Herpes Support Groups That Are Actually Running

Updated 12 August 2026 · HSV Circle Editorial Team

Searching for a herpes support group turns up a lot of pages that list groups without saying whether any of them still meet. This page takes the opposite approach: fewer entries, each one opened and checked, and an explicit note about what the organisation does not tell you.

Everything below was checked on 12 August 2026.

A peer group is not a substitute for care, and this page is not medical advice. For clinical information we point to the CDC and the American Sexual Health Association rather than restating it ourselves.

A lit window seen from outside at dusk, bare branches crossing the foreground. — Three organisations, checked by hand. Two of them do not publish when they meet.

What each organisation publishes on its own page, checked 2026-08-12. A filled square means the page states it; an open square means it does not.

The pattern in that matrix is the main thing worth knowing before you start clicking: all three organisations are real, but only one of them tells you when anything actually happens. That is why "find a support group" takes longer than it should.

Something Positive for Positive People (SPFPP)

What it is. A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States, founded by Courtney Brame.

What it offers. Virtual support groups, run separately for men and women.

Cost. The organisation describes its resources as free and donation-based. It does not break down which groups are free and which are donation-based.

🔴 What its page does not say. No meeting dates, no frequency, no joining instructions, and no statement about whether registration is required. If you need something happening this week, you will have to contact them to find out.

spfpp.org

Herpes Viruses Association (UK)

What it is. A UK charity covering genital herpes and cold sores.

What it offers. A telephone and email helpline answered by trained volunteers, plus support groups and meetings listed on its events page. Subscribers receive detailed leaflets and monthly mailouts, including guidance on talking to a new partner.

Cost. Partly membership-based. The subscription tier covers the detailed materials; basic information and the helpline appear to be open to everyone.

Worth noting. The organisation states plainly that it cannot diagnose anything by phone or email, and directs people to a sexual health clinic. That is the correct answer, and a reasonable signal about how the rest of its material is written.

herpes.org.uk · Helpline 0345 123 2305

ASHA's Inspire community

What it is. An online support community listed by the American Sexual Health Association, a long-standing US health nonprofit.

What it offers. A forum-style community rather than scheduled meetings.

🔴 What its page does not say. ASHA's herpes page links to the community but does not describe what it includes, whether it is free, or how active it is. Treat it as a starting point to look at, not a verified active group.

ashasexualhealth.org

What we could not verify

Several sites rank well for support group searches but are individual practitioners' pages or commercial services rather than open peer groups. We are not listing those here as if they were the same thing. If you find one that helps, that is genuinely fine — but you should know which kind of thing you are looking at.

We also did not find a reliable, current list of in-person herpes support groups in the US. Groups of this kind tend to form and dissolve locally without leaving a maintained public record. Rather than publish city pages with nothing behind them, we would rather say we do not have that.

If a listing here is wrong

These entries go out of date faster than anything else on this site. Groups close, move, change hosts, or start charging without updating their pages. If you find that something here is no longer accurate, telling us is the single most useful thing you can do for the next person reading it.

A key lying next to a closed envelope. — A listing here is a starting point, not a vetting. What you share, and with whom, stays yours to decide.

Before you join anything

Two practical notes, neither of them about herpes:

Check what the group asks you to share. A peer group has no clinical duty of confidentiality. That does not make it unsafe, but it is a different thing from a therapist's office, and worth knowing before you speak.

A group is not the only option. Some people find peer groups enormously helpful and others find them the wrong shape entirely. If you leave one feeling worse, that is information about fit, not about you.

Frequently asked questions

Are herpes support groups free?

It varies, and the organisations are not always explicit. SPFPP describes its resources as free and donation-based but does not break down which groups fall into which category. The Herpes Viruses Association is partly membership-based, with a subscription tier for detailed materials, while its helpline appears open to everyone. Check before assuming either way.

Is there an anonymous herpes support group?

Online forums like ASHA's Inspire community let you use a handle rather than your name. Video groups vary — some allow cameras off. No page we checked stated an explicit anonymity policy, so if that matters to you, ask the organiser before joining rather than finding out on the call.

How do I find a herpes support group near me?

Local in-person groups are genuinely scarce, and most searches for them lead to national or virtual options. The UK's Herpes Viruses Association lists events; in the US, virtual groups are the realistic route for most people. We would rather tell you that than pad this page with city names that have nothing behind them.

What happens in a herpes support group?

We have not sat in on these groups and will not describe them as if we had. What the organisations state publicly is that groups are peer-based rather than clinical. If you want to know the format before committing, the helpline or contact route is the reliable way to ask.