mental wellness, emotional wellness, coping skills, therapy
- communityneighbors, neighborliness, neighborhoods, kinship, community centers
- recoveryrecovery, sobriety, rehab, recover, recovery room
- social bondsfamily, friendship, buddy, marriage, pal
- social servicessocial workers, social work, social services, welfare office, case workers
support networksisolation
Complete separation from others
social isolation · loneliness · solitude · alienation · disconnection
support networkstoxic relationships
Bonds causing emotional harm
saboteurs · detractors · parasitic relationships · enemies · adversaries
support networksdeprivation
State of lacking necessities
neglect · lack of resources · vulnerability · helplessness · fending for oneself